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PAROTTA

    The Parotta is humble bread found in almost every eatery world. This unleavened layered and flaky bread is a distant relative of Lachcha Paratha and a close counterpart of Malaysian famous Roti Canai. If one food which is most eaten in and around Malaysia is, ' Nasi Lemak', then 'Roti Canai' follows the marathon. It's one of the must have menu list in almost all local restaurants in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Needless to say its popularity in India and Sri Lanka.
    Its found in every Kaiyendhi/Thattukada (small restaurants selling food in road sides), mostly in a Thallu vandi (its a trolley like mobile vehicle which has just a plank on top with four wheels underneath). Such Eatery Joints mostly pop during nights in cities selling Dosa, Idlis, Parottas, Omelettes etc., The variety of Parottas are quite versatile - Egg Parotta, Veechu Parotta, Coin Parotta, Poricha Parotta, Ceylon Parotta, Madurai Parotta, Kerala/Malabar Parotta. Each having its special ingredients and style of cooking.
    Parottas are called as Rotis in Malaysia. The plain ones - Roti Canai. The variation in Roti Canai in Malaysia is far more versatile, it's served either as a savoury or as a sweet with variety of toppings or fillings like Roti Telur (Egg), Roti Sardine, Roti Pisang (Banana) Roti Bawang (Onion), Roti Bomb (filled with Sugar and Margarine and served with a drizzle of Condensed Milk - which is surely for the Sweet Tooth), Roti Kaya ... the list goes on and on. Sometimes the sweet varieties of Rotis are topped with , peanut butter, jam and nutella and served without the curry. The savoury versions of Roti are traditionally served with Dhals or with Fish, Chicken or Mutton Curries. Most of the restaurants serve a small blob of Sambal along with these curries.
     I was in a long trial to master a perfectly layered, crispy and flaky Parottas, but to my surprise it was easier than I imagined. Most recipes looked more or less similar, the essential ingredients being All-Purpose Flour/Maida, Salt, Oil and Water. In addition to these some recipes call for milk, egg, butter or baking soda. I felt that milk and egg makes the Parotta too rich for its nature. Adding Baking soda makes Parotta thick and tough, most of all if I couldn't get the desired flavour or texture. Too much oil and butter can make your Parottas crispy.
   As always - "Simple recipes are always the Best" according to my theory. And my foolproof recipe turned out to be with only the basic ingredients. But the secret behind Perfect Parrota are 3 most important techniques :

The first being the resting periods between Kneading, Shaping and Rolling.
Next - Moisture the dough by smearing oil over the shaped dough balls instead of adding oil while kneading the dough.
Then comes the perfect shaping technique, which yields flaky Parottas.

In addition to the basic ingredients, I have added sugar for a tinge of sweetness which all of us at home like. Then I let the dough mix rest along with water for few minutes before kneading the dough which would soak up the additional moisture and reduce the stickiness synonymous to the All-Purpose flour. My kneading job also got easier by doing so yielding stretchy dough. The resting periods between kneading and shaping really helps in developing the gluten needed. Smearing oil over the shaped dough balls keeps them soft and moist. The dough relaxes and becomes a wonderful pliable dough easy to handle and shape.
Though easy making Parottas are time-consuming, but the fruit of the toil is worth a try!

PAROTTA WITH EGG AND CHICKEN GRAVY

Parottas taste best along with spicy Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian curries. Mutton or Chicken Chalna/Saalna is the best combination served mostly in restaurants. For a vegetarian combo Vegetable kurma suits the best along with Parottas. But according to all of us at home, if its Parotta - its Coimbatore famous - Burma Bhai's Parotta and his one and only Egg and Chicken Gravy. I have always tried to replicate this curry which is his secret recipe.

Cuisine : Indian
Course : Main Course
Serves : 4
Yields : 6-8 Parottas / Roti
Author : SM

Preparation Time : 20 -30 Minutes
Leavening Time : 1 Hour
Cooking Time : 10 - 20 Minutes

HOW TO MAKE PAROTTA / ROTI CANAI

PAROTTA / ROTI CANAI

INGREDIENTS:

For Parotta/Roti Canai:

All-Purpose Flour / Maida - 2 Cups
Water - 125 Ml (more or less)
Sugar - 3 Tspns
Salt - To Taste
Oil - To smear, Shape and Cook

METHOD:

For the Dough:

