Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

• Unleavened Bread - Parantha (flaky Indian flatbread) •

Traditionally Indian breads were always unleavened breads, however these days they are often produced with the addition of baking powder or yeast to leaven them

The herbs and spices can also be replaced with other flavourings as required such as nigella seeds, garlic, etc.

Ingredients

flour - wholemeal	150		gm
flour - white	150		gm
chillies – green (small)	1		pc
cumin seeds	1		tsp
green ginger - grated	1		tsp
coriander leaves - chopped	2		tbs
oil	2		tbs
water	250		ml
melted butter (ghee)	100		ml

Dough production

1. Combine the flours with the finely chopped chillie, cumin seeds, grated ginger and coriander in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper
2. Drizzle over the oil and rub in with the flour with fingertips until a crumbly texture is achieved
3. Add 2/3’s of the water to make a soft dough knead for 5 minutes adding more water as required to form a loose and slightly sticky dough
4. Knead for another 10 minutes
5. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with either a damp (clean) tea-towel or clingfilm and place to one side to rest for approx. 1 hour
6. Briefly knead again and divide it into eight even pieces; this is best achieved cutting in half, and cutting each half into half again and then repeat – this way all pieces should be the same size!
7. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten slightly

Parantha production

Complete the following for each piece of dough:

1. With a rolling pin, roll out slightly, turn 90 degrees and turn over
2. Roll slightly again and continue this rolling, turning etc until it is a 12-15cm circle
3. Brush the surface with the melted butter
4. Fold one side of the round over so that a third is still uncovered
5. Then fold the uncovered side over to form a rectangular shape and brush with melted butter
6. Fold one end over so that a third is still uncovered, and now fold the other end over to form a small square
7. With a light dusting of flour if required (to prevent sticking), roll this out evenly to form a large square (approx. the same size as the circle was to begin with)
8. Lightly dust each parantha with flour
   

Cooking the parantha

Indians have a special pan for cooking breads called a ‘tava’ but any good cast-iron griddle pan, cast-iron frying pan or non stick pan can be used

1. Place your pan over a medium-high heat and allow to heat thoroughly
2. Place the parantha into the hot pan and allow to cook for approx. 30 seconds
3. Brush with melted butter and turn over
4. Cook for another 15 seconds, brush with melted butter and turn over
5. Repeat this process 4 – 5 more times; the bread cooked when it has light brown spots, is slightly crisp on the outside and soft (but cooked through) on the inside
6. Repeat with the remaining rolled out parantha
7. As each parantha is cooked, stack on a on a plate and cover with a cloth to prevent them drying out and to keep warm

Chef's Tip:

To this basic recipe may be added garlic or other seasonings, herbs and spices

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 31st March 2006