Lachha Paratha



Lachha paratha is an Indian multi layered flatbread. For this simple recipe you’ll only need a handful of budget-friendly ingredients. The dough for lachha paratha is a mix of flour, water and oil, with a pinch of salt and sugar. After the dough has rested for a while, it is divided into 6 balls, and each ball is flatten into a disc with a rolling pin. And this is where the magic begins. Each disc, after being brushed with oil and powdered with flour, is folded into a fan and the fan is shaped as a pinwheel. Each pinwheel is flatten with a rolling pin into a flatbread. All the steps mentioned above are responsible for those lovely, flaky layers of goodness. Lachha paratha is more labor-intensive than a regular flatbread, but the result is absolutely spectacular; these multi layered flatbreads are not only a feast for the taste buds, but also for the eyes (and even for the ears).

Ingredients (for 6 – 8 flatbreads):

  • 280g whole wheat flour (2 cups) * + extra 70g for rolling (1/2 cups)
  • 75ml olive oil (5 Tbsp)**
  • aprox 140ml lukewarm water (38 – 40°C)***
  • 5g salt (1 tsp)
  • 5g  granulated sugar (1 tsp)

* I used whole wheat flour. This recipe can be made with all-purpose white flour or with a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.

** One Tbsp of olive oil is added to the dough and 4 Tbsp are used for brushing the rolled flatbread.

*** The quantity of water depends on the type of flour. The water is added 2 Tbsp at a time until you form a soft ball of dough, a ball that doesn’t stick to the bowl. For 280g whole wheat flour I use about 140ml water.

Method:

  1. Prepare the dough. In a large bowl combine white flour (sifted), sugar, salt and oil and make a well in the center. Add about 2 Tbsp of water at a time and mix with your fingers until you form a ball. The ball should be soft but it shouldn’t stick to the bowl.
  2. Knead the dough. Bring the dough to a floured working surface and knead it for 2 minutes. Place the dough in the bowl, cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Cut the dough into triangles. After 30 minutes, place the dough back on the working surface, knead it and cut it into 6 triangles. Shape each triangle into a small ball.
  4. Roll the first piece of dough. Place one ball on the floured working surface and cover the other 5 with the same damp towel. Roll the first ball with a rolling pin until it gets 2mm thick.
  5. Olive oil & flour.  Brush the first flatbread with olive oil and sprinkle with flour. Beginning with one end, fold it to form pleats.
  6. Make a pinwheel. Take one end of the fan and roll it like a pinwheel.
  7. Roll the flatbread. Flatten the pinwheel with a rolling pin until 3 – 4mm thick.
  8. Cook. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When you see pockets of air forming at the surface brush the raw surface with oil and flip it. Brush the cooked surface with olive oil too. Flip it again and cook until golden brown.
  9. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. Proceed the same with the remaining flatbreads. I prefer to roll the second one while the first one is cooking. It saves times.
  10. Serve. Serve warm with curry, chutney or different vegetable spreads.

 

Homemade Flour Tortilla

 


I can’t remember last time I had a store-bought tortilla. I always make my own tender and delicious tortillas. These flatbreads are so easy to make, they taste incredible and they are also budget-friendly. I usually use olive oil in this recipe because I love its flavor but any other vegetable oil works just fine.
Continue reading Homemade Flour Tortilla

Homemade Naan

Naan is an oven baked flatbread made with yeast. These flatbreads are by far my favorite kind of flatbread. They are so easy to make, the ingredients are always in my pantry, they look so adorable, but also these beauties are extremely delicious. This flatbread is so elastic, soft and airy, with a lovely buttery and toasted sesame seed flavor. It is such a rustic bread and yet so sophisticated. The technique is quite simple and the active part takes no more than 20 minutes. The passive part, the part when the dough rests or rises is the most challenging part, if you will. It takes about 2 hours to rise, so this recipe isn’t the most suitable if you are in a hurry. But if you have some time to spare, trust me, the result is so rewarding and surely it is worth waiting every minute. Continue reading Homemade Naan

Herbed Ricotta and Asparagus Wraps

Tortilla wrapAsparagusTortillaWrap - ingredients

This morning I had a craving for tortilla and ricotta, so I made a homemade asparagus and herbed ricotta wrap. I quickly prepared the dough and while it was resting, I prepared a creamy dill and ricotta spread and some garlicky sautéed asparagus, since it’s its season. Long story short, in about 40 minutes I had 9 gorgeous tortillas (they should have been 8 but math isn’t my strong point, apparently). Continue reading Herbed Ricotta and Asparagus Wraps

Warm Kidney Bean and Quinoa Salad Wrap

 

WrapFlatbread and warm quinoa saladWarm salad

Today I have the following idea: a hearty kidney bean and quinoa warm salad wrapped in a homemade flatbread, served with a delicious and tangy avocado sauce. It’s a vegan dish, extremely tasty and very nutritious. It is a very satisfying salad, packed with protein, vitamins and healthy fats. Continue reading Warm Kidney Bean and Quinoa Salad Wrap

Pljeskavica

Pleskavica

Pljeskavica is a Balkan signature dish. It’s nothing else but a beef/pork grilled burger. It’s perfect in its own simplicity. It is often served in a pita bread, with veggies and milk kajmak. We’ll talk about kajmak some other time.
I ate this delicious burger for the first time when I was about 4 years old. I remember vividly that my mother brought me pljeskavica from Novi Sad (Serbia). She also brought me that day a box of Cipiripi chocolate and a bucket literally a big, fat bucket) of Eurocrem spread. I can’t remember whether I liked pljeskavica or not. Obviously, I was mesmerized by the chocolate. I felt in love with pljeskavica 3 years ago. We were in Belgrade, two block from Kalemegdan and we saw this teeny tiny bistro. We took a place at a table and that was the moment when I tasted perfection for the first time.

Continue reading Pljeskavica