Kerala Parotta

From the time I was a kid, this dish has been one of my favorites. May be because it was a treat and mum always said that it was too hard to make it at home.  In the evenings, walking along the streets of my hometown I would see the road side cooks swirling and tossing the dough as it unfurled into what looked like meters of silken garments and I watched fascinated. 


Since arriving in Australia, I have tried to make this mystery dish many times and always failed and got frustrated and angry with the dough.  The frustration would last several months and I would go back and try again.

Last month I tried the same exercise again.  This was the first exciting time that I even got slightly close to the real thing.  Though this is by no means perfect, we all had a great roadside meal - very close to what I have enjoyed in my childhood days.

For the dough, you need a couple of cups of plain flour, a teaspoon of salt, warm water to mix, and a few tablespoons of oil. You will need extra flour for dusting. You will need a lot of patience and a lot of time to make this, because the key is in resting the flour as I found out.

In a large round mixing bowl, put the flour and salt.  Add water a little at a time and knead the dough.  When the dough becomes smooth and pliable, add a few drops of oil, knead the oil into the dough and leave it to rest for at least an hour under a moist tea towel.

After an hour, knead the dough again and make it into 5-6 balls. Again, drizzle a bit of oil and leave it to rest for about 20 minutes under a moist tea towel.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the ball of dough as thinly as you can - it becomes very thin and transparent.  I could see the mosaic chips through the spread dough.

Pleat up the thinly spread dough like a piano accordion and make a rosette tucking in the end under.

Repeat with all the balls.  Again, drizzle a few drops of oil and leave to rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll the rosettes out carefully - you will be able to see the flaky layers as you roll out the discs.

Heat a griddle and put a few drops of oil. Cook each disc on the hot griddle till you see brown spots on either side.

Cook all the parottas and then fluff them up using your hands and squashing them gently but firmly so as not to break the discs.

Serve hot with a spicy goat curry and onion raita for a truly desi - roadside eatery experience.