How to prepare the perfect Malabar Parotta

Some foods offer the ultimate comfort, the very warmth that we expect from a home-cooked meal. From a dish of cheesy pasta to a slice of warm plum cake and from a bowl of sabudana khichdi to warm bread with melted butter, comfort foods are the perfect pick me up for a glum day. One such comfort food that is rather popular in South India is the Malabar Parotta – a flaky, layered, crunchy parotta that is often served with a rich and spicy curry.

Malabar Parotta Recipe:

Ingredients:

•        All-purpose flour or Maida – 4 cups
•         Eggs - 1
•          Sugar - 1 tsp
•          Salt to taste
•          Oil – 2 tsp for the dough + 4 tsp for frying
•          Ghee – As required
•          Milk – 1 ¼ cup

Procedure:

•    Sift the maida and add the salt and sugar
•   Beat the egg and keep aside
•     Add the oil and egg and crumble the flour
•   Now add milk slowly and knead well for at least 15 minutes
•    Brush the dough with oil/ghee, cover with a wet cloth and let it rest for about 2 hours
•    Now divide the dough into 8 – 9 equal balls and let them rest again for 5 minutes
•    Take each ball-sized dough and flatten it with a rolling pin
•     Use oil if necessary to roll the dough thinly
•     Pull and stretch the parotta from sides to stretch as far as possible
•     Spread ghee evenly over the parotta dough
•     Start to fold and create pleats with your fingers
•     When the entire dough is pleated, stretch again
•      The pleated dough must now be rolled towards one end (like a swiss roll). Press the outward end into the dough and secure it
•       Flatten these twisted balls with a greased palm and or roll them softly without applying much pressure.
•     Cook both sides of the parotta on a hot tawa till golden and then start to grease with oil
•     Roast the parotta and flip
•     When cooked crush the parotta to reveal the layers
•      Serve hot with a curry of your choice

Tips for preparing the perfect Malabar Parotta:

• Adding egg helps the parotta remain soft and flaky, giving more layers. Vegetarians may leave out the egg, though.
• The dough for the Malabar Parotta must be soft and stretchy. Add as much milk as is required to get a pliable dough and use oil to grease your hands if the dough is a little sticky.
• The secret to the perfect Malabar Parotta lies in kneading the dough continuously and vigorously for at least 15 minutes. This helps release the gluten that will give the parotta its texture.
•  The dough must be rested for about 2 hours. This will allow it to absorb all the moisture and become soft. The dough must be rested again after we get spiral discs out of it.