The Tale of Two Parathas

When one hears mention of  #Paratha's a visual that immediately comes to mind is that of a strapping north Indian eating these greasy shallow fried unleavened bread with a dollop of unclarified butter and a glass of whipped yoghurt (lassi).

But Paratha's are not as simple as the afore mentioned visual. They tend to be complex and not confined to one particular Indian region or cuisine. For one, this bread can be stuffed with just about anything and it can sure stuff one's stomach. Parathas are stuffed with minced meat, finely shredded cauliflower or radish or mashed potatoes, egg and what have you. They are delicious on their own but can be relished with a side of yoghurt and pickle. More importantly this shallow fried unleavened bread can be made from a variety of flour everything from corn to wheat.

The southern parts of India too have their Parathas. These are not stuffed and are made of refined wheat flour. There is the Kerala Paratha, the Ceylonese Paratha to name a few. These retain their shapes when they reach your table.

The Pithai Paratha, before it is broken and bruised

But there is Koothu Paratha of Tamil Nadu and the Pithai Paratha of West Bengal that lose their shape as part of the final dish.

The Koothu paratha is actually a paratha or two noisily minced with iron spatulas over a large hot iron griddle to which is added a variety of spices. As per the order an egg could be cracked over it, vegetables could be added or pieces of shredded chicken thrown in.

The Pithai Paratha, is something different. It is a large thin paratha that is beaten black and blue by the cook with his bare hands. This broken shapeless mass is put on a plate and served with a side of chickpeas or anything else. Mind you the paratha is not torn asunder, just beaten.

There is no one particular definition of a Paratha, just as there is no one definition to what makes an Indian.

------------------
Samir Nazareth is the author of '1400 Bananas, 76 Towns & 1 Million People'. Read an excerpt of the book here. Read more about the book here. The book is currently available as an Ebook on Amazon here, Scribd here  and on GooglePlay here . The hard copy will be out in February 2015.