Paratha

Paratha is a layered, pan-fried wheat flatbread, often stuffed with spiced potato. It is North India's everyday griddle bread, brushed with ghee at more than one stage, and the layering is what separates it from a plain roti.

What it really is

A wheat dough is rolled thin, brushed with ghee and folded over itself several times — sometimes with a filling of mashed spiced potato pressed inside before the final fold — building up layers the way a pastry does, though far more roughly. Rolled out again and cooked on a hot, dry griddle, it is brushed with more ghee as it fries, which is what turns the surface blistered and gives each layer a chance to crisp slightly apart from the others.

A plain paratha and a stuffed one are cooked almost identically, but read very differently on a plate. The plain version is a simple, flaky side bread; the potato-stuffed version, aloo paratha, is substantial enough to be a full breakfast on its own.

How it is served

• Hot off the griddle, with a knob of butter melting on top.
• With yogurt and pickle alongside, the standard pairing for a stuffed paratha.
• As a side bread, plain, or as the meal itself, stuffed — the same word covers two different portions.

How to write it on the menu

• Say plainly whether it is plain or stuffed, and with what, since the two are different-sized dishes under one name.
• Flag the gluten and the ghee's dairy.
• Note if an oil-based, vegan version is available, since ghee is traditional but easily substituted.