AI-generated image
Cheeni paratha
Sugar paratha
چینی والا پراٹھا (cheeni wala paratha): a flaky Punjabi sugar paratha for children's breakfast with tea
Every Punjabi grandmother has a version of this, usually made from the last ball of dough after the family's parathas are done: sugar sprinkled over ghee, folded inside and rolled out, then cooked until the sugar melts into sticky, caramelised seams. In villages around Sargodha and Faisalabad it is the treat a child gets dunked into a mug of sweet milky tea before school, and in winter it is sometimes made with jaggery instead. The outside should be crisp and blistered, the inside layered and chewy with pockets of melted sugar. The trap is too hot a tawa: the sugar bursts through and burns before the dough has cooked. Chef's tip: seal the edges well when you fold, keep the heat medium, and wipe the tawa between parathas so any escaped sugar does not scorch the next one.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz wholewheat flour (chapati atta)plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup waterabout
For the filling and cooking
- 3 tbsp gheesoft
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch ground cardamom (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 5 ½ oz wholewheat flour (chapati atta) with 1 pinch salt and add ½ cup water gradually, kneading for 3 minutes into a soft, smooth dough; cover and rest for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Divide the dough into two balls and roll one into an 18 cm round.
Step 3: Spread it with 1 teaspoon of ⅞ tbsp ghee and sprinkle with half of 1 ½ tbsp sugar and a little 1 pinch ground cardamom.
Step 4: Fold the round in half, then in half again to make a triangle, pressing the edges so no sugar can escape.
Step 5: Dust with flour and roll gently into a triangle about 4 mm thick; repeat with the second ball and the rest of 1 ½ tbsp sugar.
Step 7: Brush the second side with the rest of 1 tbsp ghee and cook for 1–2 minutes more until the sugar inside bubbles and the paratha sounds crisp when tapped. Serve warm with tea.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cheeni paratha take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Indian
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Bangladeshi
BsissaRoasted barley flour with olive oil
A tin of bsissa sits in many Tunisian kitchen cupboards, from Tunis flats to farmhouses in the south: a finely ground flour of roasted barley, roasted chickpeas and spices such as coriander, fennel and aniseed. In the morning a few spoonfuls are worked with olive oil and something sweet into a nutty, crumbly paste, or stirred with water into a thick drink, and it keeps you going until lunch. Travellers and pilgrims once carried it for the road. Roasting your own flour takes 15 minutes and makes a jar that lasts weeks. Sugar and dates keep it vegan; some families use honey. Chef's tip: roast the flours separately over a low heat and stir constantly; the moment they smell like toasted biscuits and turn light tan, tip them out of the pan.
Tunisian