Paratha are pan-fried unleavened Indian and Pakistani flatbreads usually made with whole wheat flour but can be made with plain flour. They can be plain and flaky in texture or are commonly stuffed with potatoes, cauliflower, paneer or radish. They’re pretty straight forward to make at home but you can also find frozen paratha in larger supermarkets and South Asian grocery stores. Your choice of side dishes ultimately depends on which style of paratha you are making and what time of the day you’re making them. Paratha are enjoyed throughout India for breakfast, lunch or dinner with varying sides. Plain parathas go with pretty much any side as they do not have any added spices. You can serve them with a simple easy side, a curry or even a sweet dish. Ajwain parathas only have the addition of carom seeds so pair with a lot of different dishes too. Stuffed paratha such as aloo paratha or paneer paratha are almost a meal in themselves and will go best with yogurt or a creamy drink. However, many enjoy them with a spicy pickle, tomato ketchup and chai. Paratha recipes we love are Dal Paratha and Methi Thepla.
What to serve with paratha for breakfast
Paratha and breakfast go hand in hand in so many Indian homes. Aloo Paratha is a very popular dish for breakfast and most often this will be served with yogurt or raita (boondi, cucumber are all good options) or chutneys. Chai is a must at breakfast. Saying that, simple curries such as potato curry or a mild chickpea curry are also eaten at breakfast times. Basically you want any quick side dish for busy mornings. Kids will love paratha with ketchup, jam or even a chocolate spread.
Vegetable Curries
Paratha can be enjoyed with curries that have a gravy or dry sabzis. If serving with a dry sabji, then you definitely would want to add a raita or chutney to make the dish easier to eat. You can find a huge variety of Vegetable curries or Paneer Curries which both go amazing with paratha.
Paneer Curries
Dal / Lentils / Beans
Piping hot dal is just waiting to be dunked into. You’ll need a rice dish such as jeera rice and a dry vegetable curry alongside your dal to make it a complete meal.
Drinks
In our house, paratha are pretty much always served with a steaming mug of chai (Indian style tea)! Another common drink that pairs well with paratha is lassi which is a yogurt based drink that can be flavoured sweet or salty.
Sweet dishes
Complete your meal with a delicious creamy sweet dish.
Pickles / Chutneys / Sauce / Raita
The easiest and quickest side dishes are undoubtedly some sort of chutney or raita. Many chutneys are always stocked in Indian and Pakistani homes, whether shop bought or homemade. Raita is super easy to whip up but you can always just go for plain yogurt! Yogurt dips like simple raita like cucumber raita, boondi raita or fruit raita add flavour and texture and are my personal favourite go-to sides for paratha. Spicy chutneys go best with plain paratha and mild sweet chutneys such as a mango pickle are better with stuffed. However, you can always try out different options and see what you like. I love green mint and coriander chutney – this delicious recipe has a bright green color and a bright zingy flavour making it a good option at lunch time. Poppadom dips such as Indian onion salad or Indian mint sauce go well too.
Jam / Ghee
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