Recipe: Madurai Bun Parotta

Can you resist these small, flaky Madurai Bun Parottas by Ramapriya Suresh?

Similar to the Malabar Parotta, the Madurai Bun Parotta can also be made without eggs and is popular among vegetarians as well.

It takes both technique and practice to perfect this recipe. The generous but necessary addition of extra oil makes these parottas irresistible.

Eat them with chicken, fish or a vegetable curry, or try them on their own with coconut chutney.

Madurai Bun Parotta

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 750 gm maida or all-purpose flour
• Salt per taste
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 egg, optional, can be replaced with a pinch of baking soda
• 200 ml cooking oil
• Water to knead the dough

To serve

• Chicken, fish curry or veg kurma
• Coconut chutney

Method

• In a large, flat bowl mix the maida, sugar, milk and salt.
  Break the egg into the mixture.
  Or, if not using egg, add the baking soda to the mixture.
  Add water gradually to get a stiff dough and knead well for at least 15 minutes.
  The dough should be soft, without lumps.
  Add some of the oil and knead again.
  Keep folding the dough over, adding more oil and knead repeatedly.
  Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 2 hours.
• With your hands, make equal-sized balls of 2-inch diameter out of the dough. 
  Return the balls to the bowl, pour some oil over them and cover with the kitchen towel.
  Set aside for another 30 minutes.
• Grease a large work surface or ledge with more oil.
  Take one ball at a time and stretch it out into a circle, as best you can, using your fingers. 
  With a rolling pin, roll the ball out as thinly as possible.
  The dough may stick or tear a bit while rolling it thin -- that's fine.
  Slowly pull the circle you have rolled off the surface, holding the edges from one end, twisting it as you pull to make a long cylinder or roll of dough (please see the video).
  Next, loosely, like a pinwheel, roll it into a flat circle and seal the edges and lather with more oil and keep aside.
  Repeat the process with the remaining balls.
• To make the parotta, take one flat circle at a time and using your fingers press it slightly and shape it into a bun or a ½-inch thick disc of dough.
  The diameter should not more than 4-6 inches.
• Heat a metal tava or griddle and place the parotta on it.
  Cook for 2 minutes on each side over medium heat, adding a few tsp of oil, till it turns crisp and brown.
• Take off the tava and while the bun parotta is still hot, scrunch the edges inwards with your palms to loosen the layers.
  Roll and cook the other balls in the same way.
• Serve piping hot with chicken, fish or vegetable curry or any chutney of your choice.

WATCH: How to make Madurai Bun Parotta

Ramapriya Suresh is the creator of the YouTube channel Ammu's Kitchen.

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