For the rest of the world, paratha is essentially a round Indian flatbread that is made with a basic wheat dough and cooked on a griddle with a dash of oil. But who knows it better than us that ‘parathas’, much like us, come in many different avatars. They can be thin or flaky, or loaded and robust, stuffed or plain, spicy or mellow. In other words, they can be anything but boring. Don’t believe us? Here are 5 unique parathas from India that will change your mind.
1. Ulte Tawe Ka Paratha: This thin and glossy paratha is made on an inverted griddle (Ulta’ is a Hindi word for inverted, and ‘Tawa’ is another word for griddle). It is a very popular flatbread in Lucknow, and is often served with kebabs like galouti kebab and tunday kebab.
2. Kothu Parota: A flaky parotta that in no shape or form resembles a regular parotta. It is a flaky maida parotta which is beaten and shredded in pieces on an iron griddle. It is sensation in Tamil Nadu and there are 436282 reasons why you should give it a try today!
3. Lachcha Paratha: The beauty of this paratha lies in its beautiful, cripsy layers. To make this paratha, a tight dough is kneaded, which is rolled in a way that your paratha has multiple layers when it is roasted on a tawa. Lachcha paratha can be paired with any North Indian curry like shahi paneer and rogan josh.
4. Mughlai Paratha: This deep-fried paratha from Bengal is filled with minced mutton, eggs and a whole lot of spices. It is folded up in a square pocket and fried until crisp. The loaded paratha is then cut in small square pieces and served with ketchup, kasundi and a little bit of salad. Indulgence overload.
5. Sattu Paratha: Sattu has been the talk of the town for a while no. It is essentially a powder made with ground pulses and cereals like chickpeas. The superfood has been an intrinsic part of the diet of North and East India. You may have heard of sattu ka sharbat, but did you know that the powder could be used to make a paratha too?
So, how many of these parathas have you tried?