Mix Sugar, Salt and Water in a cup until sugar and salt are well dissolved.
Sift the All-purpose Flour once.
Take the flour in a large bowl.
Make a well in the middle and pour in the Salt-Sugar mixture.
Stir well and keep it covered for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, knead the mix into a pliable dough.
Leave it aside for 10 -15 minutes.
Grease your hands with few teaspoons of oil and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes.
Adding oil at this will reduce the stickiness of the dough and easier to knead.
After 10 minutes divide the dough into equal parts and roll them up into a ball.
Rub oil generously over the dough balls, cover them with clean and wet kitchen towel and leave it aside for 30 minutes.
Grease your work surface with oil.
Take a dough ball on the work surface, gently press it with your palm and flatten them.
Roll the dough until it turns into a thin sheet, make sure not to tear the dough.
Use some oil to roll the dough.
Slowly remove the thin dough sheet with your hands and gently pull on the edges.
If the dough is in perfect consistency then it wouldn't tear much.
Stretch the sheet from all direction (without tearing) until it becomes thinner and thinner.
Smear some oil over the stretched sheet with your hands or using a brush.
Gently lift the rolled sheet and fold them into pleats until they are folded into a long strip.
From one end coil the folded strips around itself into a spiral.
Tuck in the loose ends.
Again smear oil over the coiled dough and leave it aside for 10 minutes.

For Parotta/Roti Canai:
Meanwhile, heat the griddle in high flame.
Roll the coiled dough with a rolling pin or just by gently pressing them with your palm to make a perfect round shape.
Place the rolled Parottas on the hot griddle and cook one side.
Lower the flame slightly and turn the parotta once and cook on the other side.
Drizzle some oil over the parottas while they are cooking.
Wait until small golden spots start to pop around.
Once cooked they will be crisp on the outside.
Follow the suit for rest of the parottas and keep them stacked.
Once done slightly crush the stack with both your hands.
This is to ensure that the layers are separated and the parotta is flaky.

NOTES:

Use more water if necessary, while kneading the dough.
Can substitute half the quantity of water with milk, if you prefer a rich texture.
Adding sugar is truly optional.
Use oil to roll the dough instead of flour.
While rolling the dough balls, it should stretch easily. Few small tears are fine.
If you mess up with the dough while rolling, roll the dough again and leave it aside for 5- 10 minutes before starting over again.
It's equally important to grease the dough balls and leave them aside for at least 10 -15 minutes at every stage.

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

Making Parotta at home is one best way to eat the most debated dish. The recent health conscious debates and all about the "all-purpose flour" and products made out of it has made eating Parotta sceptical. But I belong to the old school. Though health conscious and I go to meticulous extent to cook in the most nutritious way. I believe that cooking, actually substituting certain dishes instead of All-purpose flour, White Sugar or Butter/margarine etc., is something not necessary when you are eating certain things in a moderate way. Anyway it is my humble opinion.

Recent years and recent times of travelling to India, I can hear people around me speaking too much about the use(literal ban at households) of all-purpose flour, sugar and substituting rice with millets, oil with hand pressed organic oils, organic vegetables, palm sugar, free-range chicken and what not???

So, is it possible not to eat Parotta and the other important thing Beef? As a Malayali, Parotta and Beef is a feeling(anyway, that too marketed and popularized through social media to the core in recent times). I love the combo whatsoever and making it at home satiates my senses to the core. Perfecting certain dishes and when my family feels happy to eat it, I go to the extent of making it as perfect as I can.

So for the love of Parotta, I am coming up with two good recipes (BACK TO BACK POSTS), as such 2 good techniques to get perfect Parottas - Layered and flaky, soft & tasty. And will be followed by two good Kerala Style Beef Recipes too.

For a QUICK PAROTTA RECIPE, Click here...

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

This Parotta Recipe is more or less an easy version. I have two easy methods for layered, flaky Parottas. And this recipe is for ultimate Parotta beginners and if you are a Pro in it please do skip the recipe.

I have had tremendous mishaps when it came to making layered Parottas. While I lived in India, we had a big enough marbled kitchen counter where I could spread the Parotta as thin as and as big as I want. So it was easy for me to just fold it up as we do for Lachcha Parathas and I simply got wonderfully layered and flaky Parottas. But here, in Malaysia, what I have is a small Kitchen counter, a table literally. So I found it hard to spread the Parottas, and least to mention my Parottas were big mishaps. Seeing this my beloved hubby recently bought me a Stainless Steel Table just for making Parottas, which I now use it as my photography table too. During the early period, I came across Mrs.Lakshmi Nair Parotta Recipe where she uses a simple technique to get Layered Parottas.

For more PAROTTA RECIPES, Click here...

This Easy Parotta Recipe concentrates mainly on the technique but requires a lot of leavening time. If you have all your sweet time, plan it ahead and go with this recipe. But it is worth the time and effort.

