Kerala Parotha

Kerala paratha recipe With step by step photos – Kerala parotta is a layered flaky flat bread that is popular across the whole of south India. It is a variation of the North Indian Lachha paratha or layered paratha. They are also called as Malabar paratha.

I really have good memories of having these crisp and flaky breads during our vacations in south India. We would just have them plain with tea, dunking into the tea or with a nice coconut based vegetable korma or curry. The outer crisp and flaky edges giving way to the inner soft layers….. Yum is the word.

I still remember the hotel where we stayed once….. Just in front of our window there was a restaurant and the cook making these Kerala parottas one after the other. He was a master in his art of making these parathas… With his hands he would flip them and back to the work surface stretching the dough without using the rolling pin…. And not a single tear or break in the dough.

At home we cannot make these parotta this way. The texture would be less flaky and crisp than the restaurant ones, but still good enough to try.

How is Kerala parotta made

• Generally these Malabar paratha are made from all purpose flour or maida. Now using all purpose flour does give a great texture and flakiness to the parotta.However, In this Kerala paratha recipe I have used 1:1 ratio of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. you can make fully with All purpose flour or with whole wheat flour. However with whole wheat Flour the texture and taste would be different as compared to the parotta made with All purpose flour. It would taste more like the north Indian lachcha paratha.
• Generally in the roadside eateries, they use Dalda vanaspati (hydrogenated vegetable fat). For health reasons, I don’t use Dalda vanaspati. Use a Non aromatic and flavorless oil to make these parathas. You can even use butter or ghee. the more fat the More better it is :-). However, I have used only 2 tbsp oil for 2 cups of flour. You can increase the quantity to 3 to 4 tbsp oil too.

The method is very easy and I have shown a step by step method which will make the preparation easy to understand. This Kerala paratha does not use yeast. hot water is added while kneading which does make a difference to the texture of the parotta. This is also an eggless recipe of making these awesome flat breads.

If you wanna have these parathas, then make them at home. Please don’t buy the ready to cook ones. They are not good. I have tried them and they were bad…. Not even an inch close to the real thing.

I had made peas and potato korma to go with the Malabar parotta. You can serve Kerala paratha with any vegetable curry like veg kadai, veg handi or lentil curry like dal makhani or with paneer ghee roast. Even the simple dal tastes so good with the Kerala parotta.

How to make Kerala parotta or Malabar paratha

1: sieve both the flours with baking soda. make a well and add sugar, salt and oil.

2: add hot water.

3: since the water is hot, first mix the whole mixture with a wooden spoon. And then when the heat can be tolerated, knead the dough with your hands. Make a smooth, soft and elastic dough.

4: cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5: divide the dough into 7-8 balls.

6: dust the working surface with flour. Roll each ball as thinly as possible with a rolling pin. You have to roll very thin. If the dough breaks or tears, continue to roll.

7: brush oil on the rolled dough on the entire surface.

8: hold the rolled dough from the top on both sides and pleat them till the bottom.

9: holding one end of the pleated dough, roll like a spiral and press the last edge on to the center.

10: prepare all the spiral balls this way and keep them covered with a moist cloth for 15-20 minutes before you start cooking them.

11: on a dusted work surface, roll each pleated ball into paratha of 4-5 inches. I actually made them larger about 7  inches.

12:  heat a tava or a griddle. Place the paratha on a hot tava and fry on both sides drizzled with some oil on top and the edges till they are crisp and browned. You will see the layers easily and they will be browned.

When serving, squish the parotta holding them between your palms so that the layers come up on the surface. serve these yummy Kerala paratha or Malabar paratha with any Indian vegetable curry like veg korma, potato korma, veg sagu or lentil curry like dal makhani or curry recipes like paneer butter masala, veg makhanwala, paneer makhani, paneer Kolhapuri.