Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Gurh ka Paratha
Gurh ka Paratha (Sweet Paratha)

Gurh ka Paratha

Sweet Paratha
VegetarianOrigin PunjabPrep 30 minutes, plus standing timeCook 15 minutesMakes 8

These sweet, pan-fried flatbreads encase a rich filling of melted jaggery, dried fruit, and fragrant black cardamom. Crisp and blistered on the outside, they yield a warm, syrupy spiced centre.

Crushed cardamom

3.8 gScattered over the rolled dough with the sweet filling (step 3)
01
Black cardamom pod · Badi Elaichiseeds of
3.8 g2 pods
spice
Crush the seeds finely with a pestle or rolling pin.

Everything else

01
Whole wheat flour · Attaplus extra for dusting
240 g
flour
02
Gheefor cooking
to taste
oil/fat
03
Jaggery · Gurcrumbled, or soft brown sugar
100 g
sweetener
04
Cashew nut · Kajuchopped
18 g2 tablespoons
nut/seed
05
Raisin · Kishmishchopped
9 g1 tablespoon
fruit

Method

  1. In a wide mixing bowl, bring 240 g flour together with sufficient water to form a soft, pliable dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until completely smooth.
  2. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and rest in a warm spot for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Warm a tawa or heavy skillet over medium heat. Divide the rested dough into 8 equal, small balls.
  4. On a floured work surface, roll 1 dough ball out into a very thin circular sheet. Scatter a quarter of the 100 g jaggery, a quarter of the 2 tablespoon chopped cashew nuts, a quarter of the 1 tablespoon chopped raisins, and a quarter of the crushed cardamom evenly over the surface.
  5. Roll a second dough ball into a matching thin round and lay it directly over the filling. Crimp the outer rims firmly to seal, then roll over the filled flatbread very lightly to flatten.
  6. Gently lift the assembled paratha onto the hot dry pan and cook for 1 minute until the base is set, then flip. Brush the top with ghee and trickle a little ghee around the perimeter to taste. Turn back and forth until both sides are speckled and crisp. Set aside and repeat the rolling, assembling, and frying steps with the remaining portions.

Don't have something?

Whole wheat flour
  • Wholemeal flour

    Use the same weight; it is very close, but add water slowly as it can be coarser and absorb more.

  • Plain flour

    Use the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; the dough is softer and the flavour less nutty.

  • Flour

    Use the same weight as a plain-flour swap; reduce water slightly and expect a lighter, less wheaty result.

Ghee
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Jaggery
  • Granulated sugar

    Use 80% of the weight. Granulated sugar is sweeter by weight, but gives a cleaner, one-dimensional sweetness that lacks jaggery's caramel, molasses depth.

  • Raisin

    Soak and blend into a paste; use 100% to 120% of the weight. Adds rich, natural, fruity sweetness with complex, dark molasses notes that thicken the gravy.

Cashew nut
  • Almond

    Use 100% of the weight. Soak in boiling water and slip off skins before frying or grinding; gives a lighter, slightly less sweet richness to curries.

  • Poppy seed

    Use 60% of the weight for gravies. Soak in warm water and grind into a fine paste to thicken royal kormas without adding heavy oiliness.

  • Shelled peanut

    Use 100% of the weight. Roast, skin, and grind; creates a thicker, earthier texture typical of Maharashtrian and western Indian curries.

Raisin
  • Dried plum

    Use equal weight, pitted and finely chopped. Lends a deeper, slightly more tart sweetness to curries and rice dishes.

  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Fry lightly in ghee until golden; substitutes the burst of sweetness with a rich, buttery crunch.

  • Jaggery

    Use 30% of the weight, finely grated. Dissolve straight into the sauce to match the intended sweetness, though without the fruity chew.

Black cardamom pod
  • Ground black cardamom

    Use 0.5 g of ground seeds for each whole pod. Stir directly into the curry base; delivers identical smoky flavour without woody husks.

  • Green cardamom pod

    Use equal pod count or weight. Crack slightly and fry whole; tastes sweet, menthol-fresh, and floral rather than dark and smoky.

Similar dishes

Lachha Paratha
Coiled Paratha
Lachha Paratha tastes buttery, crisp, and savory-neutral, not sweet, syrupy, or cardamom-spiced like this dish.
  • Same: Lachha Paratha and this dish are both whole wheat flatbreads cooked on a hot pan with ghee.
  • Different: Lachha Paratha has salt and a pleated, coiled layered dough, while this dish lacks salt and encases a filling of jaggery, cashew, raisin, and black cardamom.
Pinni
Bonbons
Pinni tastes rich, buttery, crumbly and nutty, while this dish tastes crisp outside and syrupy, spiced and jaggery-sweet inside.
  • Same: Pinni shares whole wheat flour, ghee, raisins and nuts with this dish.
  • Different: Pinni has khoya, granulated sugar, pistachio and almond and no jaggery or black cardamom, and it is a shaped toasted-flour sweet rather than a stuffed pan-fried flatbread.
Girda
Kashmiri Fermented Bread
Girda is soft and slightly tangy with a crisp poppy-seed crust, while this dish is sweet and syrupy with a spiced jaggery centre.
  • Same: Girda and this dish are both flatbreads made with whole wheat flour and ghee.
  • Different: Girda uses a fermented overnight dough with yogurt, plain flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and poppy seeds and is baked, while this dish is an unfermented pan-fried paratha filled with jaggery, cashews, raisins, and black cardamom.
Chapaati
Chapati
Chapaati tastes neutral, savoury, and nutty, completely lacking the syrupy sweetness and warm cardamom spice of this dish.
  • Same: Both are unleavened Indian flatbreads rolled from wheat dough and cooked on a griddle.
  • Different: Chapaati is an unfilled flatbread seasoned only with salt and cooked dry, whereas this dish is stuffed with jaggery, raisins, and black cardamom and pan-fried in ghee.