Plain Paratha recipe is the easiest of all the dishes that one can prepare. It is a tasty addictive food and can easily slip into being your personal favourite in no time. It is also called as Namkeen Paratha as many people add a little bit of Salt while making it.
There are many types of Parathas that you can prepare at home. You may already know about some of the well known paratha dishes but if not then here they are – Aloo Paratha, Onion Paratha, Mooli Paratha, Palak Paratha etc. In this recipe we will cover the super-easy Plain Paratha recipe.
Paratha
Plain paratha is a goto breakfast in most Indian household. The only time it takes to make this dish is all that is required to knead the flour. If you are short on time, confused about what to make but hungry? No problem, plain paratha is there for rescue. A simple yet delicious dish for anytime.
Ingredients for Paratha
Since Paratha is a simple dish you don’t need too many ingredients. All you need to make this dish is some wheat flour and Clarified butter or Vegetable oil. We used Clarified butter which is also known as Ghee to make the dish. Main reason for making this dish with Ghee is that it enhances the flavour. If you do not have access to Clarified butter you can substitute it with Vegetable oil or any other cooking oil accessible to you.
The taste of this dish will vary based on whether you use Clarified butter, butter, Vegetable Oil, Sunflower Oil or any other cooking oil.
Remaining ingredients such as Salt and Carom seeds are available in most local shops. If you are living outside India you can get these ingredients in Indian/Asian stores. Though now-a-days all these ingredients are readily available in most superstores.
To add additional flavour you can use red chilli flakes or red chilli powder while making the dough.
How to make dough for Paratha
Paratha is an easy tasty dish and all it requires to make tasty parathas is to knead the dough properly. To prepare dough take wheat flour in a bowl or a broad utensil and add Salt, Carom seeds and 1tsp Clarified butter in it.
Now mix them properly and to knead it add some water to it.
Once the dough is made cover it and leave it for 5 mins so it will become soft. While you wait you can put frying pan on high flame so it gets warm. This will save you some cooking time.
Now, divide the dough into 4 equal sized balls. You are now ready to make Plain Paratha.
How to make Paratha
If you have not already put frying pan on high flame now is the time to do it. Warm up the frying pan for a couple of mins and you are ready to make the dish.
While you can make circular Parathas but to add to aesthetic you can make them in triangular shape. To make triangular shaped Parathas try following steps.
As the frying pan gets heated up, take the dough ball and flatten it using a rolling pin to 3 – 4 inches circular shape and apply some Clarified butter to it.
Now fold it into semi-circle shape.
Now fold it into triangular shape.
Roll the dough ball to create a triangular shaped Paratha using the rolling pin until it is 6 – 7 inches (or larger) in diameter.
Make sure you apply the pressure evenly while rolling and occasionally sprinkle small quantity of dry wheat flour so that Paratha does not stick on the surface.
Now put your Paratha in the frying pan and let it cook for a minute or less from one side.
Flip it over to the other side and apply some Clarified butter.
Again after a minute or so flip the Paratha and apply some more Clarified butter on the other side.
Ensure the gas flame is on medium or else the Paratha will not be crispy and soft. Roast it for sometime from both sides for couple of mins.
Ensure it does not burn by keeping on gas for too long. Once the parathas are brown in colour it is time to take them out into a food plate.
Your Paratha is ready to be served.
How to serve Paratha
Paratha is a great dish and goes well as a side with many dishes. Almost every curry dish or side can go well with Paratha. Mostly Parathas are served with some pickle or curd however it also goes well with curry dishes.
Parathas are great with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Vegetarian dishes such as – Aloo Matar, Dal Makhani, Palak Paneer, Shahi Paneer are great combos for Parathas.
They are equally good with non-vegetarian dishes such as – Lamb Curry, Chicken Curry, Mutton Curry, Omelette, Scrambled Eggs, Egg Curry etc.
People often enjoy Plain Parathas with some hot beverages such as Tea or Coffee with or without Pickles. Many people often serve butter along with Plain parathas which tastes good but surely is not good for health if you eat it regularly.
