If your breakfast rotation is stuck on the usual aloo or paneer paratha, dahi paratha is worth adding to the mix. Made with curd instead of plain water, this paratha looks fairly ordinary on the tawa, but break one open and it comes apart in several thin, crisp layers, one after another. The curd keeps the dough soft while cooking gives the paratha a satisfying crunch in every bite. It works just as well packed into a child's tiffin box as it does served to a guest who has just walked through the door, and it does not take much effort or any hard-to-find ingredients to put together.
What You Need For Dahi Paratha
The whole idea behind this paratha is swapping out water for curd while kneading the dough. Start with a quarter cup of fresh curd, and make sure it is not too sour or it will throw off the final flavour. No curd at home? Half a glass of buttermilk works as a substitute. Beyond that, you will need 2 teaspoons of milk powder (plain milk if you don't have powder), a cup of wheat flour, a little all purpose flour, salt to taste, and 3 to 4 teaspoons of cooking oil. Set aside 2 teaspoons of cornflour and 2 teaspoons of refined oil separately, this combination is what creates the layers later.
Kneading The Dough
Begin by whisking the curd with the milk powder and a little water in a large bowl until it is completely smooth with no lumps. Add sifted wheat flour to this mixture, mixing in a small amount of all purpose flour makes the paratha turn out even better, though the recipe also works with all purpose flour alone. Add salt and the 3 to 4 teaspoons of oil next, since the oil is what gives the paratha its crispness once it hits the tawa. Knead everything by hand into a soft dough, adding water gradually as needed. Rub a little oil over the finished dough, cover it, and let it rest for around 5 minutes.
The Layering Paste And Rolling It Out
While the dough rests, mix the 2 teaspoons of cornflour with 2 teaspoons of refined oil in a small bowl. It looks thick and clumpy at first, but stirring it continuously turns it into a smooth paste, and this paste is the actual secret behind the paratha's layers. Break off a large portion from the rested dough and roll it out slightly bigger than a regular roti. Spread the cornflour paste evenly across the entire surface of the rolled out dough.
Shaping The Layers
Using a knife, cut the rolled dough into 7 to 8 wedges as if slicing a pizza, but keep the centre intact so the pieces stay joined rather than falling apart completely. Then pick up each wedge one at a time and stack it onto the joined centre point, piling the pieces on top of each other. This stacking step is what makes the paratha separate into open, distinct layers once it is cooked.
Cooking And Serving
Gently flatten the stacked dough again with light pressure and cook it on a hot tawa on both sides until it turns golden and crisp. If the parathas are not rolled too large, 2 to 3 of them can be cooked on the tawa at the same time. Repeat the same process with the rest of the dough to make more parathas. Dahi paratha pairs well with any vegetable curry, green chutney, or chole, and it tastes just as good with any of these combinations.
