Warqi Paratha

Layered Paratha

VegetarianOrigin Delhi/Agra/AwadhPrep 20–30 minutes, plus standing timeCook 15 minutesMakes 8–10

These flaky, multi-layered flatbreads are enriched with ghee and rolled using a spiral technique that creates crisp, delicate leaves throughout.

Ingredients

Plain flour · Maidaplus extra for dusting

250 g

flour

1.4 g¼ teaspoon

salt

Gheeplus extra for cooking

100 g

oil/fat

16 g2 tablespoons

flour

Sift 250 g flour and 1.4 g salt into a bowl, then pour in enough water in increments to form a soft dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 5 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl, drape with a damp kitchen towel, and rest in a warm area for 30 minutes.
Gently melt 100 g ghee in a small pan. Knead 2 tablespoons of this melted ghee into the rested dough until smooth and supple.
Combine the rest of the melted ghee with 2 tablespoon flour in a bowl, mixing until a smooth spreadable paste forms.
Divide the dough into 8 to 10 equal pieces and press each between your palms into a disc. Roll one piece out thin on a floured surface and fold it across the middle.
Spread a light coating of the ghee paste over the folded dough, then fold it in half lengthwise once more. Roll the strip up tightly from one end into a pinwheel cone, keeping the layered seams on the outside, then press down flat and roll out into a round paratha. Shape the rest of the dough portions the same way.
Warm a tawa, griddle, or heavy frying pan with a little ghee. Lay in a paratha and cook, trickling extra ghee around the perimeter. Turn the paratha over and fry for about 2 minutes until both surfaces are crisp and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining parathas.

Plain flour

Whole wheat flour
Use the same weight, add 10–15% more water and rest the dough for 20 minutes; the result is heavier and nuttier.
Rice flour
Use the same weight for crisp coatings; for doughs use no more than half rice flour with wheat flour, or it will be crumbly.
Cornflour
For thickening use half the weight, mixed with cold water; it is not suitable for bread or chapati dough.

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.

Same: Tandoori Roti is also a layered flatbread prepared with salt and ghee.
Different: Tandoori Roti is baked at high heat in a clay oven and uses significantly less fat, using only 27 g of ghee or oil compared to the 100 g of ghee in this dish.

Same: Roomali Roti shares a flour-and-salt flatbread base with this dish.
Different: Roomali Roti uses wholemeal flour plus plain flour and no listed ghee, and it is stretched paper-thin and blistered on an inverted pan rather than rolled in a ghee-layered spiral like this dish.

Same: Paratha and this dish are both layered flatbreads made from plain flour, salt, and ghee, and neither lists a souring agent.
Different: Paratha uses 1000 g plain flour, 0.3 g salt, 100 g ghee, and 0.7 g green cardamom pod, while this dish uses 250 g plain flour, 1.4 g salt, 100 g ghee, and an extra 15.6 g plain flour; Paratha adds cardamom and lacks this dish's extra flour for rolling.

Same: Matthi and this dish are both flaky plain-flour Indian foods made with salt and a fat.
Different: Matthi adds coarsely crushed black peppercorns and uses vegetable oil or ghee, while this dish uses only ghee and a spiral rolling method to build layers.