Kerala Parotha, a Flakey South-Indian Flatbread
Posted by foodess on Mon 23rd of Feb, 2009 12:34:01 AM
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There are a million good reasons to visit South India. The people, for one, are amazing - warm-hearted, generous, and absolutely vibrant in culture. Then there’s the setting - think, the most amazing beaches you have ever seen. Tropical trees heavily laden with sweet fruit. Winding waterways through villages, making it a “Venice of the East”. But even if none of that existed, I would still make the trek for one inimitable pleasure - flakey, buttery parotha and a creamy curry, consumed without such complications as plates or cutlery, but rather with a banana leaf and bare fingers - and a good dose of utter, shameless delight.
If I had to choose just one food to eat for the rest of my life, this flatbread would be a sturdy candidate. I really don’t think I could get tired of pulling apart buttery layers of chewy bread - with or without a blazing hot curry to for dunking. Quite frankly, it blows my mind that Kerala Parotha, known in some circles as Malabari Parotha (and can also be spelled Parotta, or Paratha - just to complicate things) has not yet taken over the world. Because, in my opinion, once tasted, it is impossible to go back to life without it. And there are quite enough Indians on every corner of the globe to introduce it around… so why it hasn’t spread like wildfire? I’m baffled. Maybe it’s just meant to be one of life’s little secrets, that only a select few outsiders come to know of. Well, now you’re in on the secret! Now go make it and see what I mean about never going back.
The best part about it, beyond its general mind-blowing-ness, is how easy and fun it is to make! The dough is whip ups up in a jiffy - just flour, an egg, some oil, and water, kneaded into an elastic lump then allowed to rest. After about an hour, break off pieces the size of limes, and roll them out as thinly as possible. Brush the circles with some ghee (clarified butter - but I just used regular melted butter), roll it up into a rope, twist the rope in on itself to make a coil, then flatten it out again with a rolling pin into a thin circle. Toss it on a hot cast-iron skillet with some oil, and the steam generated from moisture in the butter will cause it to puff up, making the layers separate… which distinguishes it as the lustworthy little bread-y temptation that it is.
Kerala Parotha
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- oil, for frying
1. With a fork, mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add beaten egg, oil, and water, and mix with fork till dough starts to come together. Turn out on floured surface and knead into a smooth, elastic ball, about 10 minutes. You may need to add more flour or water to make the dough a workable consistency.
2. Return dough to ball and cover with a damp towel. Leave it to rest for 1 hour or more.
3. Pinch off lime-sized balls of dough, and roll them out into thin circles on a floured surface. Brush a thin coat of ghee over entire surface. Starting at one end, roll dough into a thin roll (like rolling up a jelly roll, or cinnamon buns). Holding one end of the roll between fingers, twist the dough in on itself in a spiral, pinching loose end into the circle to secure. Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes.
4. Heat 2 tsp oil in a cast iron pan over moderate heat. Flatten the spirals of dough with the palm of your hand, then thoroughly flatten them into thin circles using a rolling pin. Transfer to hot pan, and cook until air bubbles form in dough, about 2 minutes. Brush with butter, and flip. Continue cooking till golden brown, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Add another 2 tsp oil to pan and fry next parotha, continuing the same procedure for all the dough.
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I really miss this! I love having this with curry and it’s delicious with condensed milk.
Hi, Foodess
I’m a first time visitor. Your site it beautiful! These flatbreads look amazing. I’ve been spending all my time on yeasted breads lately, but I think I’m definitely going to have to give this recipe a try soon. Thanks!
Haha, just to add to your confusion, we call this Roti Canai in Malaysia and I just had a piece this evening with dhal! Delicious.
hi there, i found your blog through the whoopie pie link on serious eats. it interested me enough to scroll through your homepage…and now i think i’m in love. you have a recipe for parothas!! and you spelled it properly (as far as i’m concerned…we pronounce it with as parOtha, so i HATE seeing it spelled with 3 “a’s”. anyway, as a malayalee (the ethnic group of kerala), i’m so proud! and i must try this recipe this weekend with some delicious shrimp curry.
I just made these — they were awesome!! buttery and flaky, kinda like a very thin pizza dough. I served them with a chicken coconut curry. Delicious!!
Hey Jen! I ate these ALL the time in Uganda where the cuisine is influenced by the Indian population, but they call it chapati. There are street vendours all over making them on small charcoal stoves. Usually they’re just eaten plain, or sometimes rolled up with a thin omelet inside (called a ‘rolex’).
The friend who taught me to make them adds a touch of curry powder and some finely chopped red onion to the dough. Makes a delicious snack :)
Those flat breads look good.
I loooove these with Indian food and to just eat alone! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Nice try . Couple of suggesstions ….when allowing the dough to rest for an hour dip in oil and rest .
The first roll out should result in a paper thin piece which is then folded over
Thank you for this recipe. I visited South India in January and I’ve been searching for bread and naan recipes!
Oh my!! Thats looks so much tempting. Would love to eat it with Channa Masala. Will be trying it soon.
Thanks for the recipe :)
i made these and i failed failed failed! i did a bunch of things wrong. one day we will make these together and i will watch the master. i am the queen of suck when it comes to dough!
I live in Singapore and due to our multi-racial society, you can see many of these Indian stalls in foodcourts where they sell parathas. We call them roti pratas here, and the chef will toss and swing the oiled dough to make it fluffier, it’s very fun to watch actually =D. Something like what a pizza chef would do, but not as acrobatic. Haha. Nice stuff though!
We know these as parathas, I’ve made them many times before but not by making into spirals, I think I’ll give that a go next time I make them - thanks for the tip.