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Whole Wheat Lachha Parathas

Lacha paraths  are  the   puff pastry of  flat  breads.  With  their  beautiful layered look  and  the interesting  textural  contrast  these appeal to the  eyes as  well as  the taste buds. Often  served hot  with  spicy curries these flat breads are very popular  in India . In the  south   these  are  often  referred  to  simply as  Parotta.   Even the picky eaters  who refuse  to  touch their  rotis  gobble  these   up.  I make  these  with  whole  wheat flour (atta)  and  with   much less  amount  of  fat  and  they still come  out   flaky and  delicious . Lachha Paratha Or Kerala Parotta

In the   south   there are plenty of road side shops serving these  breads.  These are  usually made  to order  and  served  piping  hot, perfect  for  folks  to  grab on the  way heading  home   from  work.  Usually the  roti stand  will be  featured  prominently near  the  entrance  to  the  eatery   and you can  watch as  the  cooks make it to order.  “Parotta  Adi ”  I  think  the process  was  referred  to ,  was  considered  to be  a  man’s trade ;-).

It  is a    fascinating  to  watch  as  the  cooks  stretch  the  dough by   hitting  it  on the  workbench  followed  by swishing  and throwing  the  discs in  the  air .   They make  such a  show  of  this process these   that  most  home cooks  hesitate   to  try  these. The  truth is that one  does  not   need   large   counter space or  huge  biceps  to stretch the  dough.  The  usual   rolling  pin   and a flat work surface is  all you need.  There is  no need to hit   or  manhandle the   dough.

Now  if  you   want  to   work off  some  pent  up  aggression  on these ,  who am  I to say no !  Go ahead  ,  hit   and  stretch away …

The   street  side recipes  usually consists of  maida (white  all purpose  flour)  and   plenty of   oil.  Some   recipes  even  include  eggs  and a  bit  of  leavening , typically baking  soda.  Maida  and  eggs  help to stretch the   dough paper  thin   without  tearing.  But  other  than  eggs, if  used ,  all the  other  ingredients  have  little  or  no  nutritional value .

Lachha Paratha Or Kerala Parotta

No, I am  not  trying  to  discourage  you from  eating  the lovely Kerala Parotta.  Just  make  it a  little  bit  healthier !

The  recipe is  simple  and  starts  out  similar to a  standard  Indian Roti / Chapathi Recipe.  The   dough is  made  with  atta (whole  wheat  flour) , a pinch of  salt  , a little  bit  of  oil  and   enough water . One  can  substitute  some  or  all of  the  water  with   diary, either  milk  or yogurt for a  softer  richer  dough.

Mix  the  flour  with  salt and  oil .  Slowly pour  water  while  stirring  the   flour  to  moisten it . Add  Just  enough eater for the   dough to come  together.  There  may  be  still  some  dry flour  left  in the  bowl .   Bring   all the  flour  into a to  ball  and  knead  for  10 minutes  till the   dough feels  soft and  relaxes  a  bit .   Cover    and set  aside   for  at least  30 minutes .

The  trick in  this  recipe  lies in the  rolling  and  layering .   The  steps  are  described  below .  It is not  as  detailed  as  I wanted , but  hope  this  helps ..

Pinch off  large  lemon sized balls –  if  you make rotis  thinks  1.5 to 2  times  large –   and  roll them  in flour .

Making Lachha Paratha Or Kerala Parotta

  •   Roll out  each ball as  thin as  possible.   You could  dust  the  work surface  with  flour  to prevent    the  dough from sticking or  lightly oil the  surface.
  • Spread  about  1/2 tsp  oil/ ghee  on  the  rolled out  dough.  Use a pastry brush to brush the   oil  evenly on top .   I prefer astry brush to get a  light  even  coat of  oil  all over, you could  use a spray bottle  or  just  spread  by hand.
  • Hold the  edges of  of  the  dough   farthest  from you  at opposite  ends  and  start  pleating  it,  with the  oiled  side  coming  in contact  with  the  oiled  side.  The  pleats  should  be  about  1 cm or  so  wide .  Think   Chinese fans  or  the  pleats  for  a  sari.  As yo work  gather  the  pleats towards  you  and  it  will end  as a  thick  piece of rope.
  • Coil the rope  loosely as in the  picture with  the  oiled  pleat  openings  facing  the  top.
  • With  the  heel of  the  palm  flatten it  out  to into a   disc. ‘
  • You could  use a  rolling  pin  as  well. If  using  a  rolling pin  roll only in one  direction  from the center.  Place  the pin at  the  center of  the  disc  and roll once either towards or   away from  you.  Take  the  pin off  and  give  the  disc  a  quarter  turn and  repeat  the process . This  ensures  the layers   are kept  apart as  much as  possible.
  • Oil a  hot  griddle  and place the  paratha  on top .  Cook  over  medium heat until  air bubbles  seem to form .  Drizzle  a  little  oil (1/4  to 1/2 tsp)  flip the  paratha and  cook on the  other side .
  • Once  a  few  parathas are  cooked gather  then  in your  hands  and  gently shake  the  layers  loose.

 

Lachha Paratha Or Kerala Parotta

Whole Wheat Lacha Paratha

By Syama
 Lachha paratha is a layered flat bread from the Indian sub continent.  This   version is  made  with   whole  wheat  flour  and  is as   tempting  to eat as  the  flour   version. The  layers are  crunchy  on the  outside  an mouth watering tender on the  inside.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Bread
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
  

  • 2 C Whole Wheat Flour / Atta
  • 1 Pinch Salt
  • 1- 2 Tbsp Oil/Ghee
  • 1 1/2 C Lukewarm Water As Needed
  • Wheat Flour To dust
  • OIl/Ghee To Roast

Instructions
 

  • Mix flour and salt with the oil . Add enough water to bring all the dough together into a ball. Knead for 10 minutes till the dough relaxes a bit and feels soft. If too stiff add add a few more drops of water , conversely if the dough is too soft knead in a few tablespoons more flour . Set aside covered for at least 30 minutes , up to a couple of hours.
  • Divide the dough into portions the size of a large lemon. Roll into a ball and flatten a bit to form a thick disc . Coat the disc with flour and flatten into a circle as thin as possible with a rolling pin. Dust with more flour if the dough begins to stick. Spread 1/2 tsp oil or ghee over it . Use a pastry brush (any clean 1" painter's brush will do ) to spread the oil thinly. Start pleating the circle from one end gathering it into pleats of 1 cm width. Roll the resulting rope into a loose coil with the oiled sides of the pleats facing up . Flatten this disc into a 6" circle either using the palms or with a rolling pin (refer to pics).
  • Heat a heavy bottomed pan (tawa , girdle). Oil the top lightly and place the paratha on it. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. When air bubbles begin to form on top, spread a little oil on and flip the paratha. Cook on the other side till done.
  • After making a few parathas hold them between your hands and gently shake to loosen the pleats .
  • Serve warm with your choice of curry .

Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.

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Lachha Paratha Or Kerala Parotta

 

Wondering what to serve this with ? Try these
Beef Fry Kerala Style

Beef Fry  from Kerala 

Varutharacha Chicken Curry

Chicken With Roasted Coconut  and Spices
Chole - Spicy Chickpea Curry

Chole

Recipe Rating




Angelyn Awong

Saturday 8th of April 2017

I prefer the flakey Layered Lachha Paratha recipe. Could not resist its look so I went ahead to try it out. It was well worth the little effort. Lachha paratha can be served with your favorite curry or dry vegetable dish. Bon appetit!