89) POROTTA

POROTTA

A SPECIAL WHEAT FLATBREAD

Ingredients:

     1)    Maida (refined white wheat flour) – 1350 gm.

     2)    Thick creamy milk – 200 ml.

     3)    Eggs – 5 Nos.

     4)    Coconut oil – 3 tablespoons

     5)    Baking powder – 1 teaspoon

     6)    Sugar – 1 tablespoon

     7)    Salt – 1½ teaspoons

To Make:

          Select a wide bowl to knead the dough. Pour in 1½ tablespoons of coconut oil. Whisk the eggs with the milk and add. Tip in the sugar, the salt and the baking powder. Stir and add 1200 gm. of maida (the rest of the maida is for dusting). Knead and knead and knead until the dough is quite soft. Let rest for 2 hours.

          Scoop up handfuls of dough and make lemon sized balls. Use a rolling pin to flatten the balls as thin as possible. Use a little flour to dust while rolling in order to avoid stickiness. Now lightly grease the flatbread with coconut oil using your fingers to rub it all over. Stretch the flatbread with your hands to make it larger and thin like a cloth. Now fold it from one side to make a long frill of around 1 inch thickness. Now pull the frill at both ends to stretch it a little and start to wind it up to form a low cylinder (see picture) and set aside.

          Roll the dough cylinder, dusting with flour if sticky, to form the round porotta. Set a cast iron pan or non–stick pan on medium heat. Grease with coconut oil and roast the porotta on both sides until it is partly golden brown. When 5 or 6 porottas are done, pile them up on a clean table when still hot and beat them with a rolling pin to make them softer. You can also beat the sides with your palms to make them fluffier.

          These delicious porottas can be served with vegetable kurma (see picture) or with curd salad, gobi manjoori, saambar, tomato dal fry, peas masala, fish curry, meat curry, vegetable or meat stew, tomato curry, baby potato curry, green gram curry, tomato fry, paneer curry, paneer butter masala, palak paneer, mushroom curry and just about any nice spicy curry.

Note:

          You can also use butter or ghee in place of coconut oil to get an even better taste. I have used coconut oil, that too in small measure from a health point of view.