What are Paratha?
Parathas are an Indian style flatbread and are hugely popular in North India. They are prepared with wholewheat flour and roasted on a skillet with oil or ghee until you get light golden spots on both sides. The word Paratha is an amalgamation of the Hindi words ‘ PARAT’ means ‘Big Plate’ and ‘Flaky Layers’ ‘AATA’ means ‘Flour’. Plain paratha without any spices or vegetable pair so well with spicy curries such as Matar Paneer or Chana Masala Add some basic spices and vegetables to the dough to make tasty and flavourful paratha like these masala lachha paratha or dal paratha. They make a heavenly pair with Fruit and Nut Raita or Instant Raiti Gor Keri pickle. On the other hand, stuffed parathas make a filling and delightful meal. You can fill parathas with a savoury stuffing such as potatoes or paneer . We can’t get enough of our Potato and Onion Paratha and Paneer Paratha. You can have very soft or crispy paratha depending on what type of side dish you pair them with.
About and Benefits of Ajwain
Ajwain or Ajmo in Gujarati, Carom seed or Bishops weed, is rich in fibre, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Carom seeds are tiny but are packed with flavours and health benefits. They are a common spice ingredient available in every Indian household. Usually, these seeds are added to savoury dishes, especially fried which may give you some abdominal discomfort or acidity but ajwain makes the meal easier to digest. Indian recipes that are little heavy to digest such as Puri, Pakora, Raab or Ratlami Sev are made using carom seeds. Ajwain water or Ajwain tea believed to be good for cough, cold and stomach pain.
Crispy Ajwain Paratha Recipe
Ajwain paratha, pronounced AJH-WINE is a variation of the basic plain paratha where a tiny amount of carom seeds are added to the dough. Ajwain makes these parathas really tasty and inviting and give a flavour that is similar to thyme. This Indian paratha recipe is prepared with basic wholewheat flour (atta)- a staple in every Indian kitchen. Serve these namak ajwain paratha for breakfast, lunch, in a lunch box or dinner. You can also make methi ajwain paratha by adding either fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) or kasoori methi to the dough.
Ajwain Paratha Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – atta Ajwain Oil such as vegetable oil or ghee Salt
Tips
Do not compromise in adding oil to make them flaky and crispy Rest the dough for at least 10 minutes to soften it They are best served warm Make plain like roti, triangle with layers or as laccha paratha Frying in ghee makes them authentic punjabi paratha, but vegans can use oil.
How to make Triangle Paratha
In a parat (big and wide plate) or large bowl combine flour, salt, ajwain and little oil. Knead, soft and pliable dough using water. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or kitchen cloth and leave it for 10 minutes. When you are ready to make paratha, once again knead the dough for one or two minutes. Divide the dough in equal sizes and make round dough balls. Dust the flour on working surface or rolling board , first roll one ball into a small circle using rolling pin. Now apply a little oil and dust some flour on the top side (this step will give you flaky layers). Fold the circle into a semi-circle and once again apply little oil and flour and fold it again. You will now have small triangle paratha, roll into a bigger triangle without giving too much pressure and if needed dust some more flour and roll paratha. Heat griddle or tawa on medium heat. Place a paratha on the hot griddle and cook for 20 seconds, or until the bottom side starts to brown and the top slightly bubble. Turn the paratha over using a spatula, apply little oil and continue cooking for about 30 seconds, or until golden brown spots appear. Flip it over one more time and, using the spatula and apply oil, carefully press down all over.Turn over again and repeat on the other side until you reach the desired crispiness. Keep each paratha warm, while you repeat to cook them all. Serve hot.
What to serve with Crispy Ajwain Paratha
These parathas are pair so well with any Indian style curry, sabji, daal and pickle or chutney. Serve it at breakfast with a cup of masala chai, plain yogurt and aloo tamatar ki sabji. These parathas taste great with dal tadka too. We love them with Ringan Bateta Nu Saak (potato and aubergine curry) and chaas.
Storage
Once the paratha reach room temperature, store them in an airtight container. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave. You can also freeze paratha – keep each one separate with a piece of parchment paper then store flat in freezer safe bags. You can reheat directly from frozen on a tawa.
Other Indian Flatbread Recipes
Gujarati Rotli Spinach Roti As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Note:- This post was originally posted on June9th 2013 but I have updated the post since with helpful content.
