Sada and Paratha Roti

Paratha is a version of roti not a different thing. The ingredients are basically the same but the method differs.

Ingredients

Half a pound of self raising four (or plain flour and plenty of baking powder)
1 tablespoon of Flora or butter
Pinch of salt
Pinch of yeast (if you have the time to let it rise a little)
Cold water to mix

Method

Mix flour salt and cornflour with flora or butter using your fingers then add a little cold water at a time working in until a soft dough is formed and all flour is absorbed. The consistency should be softer and moister than pastry. Knead for several minutes until the dough has the texture as bread dough and removes the flour from your fingers. Let this rest for few minutes.

Break off lumps about the size of a peach. Role out in a circle to about the size of a bread plate (8").

Roti

This is a roti and you can cook this as is on a fairly hot frying pan surface or griddle which has been just brushed with oil. If the pan is too hot it will get brown patches without cooking. Cook both sides, when doing the second side if you did a good job the roti will swell a little with bubbles. Those of you with gas can at the end hold the roti over the flame a second and it should puff up. This is not necessary, but traditional and helps if you want to use the roti as a holder like Pita bread.

Paratha

For these eminently more delicious versions of roti start at the point where you have rolled the circle.

Carefully put a thin layer of flora on the top of the roti and using a sharp knife make a cut (see illustration) from the centre to the edge. Then roll the roti up as shown around the circle to make a cone and fold the last corner over the top and pat down to make a shape like a thick round biscuit. Do this to all the roti and then carefully roll each one again into a flat circle.

Fry as roti but while cooking brush a little oil over the roti and turn over. brush a little more on the other side. Then using a spatula flatten the edges of the roti around. This has the effect of keeping the fat you spread over the roti (when rolling) inside and as it gets hot it will cause the roti to swell.

When cooked on both sides (turn paratha several times unlike plain roti) take out of the pan and wrap in a cloth then hit the paratha several times edgeways to crush it up a bit.

Paratha are slightly sweeter than roti (because of the extra fat) and go really well with fried plantains or apple bananas, or pumpkin.