3

Paratha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratha

Flour:
Wheat flour

Dough ingredients:
Water
Salt
Wheat flour

I am planning to make this dough in the evening and keep it in the fridge for 8 hours to be used in the early next morning.

Is this going to be disadvantageous for making soft plain Parathas any how? Does any care needs to be taken here?

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
5

You should have no problem refrigerating the dough. I have done it with chapatti dough, which is essentially the same thing, without a problem. It's only flour, water and salt after all. You might find it a little hard to roll out straight from the fridge but nothing some brute force and ignorance (or letting it warm up a little) won't cure.

Improve this answer
4
  • 1
    that's won't cause the resultant chapatti's to harden or something? That worries me.
    – Aquarius_Girl
    Aug 2, 2012 at 16:08
  • No, why would it? You roll them so thin and cook them on such a hot tava that it makes little difference what temperature they start at. Make sure you wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap to prevent it drying out in the fridge and you'll be fine.
    – ElendilTheTall
    Aug 2, 2012 at 16:53
  • oh, so I'll wrap it in a polythene bag? Okay I'll do it. Actually, in cakes as we are often told not keep the mixture standing for a long time since gluten formation will harden the cake, so I wondered if the same thing applied here too!
    – Aquarius_Girl
    Aug 2, 2012 at 16:56
  • 1
    Wrap it tightly, so that there is no air between the surface of the dough and the bag. If you are worried about the dough stiffening, perhaps make it a little wetter than normal; you can always add more flour when you roll it out.
    – ElendilTheTall
    Aug 3, 2012 at 13:26
1

Parathas are not chapatis.

I went to a restaurant in Funchal, Madeira once, and asked for a naan with my meal. The "naan" they served me was best described as the thickest chapati I have ever seen. i asked for a couple of chapatis to augment it.

You have to work with local opinion as to "what is and what is not" a bread form, but a paratha HAS to contain sufficient fat to fry itself on a tava. Whether the fat is butter, ghee, or the compound stuff based on Canola that gets marked as "vegetable ghee", a paratha needs to present that fried brown surface that says it contains oil. Chapatis don't contain oil, unless you get them from my friend Ashok, who makes WICKED deep fried chapatis.

To start the job early and simplify the matter, you can mix the oil with the flour and refrigerate that. Add dried onion if you're going that way. Then at a later point you can add water and roll out the stuff to make your parathas - two thin layers pressed together if you want to stuff them with pickles, one thick layer if you serve them "as is" with the pickles on the side.

If you want to do this classically, you use the oil from Indian oil pickles in your parathas. If you want to impress your prospective in-laws, you use Methi Gulcha pickle as stuffing and as a source of oil. That's your Paratha Achari classico. Me scusi ...

Edit: My wife says I'm not telling it how I do it. So the black Gulcha, I take the stones out - the green ones are usually pitted. And yes, I use pitted olives if I can't get gulcha, but they have a stronger taste. And if I can't get pickled gulcha, I use lime pickle or aubergine pickle. WTH I buy the parathas frozen from a local supermarket or Tesco, plain, with onion, or with garlic. I last made my own parathas somewhere around 1988, except at Christmas when I make everything from scratch.

Improve this answer
6
  • 1
    You said: Parathas are not chapatis. Of course not, but the dough prepared for both is "same". You said: who makes WICKED deep fried chapatis. This is what he makes: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puri_(food) :)
    – Aquarius_Girl
    Aug 3, 2012 at 4:18
  • I was under the impression that paratha were brushed with ghee and folded a few times, which is what gives them their layered texture.
    – ElendilTheTall
    Aug 3, 2012 at 13:25
  • 1
    @ElendilTheTall that is ofcourse done, but when you actually start making chapatis - not before that.
    – Aquarius_Girl
    Aug 3, 2012 at 14:00
  • 1
    @Anisha Kaul - I know what a puri is. I know what Ashok makes - he makes deep-fried chapatis. A chapati, made and cooked in the usual way, then fried with spices in a pan, then deep fried until crisp. I can't make them myself - at least, that's what I tell Ashok. When I make paratha dough it differs from chapati dough because some oil is added and mixed in before any water is added. PLEASE DON'T ASK ME AROUND FOR DINNER.
    – klypos
    Aug 3, 2012 at 19:36
  • klypos said: When I make paratha dough it differs from chapati dough because some oil is added and mixed in before any water is added ofcourse you are free to do whatever you want, but adding oil in dough for Parathas is "not needed". Oil is usually added for achieving softness, but if you prepare the dough moist enough with water and keep it still for 20 minutes, it'll still result in soft resultant breads. Soft Parathas also depend on the temperature of tawa.
    – Aquarius_Girl
    Aug 4, 2012 at 3:54

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.