Malabar Paratha also popular as Kerala Parotta is a crispy and flaky unleavened layered flatbread which is served widely in South India. It is also a variation of the lacchha paratha or layered paratha which is popularly served in North India.
It is a yummy paratha which has a crispy outer layer and flaky edges giving way to making the inner layers soft. It is not easy to prepare at home for the first time but if you master the recipe, you will be able to make them easily at home. The key to making these Malabar Paratha tasty is to prepare its layers well.
This paratha does not use yeast and is also an eggless recipe. These delicious flatbreads can be served with a variety of vegetables like kadai paneer, veg handi or lentil curry such as dal makhani or with shahi paneer. Even a simple dal tadka tastes amazing with this delightful Kerala parotta.
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ to 1 cup hot water
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt or as required
Method:
- Take a bowl, put both the whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour with baking soda into it and sieve it
- Mix them well and put sugar, salt and oil followed by hot water
- Now mix all the ingredients with a spoon and then knead the dough until it becomes soft, smooth and elastic.
- Once prepared, cover the dough with a moist cloth and leave it aside for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Now, it’s time to roll the paratha. Divide the dough into 7 to 8 balls. Dust the working bottom with some flour. Roll each ball as thinly as you can into a big round
- Once done, apply oil on the full surface of the rolled dough
- Now, hold the rolled dough from the top on both sides and pleat it till the bottom
- Next, roll it like a spiral and press the final edge onto the middle of the roll
- Follow the same process to form all the spiralled balls this way and cover them with a wet cloth and leave them aside for around 15 minutes
- Next, take a tava and heat it. Pick each rolled ball and on the dusted working surface, roll each of them into a paratha of approximately 4-5 inches
- Put the paratha on the hot tava and fry from both sides. Drizzle with some oil on top as well as the edges until the paratha gets crisp and brown
- The layers will appear crisp and tempting
- Finally, the Malabar Paratha is ready to serve. Squish the Paratha from the middle with your fingers while serving so that the layers are visible on the surface.
Important Points To Note:
- Adding hot water is important while kneading as it will bring a better texture to the paratha
- You can also make this paratha with wheat instead of maida but the appearance will be a bit different.