Kerala Parota by Tarla Dalal

Kerala Parota,

Kerala Parota or Malabar Parota is a unique dish from Malayalam cuisine, which is not to be confused with North Indian parathas. The Kerala Parota is made of a plain flour dough, rolled in a special way using a lot of oil for greasing. This gives it a characteristic texture that is flaky and slightly crisp. It is marvellous to watch the roadside vendors preparing these Flaky Kerala Parotas, rolling them and flipping them with a swiftness and flair that come only out of practice. One thing about the Kerala Parota is that it has to be had hot, otherwise it will get chewy. Relish it with a large cup of yummy Vegetable Korma .

Preparation Time: 5 minutes.
Cooking Time: 15 minutes.
Makes 6 parotas.

For the dough
1¼ cups plain flour (maida)
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
½ tsp oil for kneading

Other Ingredients
4 ½ tsp oil for greasing and brushing
Oil for cooking

For the dough
1. Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and knead into a soft dough using approx. ½ cup of hot water.
2. Cover the dough with a damp muslin cloth and keep it aside for 1 hour.
3. Knead again using ½ tsp of oil till smooth.

How to proceed
1. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions.
2. Brush ¼ tsp of oil on a clean, dry surface, place a portion of the dough and roll very thinly from all the sides ( stretch the dough as much as you can).
3. Apply ½ tsp of oil evenly all over the rolled dough using your fingers.
4. Pull one corner of the dough and stretch it to create a fan as shown in the image.
5. Bring all the sides together as shown in the image.
6. Roll it over again from one end to the other end to form a swiss roll and seal the open end tightly at the bottom in the centre.
7. Repeat steps 2 to 6 to make 5 more swiss rolls. , cover with a damp muslin cloth and keep it aside for 10 minutes.
8. Roll a portion of the swiss roll into a 150 mm. (6”) diameter circle.
9. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and cook the parota, using a little oil, till golden brown spots appear on both the sides.
10. Remove on a plate and press it gently from the sides towards the centre to make the layers more visible in the parota.
11. Repeat steps 8 to 10 to make 5 more parotas.
12. Serve immediately.

• Category

  Cooking