Lacha Paratha
Spiral flat bread - fun to eat on its own or as an accompaniment to a meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour / maida flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- ½ cup water
- Ghee (not melted) for rolling and cooking the paratha
- Extra oil for rolling the paratha
- Plain flour to sprinkle over the paratha
Make the dough:
Mix both the flours, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the oil and mix well. Warm the milk and water together, and add slowly in the flour to make a soft dough. You will need at least ¾ cups of the liquid to make the soft dough. Add more or less liquid, depending on the brand of the flour you are using. Cover and set the dough aside for about 30 minutes.
Rolling the paratha:
1. You will need two pieces of thick plastic. I use two large freezer bags.
2. Take the dough and divide in 10 equal parts.
3. Take the first ball and roll as thin as you can on a flat surface with the help of some oil. Once you roll it very thin, spread a teaspoon of ghee (not melted) from edge to edge and sprinkle some plain flour (as shown in photo). Take the top edge of the rolled-out dough and make pleats (as shown in photo). Grab the pleated dough and make a circular roll, tucking the other end underneath (as shown in photo). Set the pinwheel in a try and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.
4. Once all the dough balls are ready, take the plastic bag, put a few drops of oil in the center. Put one pinwheel dough ball on the oil and put a few more drops of oil on top. Cover with the second piece of plastic, and with the help of your palm, press the dough gently to flatten in a circle of about 3 inches. This will help with keeping the integrity of the circles. Now with the help of a rolling pin, roll it out to the full size of paratha (about 8-9 inches in diameter). Remove the top plastic.
5. On a medium heat, get a tava or non-stick frying pan ready and hot. Gently remove the paratha off the bottom plastic and set it in the tava. Cook on each side for about 30 seconds each.
6. Brush with a little ghee and with the help of a flat spatula, give some pressure on the paratha so you get the golden marks. Flip and brush a little more ghee on the other side and cook till golden brown marks appear. Repeat the rolling and cooking process for the rest of the parathas.
Helpful hint: You can complete all the parathas in advance to step 5 and keep the stack ready. Continue with step 6 when you are ready to serve them hot off the stove.
[Makes 10 parathas]
