Lachcha Paratha

Lachcha Paratha is a flaky, layered flatbread or paratha prepared from wheat flour, preferably, all-purpose flour.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 4 cups + for dusting
Water – 2 cups
Salt to taste
Cooking Oil – 1/4 cup

For Aid:

A Clean Cotton towel

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, take maida, salt and 2 teaspoons of oil. Mix well.
2. Now pour 2 cups of water and mix well until it forms a lump.
3. Now pour 2 teaspoons of oil on a clean kitchen platform and using both your palms, knead the dough thoroughly for 5-10 minutes. Make a large dough ball, smear a teaspoon of oil on top. Set it aside, covered with a wet towel, for about 20 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into small orange sized balls. Keep them covered with the wet towel for about 15 minutes.
5. Take a ball, dust it lightly with some flour (if you are generous is using the oil, use oil) and roll it as thin as you can. Do not bother about the shape or any small tear. All you need to do is stretch the dough as thin as it can get. Using oil instead of dusting with flour, does make a difference, lets you roll thinner.
   
6. Smear a teaspoon of oil on the surface on the rolled dough.
7. Sprinkle a little flour on top.
   
8. Now from one end, carefully lift the rolled dough and start pleating them all the way through the other end.
   
9. Once you are done with pleating, stretch it slightly by pulling with both your hands or swirl it.
10. Now keeping the oiled and dusted side on top, tightly roll it like a swiss roll and tuck the end at the bottom of the roll.
    
11. Keep the roll covered under wet towel.
12. Repeat steps 5-11 for all the remaining dough balls.
13. Now take the roll that you made first, dust it slightly with some flour (or use oil instead) and roll it into a thick disc.
14. Place it on your left palm and transfer to the right palm, hitting against the palms. This helps the layers to become distinct, the discs become thinner too.
15. Now, gently roll it using a rolling pin to make it even throughout. Due to elasticity, it will become a little thicker once you stop rolling. So, roll it to the thickness you prefer, but not too thin.
    
16. Immediately, place it on a hot griddle, set the flame to medium. When small bubbles appear on top and brown specks have formed at the bottom, flip the side.
17. Smear a little oil on top, roast until brown specks form at the bottom. Flip again, smear little oil.
18. Now place it in a plate, while still hot, place your palms on two sides of the paratha, bring your palms closer to each others, squeezing the paratha from outside to inside, . This separates the layers of the paratha making it flaky.
19. Serve hot with kurma or any other side dish of your choice.