Easy Parotta Recipe by Mrs. Lakshmi Nair:

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

Mrs. Lakshmi Nair's version is simply to layer the spread Parottas on top of each and then leavening it for some time. And then the magic happens, gently pull one Parotta from the batch and there it comes out like as if it had been spread into a thin layer. Like how Parotta Master's just throw it out and make it elongate and spread. But this technique is as simple as it is, you just need to gently pull it over, then grease the dough extensively and then fold it up into a roll, as for a Parotta. I really loved doing this. It was a left hand's play - clean out and perfect as it is. I would like to totally give all the credits and accolades of this Parotta recipe to Mrs. Lakshmi Nair for this recipe. But I am jotting down this recipe in my blog for my usage and reference in future.

For more INDIAN BREADS, Click here...

Cuisine - Indian, Malaysian
Course - Main Course
Serves - 5-6
Yields : 20 Parottas
Author : SM

Preparation Time - 20 -30 Minutes
Leavening Time - 4 Hours + 11/2 Hours
Cooking Time - 20 - 30 Minutes

For KERALA STYLE BEEF RECIPES, Click here...

HOW TO MAKE EASY PAROTTA / EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

For Parotta Dough:

All-purpose flour - 1 Kg
Egg - 1 No.
Oil - 2 Tablespoons
Sugar - 11/2 Tablespoon
Salt - To Taste
Water - 2 Cups + 4 Tablespoons

For Smearing & Cooking:

Oil - 1 Cup(Approx)

For Dusting:

All-purpose flour - 1/2 Cup(Approx)

METHOD:

Easy Parotta Recipe:

Sift All purpose flour once and add it into a big bowl.
Make a hole in the centre and add Sugar, Egg, Salt & Oil.
Then pour in about 2 Cups of Water to the flour mix and knead it into a pliable dough.
Add the rest of the 4 tablespoons of water, a little(1 tablespoon) at a time, and knead it into a soft, pliable dough.
The dough shouldn't be tough.
Knead well for about 8-10 minutes.
Then cover and leave it aside for about 4 hours.
After 4 hours, knead it once again. The dough would have turned soft.
Dust lavishly onto the surface you are going to spread the Parottas.
Make balls out of the dough. You may get about 20 Balls out of the dough.

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

And roll it out into a thin and even round (into the shape of a chapati), dusting enough flour as required so that it doesn't stick on to the surface.
Now we need to stack the spread dough Parottas over each other.
For this, take a big plate, or you can stack it up on the kitchen counter too.
Dust the plate or the kitchen counter where you are going to stack the spread Parottas.
Place one Parotta onto the dusted surface/plate.
Smear about 1- 11/2 teaspoon of oil over the Parotta, then sprinkle some all-purpose flour over it.
Take the next ball, spread it into a thin and even round and place it on top of the previously stacked Parotta.
Smear oil all over the Parotta, then sprinkle some flour over it.
Follow the suit for the rest of the dough.
Layer 10 Parottas into one full stack. You are required to stack it up into 2 portions of 10 each.
Once stacked, smear oil all over the Parottas.

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

Now cover each stack of Parottas with a big bowl and leave it aside for about 11/2 hours to 2 hours.
After the leavening time, remove the cover.
Grease your hands & gently pull the first Parotta from the stack.
It would stretch and come out clean as you pull into a thin dough sheet.
Smear some oil over the stretched sheet with your hands.
Gently lift the stretched sheet and fold them into pleats until they are folded into a long strip.
From one end coil the folded strips around itself into a spiral.
Tuck in the loose ends. Grease it up and leave it aside.
Follow the suit for the rest of the spread Parottas.

For Parotta:

Meanwhile, heat the griddle in high flame.
Gently spread the coiled dough, by gently pressing them with your palm to make a perfect round shape.

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

Place the rolled Parottas on the hot griddle and cook.
Lower the flame slightly and flip the parotta once and cook on the other side.
Drizzle some oil over the parottas while they are cooking.
Wait until small golden spots start to pop around.
Once cooked, they will be crisp on the outside.
Follow the suit for the rest of the parottas and keep them stacked.
Once done, slightly crush the stack with both your hands (the parottas should be hot, but warm enough to handle). This is to ensure that the layers are separated and the parotta is flaky.

EASY PAROTTA RECIPE

NOTES:

Use more water, if necessary, while kneading the dough.
I used exactly 2 Cups & 4 tablespoons of water to knead the Parotta dough.
Please do strictly follow the measurements & leaving time for perfect Parottas.
Can halve the recipe too. If so, beat the egg and use just half the amount of it.
Use ample of oil to smear the spread Parottas while stacking.
Gently pull the Parotta from the stack, it would come out into a thin long sheet.
While pulling out the spread dough, it should stretch easily. A few small tears are fine.
Smear oil all over the sheet with your hands, and then simply fold and roll it out.
Gently spread the coiled dough, by gently pressing them with your palm to make a perfect round shape.
Once cooked, slightly crush the stack with both your hands (the parottas should be hot, but warm enough to handle). This is to ensure that the layers are separated and the parotta is flaky.