South Indian Food: Try This Street-Style Kothu Parotta For A Pleasant Evening
Image Credit: Image Credits: Pixabay (L) and Instagram post by @c2cwitharchana (R)

You may have tried a plethora of street foods in South India. And we can count 24536 reasons why you should totally make way for this humble tidbit called Kothu Parotta. This irresistible snack is quite popular in Tamil Nadu and people like to gorge upon them for its nice intricate flavours. Kothu parotta is a distinct dish because of its peculiar preparation and presentation. The name of the dish- Kothu means ‘minced’ in Tamil, which somewhat gives the idea of the meal. Usually, paratha is served whole, but in this dish the Indian flatbread is torn up in small bits, which are seasoned with a gamut of sapid spices. Traditionally the flaky bits of ‘parotta’ are cooked with salana or kurma making a wholesome delectable street food. The dish is not only enjoyed in India, but it also has a fan-base across other South-Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia and Singapore. Kothu parotta can be both non-vegetarian and vegetarian, If you want to try this exciting dish, then just follow the steps given below.

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 fresh roti/ naan/ paratha/ tandoori roti or any Indian flatbread of your choice
  • 6 large onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 2 green capsicums, diced
  • 3 green chillies, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp chilli powder
  • 1 ½ turmeric powder (haldi)
  • 2 coriander powder
  • 1 ½ tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 ½ pepper powder
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 1 cup curry leaves
  • 3 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

Preparations:

1. Tear the Indian flatbread into pieces and sauté them with oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the onions into it and fry them for a couple of minutes or until the onions turn slightly brown in colour.

2. After this add the chillies and ginger garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. Now add the tomatoes, turmeric powder and green capsicum and sauté them until the raw smell goes from the tomato and it turns mushy in texture.

3. Then add the chilli powder, pepper powder, garam masala, and coriander powder with salt, and sauté them until the raw smell of the masalas are gone. Add the chopped parotta into the mix and combine them well.

4. Now add the curry leaves and mix it well with the mixture. Cook on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes, and remember to toss and stir them in regular intervals.

5. Lastly, add the coriander leaves and drizzle some lemon juice and mix it well. Turn off the flame and enjoy the deliciousness.