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Malabar parotta
Layered flatbread
മലബാർ പൊറോട്ട: flaky, layered Kerala flatbread, coiled, griddled and crushed (dough rests 2½ hours)
IndianMalabar parotta came from the hotels and tea stalls of Malabar in north Kerala and is now made all over the state, where parotta men slap and stretch dough on oiled marble counters late into the night. The soft dough is stretched paper-thin, pleated, coiled like a snail and griddled, then clapped between the hands so the layers pull apart into flaky ribbons. Eat it torn into vegetable kurma or a spicy black chickpea curry. Chef's tip: give the dough its full rest; well-rested dough stretches thin without tearing, which makes the layers.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour (maida)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup whole milklukewarm
- ¾ cup waterlukewarm, about
- 4 tbsp sunflower oildivided
For shaping and cooking
- ¼ cup sunflower oilfor the counter
- 4 tbsp gheemelted
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour (maida), 1 tbsp sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add ½ cup whole milk, then ¾ cup water little by little, and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is very soft, smooth and slightly sticky. Work in 1 tbsp of 1 tbsp sunflower oil and knead 2 minutes more.
12 minStep 2: Coat the dough with the rest of the 3 tbsp sunflower oil, cover and rest for 2 hours at room temperature. Common mistake: cutting the rest short. Tight dough won't stretch thin and tears into holes.
Step 3: Divide into 8 balls, coat each with oil, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Oil the counter generously with ¼ cup sunflower oil. Press a ball flat, then roll or stretch it with oiled hands as thin as you can, until you can almost see the counter through it, about 40 cm across. Small tears are fine.
Step 5: Gather the sheet into pleats like a paper fan, or cut it into strips. Pull the pleated strip gently to lengthen it, then coil it into a tight snail and tuck the end underneath. Repeat with the rest and rest the coils for 15 minutes.
Step 6: Press each coil with oiled fingers into a 15 cm round about 5 mm thick; don't roll hard or the layers seal together.
Step 8: While still hot, stack 2–3 parottas and clap them firmly between your palms from both sides, or crush them gently inwards, so the layers open into flaky strands. Serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malabar parotta take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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