Sides on Kvalifood

Paratha

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 21:25:31 +0200

Paratha is a flatbread from northern India and Pakistan, made from wholemeal flour and cooked on a dry or lightly greased pan. What sets paratha apart from chapati is the folding: the dough is rolled out, brushed with ghee or oil, folded, and rolled out again. The fat is trapped in layers, making the bread flaky and richer than a plain chapati.

Paratha is eaten daily in Punjab at breakfast with yoghurt, pickle, and chutney. It also works as a side with curry and dal, where the bread is used to scoop up the sauce. Ghee is the classic choice, but vegetable oil works well and gives a slightly lighter bread.

Naan

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 09:37:42 +0100

Naan is the soft, leavened Indian bread made with milk, yoghurt, and yeast. Unlike chapati, which is unleavened and dry, naan has an airy crumb and a buttered surface. The bread comes from the Persian-Indian Mughal kitchen and is traditionally baked in a tandoor, where the dough is pressed onto the hot clay wall and bakes in just a few minutes.

Without a tandoor, the breads are cooked in a heavy-based pan and finished under the grill instead. Butter and poppy seeds on the uncooked side give the colour and slightly nutty flavour familiar from restaurant naan.

Poori

Thu, 14 Nov 2013 11:28:26 +0100

Poori are small, deep-fried flatbreads from northern India. They roll out thin as a pancake and when they hit the hot oil they puff up into round pillows within seconds. The crisp shell and hollow interior make them well suited for dipping into dal or a potato curry.

The dough is simple: wholemeal flour, salt, water, and a little fat. The fat makes the dough easy to roll out and gives the breads a rounder flavour. Many recipes use half plain white flour to make the crust a little lighter and more brittle, but all-wholemeal poori are just as good.

Phul Gobi

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:34:03 +0200

Phul gobi is a dry cauliflower dish from northern India. The name simply means “cauliflower” in Hindi, and the dish keeps to the basics: cauliflower, onion, peppers, and green chilli are cooked in ghee with turmeric and salt. No sauce, no tomatoes, no heavy spice blends.

The light seasoning is the point. Turmeric gives the colour and a mild, earthy base, and the heat comes from fresh green chilli rather than dried spices. The cauliflower is allowed to keep its own flavour, and the peppers add sweetness and crunch towards the end of the cooking time.