Classic Layered Paratha | Triangular Paratha Recipe

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Cooking With Anadi

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Parathas were prepared every other day at my home and it was usually associated with fun, exciting curries and good TV. The aroma of the delicious ghee scented smoke from the hot tava still brings back beautiful memories. And the triangular shape was as much fun to prepare as it was to tear and enjoy.

Now I did not always get the chance to enjoy the classic triangular paratha, usually when my mother was tired and did not want to put in the extra work. Regardless, you can make them in any shape you can imagine, but triangle is by far the best! Just because if you tear it just right, you can peel off three perfect layers from one paratha.

The key to making the best layered paratha recipe is hidden in the folding technique. I will do my best to depict this process using pictures and my words, but if you really want to see the technique in action, I would recommend watching the video here.

I mostly enjoy parathas with dry or semi-dry curries while I can have rotis with a curry with gravy as well. Personally, the reason is the crisp outside of the paratha which I feel works great with curries that do not take away from the texture.

Tools Needed

• Large bowl
• Cutting board
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush
• Nonstick pan
• Tongs
• Measuring cups

How to Make Paratha Vegan?

The only component of parathas that are not vegan is the ghee that’s used in the dough and for cooking. To make this recipe vegan, simply use your favorite plant-based oil. I would recommend coconut oil because it will add a nice flavor, and coconut oil is great to cook at high temperatures.

How to Make Layered Paratha

Preparing the Dough

Add water slowly onto the flour while kneading. The dough should be soft not sticky. If the dough becomes too dry, add more water 1 tsp at a time and continue kneading. If it is too wet, add flour 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough is soft and smooth.

Rolling Out the Dough

Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into 4-5 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll the portion into a smooth ball. Gently flatten and roll the dough into a disk, about 4-5 inches wide.

Brush the surface with ghee and dust lightly with atta flour. Fold the dough in half and again brush with ghee and lightly dust with atta flour. Fold the dough in half again, into a triangle and gently roll out the dough into a thin triangle.

Cooking the Paratha

Heat a tawa/cast iron pan on medium high heat. When the tawa begins to lightly smoke, place the dough on the pan. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Using tongs, flip the paratha and brush some ghee. Flip again and apply more ghee and cook until light brown patches appear.

Tips for Making the Softest Parathas

• Make sure to knead a soft dough, this will help you to roll the dough thin which will make it softer.
• Allow the dough the full time to rest. The kneading process makes the dough tight from the constant compression. The resting time not only allows you to roll and portion the dough easier, it ensures the dough has no cracks and is soft as ever.
• Dust the dough with flour while rolling and layering. The layering process adds ghee into several layers of the paratha and the flour helps to ensure the layers remain separate. As the paratha cooks, the steam released from the various layers make the paratha soft.
• Don’t over cook the paratha on the hot tawa pan. Making it too crispy will take away from it’s softness. We are just looking for light brown spots - think of a Dalmation!

Storing Unused Dough and Parathas

• If you are anything like me, I would make sure there is no unused dough! Paratha is just so good. But, in case you do have some, I would suggest wrapping up the dough in plastic wrap and placing it in the refrigerator. Make sure to use it within 2-3 days, the dough may turn dark the longer it stays in the fridge.
• If using refrigerated dough, take the dough out of the fridge at least an hour before to allow it to come up to room temperature. This will make the dough pliable and make the kneading process easy.
• Any cooked paratha, on the other hand can be wrapped in a moist kitchen towel and stored in a container. To reheat, simply place in the microwave/hot tawa/oven for 30 seconds to a minute to bring it back to life.

Scoop up a hearty rajma masala with these flaky layers.

What Goes Into a Plain Paratha, and What Does Not

The basic ingredients here are almost embarrassingly short: one cup of atta flour, half a tablespoon of ghee in the dough if you want it, half a cup of water, and more ghee for cooking. That is the whole list. It is atta and not maida, and not all purpose flour either. Atta is finely milled whole wheat, and it is what gives a paratha its soft chew and its slightly nutty flavor. Spelt flour is the closest stand-in if atta is hard to find, though it comes out a little softer and milder.

There is no salt in this dough at all. Not a teaspoon salt, not a pinch. Plain parathas are meant to be a neutral base for whatever you put next to them, and the salt lives in the dal or the pickle rather than the bread. For the same reason there are no herbs and no spices in it, so if you were expecting ajwain or chili flakes in the flour, this is not that recipe. Those belong in the stuffed versions.

The fat is ghee, not butter. Butter has milk solids and water in it that burn on a hot tawa, while ghee has had both cooked out, so it takes the heat and browns the paratha instead of scorching. Clarified butter is the same thing under a different name and swaps in one for one. Coconut oil or another neutral oil works if you are keeping it dairy free. As for the half cup of water, add it a little at a time rather than all at once, and warm water will bring the dough together a touch faster if your kitchen is cold.

Triangle, Square or Round, and What to Eat It With

This is the triangle fold. You roll each portion into a four to five inch disk, brush it with ghee, sprinkle flour over it, fold it in half, brush and dust again, then fold once more into a triangle before rolling it out thin. The dusting is the part people skip and it is the part that matters, because dry flour between the folds is what keeps the layers from gluing back together. Skip it and you get one thick bread instead of flaky parathas. The same dough and the same brush-and-fold logic will give you a square paratha if you fold it in from four sides, or a round paratha if you coil it like a rope and press it flat, so pick whichever shape you find easier on a floured surface.

On the tawa, watch for two signals. Bubbles come up across the surface within about thirty seconds to a minute on the first side, and after you flip and drizzle ghee you want golden-brown spots rather than an even tan. Even browning usually means the pan was not hot enough and the paratha has been drying out instead of cooking. Medium high heat, and do not walk away.