Malabar Parotta | Barotta | Kerala Paratha (Vegan)

Kerala, God’s Own Country is a paradise of gastronomy. It’s cuisines are mouthwatering delights. Cooking in Kerala is all about spices, aromas and textures. The cuisine is rather spicy and offers a large platter of opportunities for vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians. So Kerala is also known as ‘Land of Spices’. Their food is served on a clean green banana leaf and eaten with one’s fingers traditionally. Coconuts grow all over the coastline of Kerala and consequently coconut shells, grated coconut shavings and coconut milk are commonly used in dishes for thickening and flavoring. The most common kerala foods include dishes of meat and vegetables accompanied by pickles. Few example are Idiyappam, Rasam, Puttu, Kadala curry, Parotta, Kerala style fish molee, Nadan beef (Kerala style beef), Palada payasam, Banana fritters, Ada pradhaman etc.

Here I am discussing about the cuisine of Kerala state in Indian subcontinent as the theme for ‘Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge‘ group is related to ‘Kerala 

Cuisine’. For this theme, my partner was Amrita who gave me 2 secret ingredients as All purpose flour and Sugar and I gave her as Small onion (shallot) and Tamarind. As usual, using mine two ingredients I had to prepare a dish from Kerala cuisine. So I have come up with the most famous multi-layered flat bread aka Malabar Parotta using these two ingredients. 

Malabar Parotta / Barotta is a dish that Malayalis around the world swear by ;). Basically parotta is a flat bread prepared using all purpose flour. Hence it is more stretchy and has more gluten. Neither oil, egg nor milk are used while making the dough. Also the raising agents like baking powder / baking soda are totally absent. The dough is prepared using only maida (APF), sooji, sugar, salt along with some Luke warm water. The dough is flattened as thin as possible and then cut down into long strips. And finally these are rolled together and flattened to form a multi-layered flatbread. These flat-breads are so soft still crisp and moist still flaky. Most like the intense favorite combination of parotta along with beef particularly. Even this can be served with any other gravy based dishes.

So do try this egg free version of Malabar Parotta / Barotta / Kerala Paratha. If you tried my recipe and enjoyed fully, then please share some pictures of your creation with me. Also give your valuable feedback either in the comment box below or tag me as #firsttimercook on Instagram. You may also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and can subscribe for free to get new recipes directly into your inbox 😊. Lets go in details.

Preparation Time : 1.5 hrs  |  Cooking Time : 15 mins

Ingredients :        

Method :

1. In a mixing bowl take maida, sugar, sooji, salt and mix well.
2. Next add Luke warm water little by little and make a smooth dough.
3. Cover the bowl containing the dough with a plate and keep aside for 25-30 minutes.
4. Then knead the dough for 1-2 minutes and make 3 inch size balls out of the dough.
5. Dust the work surface with flour and start rolling one dough ball into as thin as possible.
6. Apply some oil and spread evenly over the entire surface using brush or by hand and then sprinkle some flour over it evenly.
7. Next using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the rolled dough into very thin strips.
8. Gently assemble all the strips on top of other to form strip stack.
9. Then roll to make a spiral shape and finally press the last edge of the stack onto the backside center of the spiral roll.
10. Similarly make spiral rolls from rest of the dough balls and keep aside.
11. Now place one spiral roll over a dinner plate and start pressing using greased palm into thin circle, but gently.
12. Meanwhile heat a tawa or griddle and place the parotta over the tawa.
13. Cook from both side till brown spots appear.
14. Then apply oil on each side of the parotta and cook for 1-2 minutes more over low-medium heat.
15. Similarly make parotta from rest spiral rolls.
16. To separate the layers, crush the parottas gently by tapping the sides of the parottas.
17. Serve hot with any desired gravy dish !

Notes :

• Always try to roll the dough balls as thin as possible and also cut the rolled dough into very thin stripes. These two things totally implies the perfect layers in the parotta.
• Whole wheat flour can be used here. Even both wheat flour and all purpose flour can be used in 1:1 ratio.

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