Basil Cilantro Paratha Recipe

Griddle fried un-leavened Indian flat bread made with 'Naan Atta' (combination of half Atta and half Maida) sweet basil and cilantro

Naan - Atta.

This is my favorite Paratha, I served it our restaurant. I use a variation of Mughalai dough. You can use plain dough . You may substitute Basil Leaf with Fresh Methi or Kasoori Patta (Dried Fenugreek leafs)

Ingredients

1. Atta: 1½ Cups

2. All Purpose flour (Maida): 1½ Cups
3. Salt: ½ teaspoon
4. Fresh Sweet Basil Leaves: 1 Tablespoon
5. Fresh Cilantro Leaves: 1 Tablespoon

You may use finely chopped fresh Cilantro about 1 Tablespoon
6. Ghee: 2 Tablespoons
7. Hung Dahi (Yogurt cheese): 1¼ Cup

Melted Ghee For frying

Flour for dusting the board to roll out dough.
Yield: 8 to 10

Method

Step 1 Making dough

1. Sift Atta, Maida and Salt together.
2. Cut-in Ghee. Mix well till it all resembles crumbles.

3. Mix in Basil and Cilantro.
3. Knead in yogurt cheese.
4. Gather dough in a ball. Cover it with damp kitchen towel or plastic film wrap. Let dough rest for about one hour at room temperature.

6. Divide dough into 8 parts. Roll each part into a ball. Each dough ball will make one Paratha.

Step 2 Rolling Paratha

Roll out dough ball into a 6" round disc about the thickness of two Nickels (5ç coins). If you want to make layered Paratha, see following

Triangular

Square

Spiral

Step 3 Frying Paratha

Heat the griddle (Tawa). Put a test bread about the thickness of a Dime (10¢ coin) on the Tawa. If the bread sticks to griddle, you need to increase heat. If the bread gets brown spots too quick, it is too hot. It should develop brown spots on the underside in about 30 seconds. Now the Tawa is ready. The Paratha is cooked in four steps

1. Cook the rolled out Paratha over griddle for about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Lift the corner of the Pratha with Turner. The underside should have a few brown spots.

2. Turn it over and cook another 45 seconds to 1 minute. Baste the top (cooked surface) with Ghee.

3. Turn it over, cook the basted surface another 45 seconds to 1 minute. Baste the top (cooked surface) with Ghee.

4. Turn it over, cook the newly basted surface another 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Yogi's Notes

Don't baste a surface which has not been cooked yet.