Chef Recommendation for Paratha
- You can replace Clarified butter with Vegetable Oil or butter while making the dish
- Pain Paratha also goes well with salted curd and hot tea
- By adding pinch of salt and small amount of Red Chilli Powder can give you additional taste in Parathas
- Plain Paratha can be served with almost any type of Curry, Dal, Raita or Dry Vegetable dish
- Freshly cooked hot plain parathas goes well with hot beverages.
Users Ask
Plain parathas are usually not considered healthy though each serving (2 parathas) of this dish does not have too many calories. This is due to the amount of oil or butter added to it while cooking. Though many people serve it with butter this combo is certainly not good for health. Paratha and butter tastes good due to the amount of fat but is certainly not good if you eat them regularly. If you occasionally eat them there is no harm in eating them.
Paratha and weight loss are simply not going to happen. Parathas are calorie rich and require lot of fat (cooking oil) to make it therefore if you are planning for weight loss you should remove them from your diet. However, if you love this dish too much we recommend at-least reducing it to once or twice a week and in limited quantity (probably one or two).
How strict you want to go on diet depends on your BMI aka Body Mass Index and your food habits. Cutting down fat in your diet may be a good start to reduce weight.
Paratha compliments very well with most of the Indian dishes and curries. Whether it is a vegetarian dish or a non-vegetarian dish you will simply love them. Best combinations in non-vegetarian dishes are – Lamb Curry, Mutton Curry, Chicken Curry and Kadhai Chicken. In vegetarian category they are excellent with – Dal Makhani, Palak Paneer, Shahi Paneer and Aloo Matar to name a few. Did you try having some Potato curry, paratha and some tea or Jeera Aloo, paratha and some tea? No, try it! You will love it!
One of the key to make tasty plain paratha is to use Clarified butter and spices such as Carom seeds. You can also add some Salt and Red Chilli flakes or powder while kneading the dough. With some simple additions of these ingredients you can easily make delicious tasty plain parathas. Since cooking oil is an important ingredient in making this dish you should choose it wisely. Usually Clarified butter is added to improve flavour and you should choose either pure Clarified butter. If you go for a package Clarified butter (Ghee) we recommend buying Amul Ghee.
Amul is a state government cooperative under the ownership of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, Ministry of Cooperation of the Government of Gujarat based at Anand. Anand is the administrative center of Anand district in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Discover More
And that is not all folks! Shall we take this opportunity to invite you to discover more tasty and yummy recipes in our food wonderland.
- Check more such currys in our Currys section.
- Why not try few more tasty dishes. Check these to give them a try –
Paratha Recipe
Ingredients
Main Ingredients for Palak Paratha
- 1 cup Wheat Flour Atta
- 1 tsp Salt Namak (As per taste)
- 1 tsp Carom Seed Ajwain
- 2 tbsp Clarified Butter Ghee
- ¾ Cup Water To Knead
Instructions
How to make dough for Paratha
- To prepare dough take wheat flour in a bowl or broad utensil and add Salt, Carom seeds and 1tsp Clarified butter in it.1 cup Wheat Flour, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Carom Seed
- Now knead it using water. Once done, Cover the dough and leave it for 5 mins so it will become soft.¾ Cup Water
- Divide the dough into 4 equal sized balls.
- You are now ready to make Plain Paratha
How to make Paratha
- Take a frying pan and put it on gas to heat up.
- Now, take the dough ball and flatten it using a rolling pin to 3 – 4 inches circular shape and apply some Clarified butter and fold it into triangular shape.2 tbsp Clarified Butter
- Roll the dough ball to create a triangular shaped Paratha using the rolling pin until it is 6 – 7 inches in diameter. Make sure you apply the pressure evenly while rolling and occasionally sprinkle small quantity of dry wheat flour so that Paratha does not stick on the surface.
- Once done put your Paratha in the frying pan and let it cook for a minute on one side, flip it over to the other side and apply some Clarified butter. Again after a minute or so flip the Paratha and apply some more Clarified butter on the other side. Ensure the gas is on medium flame or else the Palak Paratha will not be crispy and soft.2 tbsp Clarified Butter
- Roast it for sometime from both sides. Ensure it does not burn by keeping on gas for too long.
- Your Paratha is ready to be served with curry or vegetable
