Mint Lachha Paratha Recipe – The crispy, peeling and flaky Indian flat bread with layers and consisting of mint flavour champion on any dinning table. Indian flatbread is delicious on its own right, however when its made in the layers and shallow fried, the flavours elevate even further. This layered lachha paratha has dried (or can use fresh mint too), hence also referred as pudina lachha paratha.
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What is lachha paratha
Lachha means layers or strands. Lachha paratha is paratha with layers. The addition of mint, offers beautiful fragrance to the paratha as well as gives subtle hints of mint in taste. This mint (also called pudina in hindi), paratha is simply so good in taste that you can eat it on its own.
Difference between normal and lachha paratha
Normal paratha is simply made by rolling the dough, however in lachha paratha, stripes / layers are cut from dough and then folded from one side to give the layer effect.
I have always devoured paratha over roti or chappati, and this pudina paratha tops my taste charts. I have made normal lachha paratha many times, however recently Kapil asked why don’t I make mint lachha paratha for dinner? My deal was that he would need to eat more than one, else I am not making. I feel its little ask to do all this, but only for 1 paratha. We ended up having these parathas for Sunday brunch. Do you also feel its too much hassle to do all this merely for couple of parathas? Immaterial of anything, I love mint lachha paratha, regardless if am making these parathas at home or in a good Indian restaurant.
If you one like me who loves lachha paratha, I am sharing details of making these parathas at home. This recipe will give you flaky crisp parathas.
The real taste and texture of these parathas come from layers of paratha. Of course, addition of mint, enhances the taste.
Ingredients required
This recipe does not require million ingredients, its barely 4 ingredients.
- Whole wheat flour – You need flour. You can use all purpose flour too, however I find that little less healthy compared to whole wheat flour and its easy to digest too. All purpose flour is used in making Malabar paratha (very similar to lachha paratha)
- Dried mint leaves – In my recipe, I have used dried mint leaves, however if you have access to fresh mint leaves, you can use them. Point to note here is that in case you using fresh leaves, chop them to tiny pieces and you must remove all the stems. You must taste mint leaf before adding in, sometimes, some leaves can be bitter and can ruin the taste of paratha.
- Oil – You can use any cooking oil, I have used olive oil, however for best taste you can use clarified butter / ghee. Oil is used to cook as well as on layers of paratha when rolling.
- Salt – No surprises why we need salt!
How to make pudina or mint lachha paratha
- First of all, in a mixing bowl combine salt and flour. Add one tablespoon of oil and knead it to form a smooth dough with the help of luke warm water. Cover the dough and keep aside for 15 minutes.
- Now divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten them in between your palm. Now spread some flour on the worktop, take one flatten ball and roll it into 6 – 7 inch diameter circle, with the help of rolling pin.
- Apply oil with the help of a brush all over the paratha and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of crushed mint leaves and some flour on the top.
- Now you can make pleats by two methods:
- Cut thin stripes of the rolled paratha with the help of knife / pizza cutter and gather all the strips one on the top of another.
- Making pleats of the rolled paratha just like Chinese fan.
- After making pleats, apply little oil all over the pleats and stretch them. Start folding from one edge and make a roll. Again sprinkle some flour and roll into round parathas of about 4- 5 inch diameter.
- Heat the tava and place the paratha on it. Flip it when one side is partly cooked and apply oil on this side. Now again flip it and apply oil on this side too.
- Cook them till the parathas are golden brown in colour by flipping 2-3 times on each side. Cook all the parathas similarly. Give them a crush in between your palm once or twice, so that all the layers are clearly visible.
Pro Tips
- Fresh mint offers best fragrance and taste, however when in rush, dried mint leaves just about does the job too.
- Your dough should not be tight otherwise the layers won’t be visible after cooking.
- Always roll the parathas very gently after making pleats, otherwise the layers won’t be visible clearly. For that, first tap the roll with the help of your palm and fingers, and then roll lightly with the rolling pin.
- You can make the pleated rolls few hour in advance and then roll and fry the paratha at the time of eating. Just keep the pleated rolls covered with damp kitchen towel to avoid them drying.
- Serve these paratha hot, else layers will not be so much visible and paratha will loose its crispyness.
- Fry these parathas in ghee if you want added crispness and taste.
Can I freeze mint parathas?
Yes, of course. You can keep these parathas frozen for couple of months at least. For freezing, you need to cook parathas partly. Then stack one paratha over other, inserting a layer of parchment paper in between parathas. This will avoid parathas sticking to each other. Add this stack of parathas in zip lock bag and freeze. When you wish to eat, take out frozen paratha and then heat on a skillet or tava using little oil.
This mint lachha paratha is
- One delicious paratha. So good that you can eat this paratha on its own with little butter.
- It is vegan friendly paratha.
- It is novel change to your menu.
- Due to its crispness, kids too love it, especially they love peeling the layers while eating.
Other variations
- Some people will add mint leaves while kneading dow. You can try that too, that’s more suitable if using fresh mint leaves.
- You can use chilli or garlic oil instead of normal oil in kneading for added unique flavours.
Serving suggestion
Serve this paratha hot, directly from tava or griddle. Pat a bit of butter or ghee on top. You can serve it with curry or chutney of your choice. I love to pair it with mint cilantro chutney. These parathas are best for lunch or brunch as these are heavy and filling.
Recipe Card
Mint Lachha Paratha – Pudina Paratha
Ingredients
- 1.5 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 4 Tsp Dried Mint Leaves
- 5 Tbsp Oil
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Luke Warm Water
Instructions
- First of all, in a mixing bowl combine salt and flour. Add one tablespoon of oil and knead it to form a smooth dough with the help of luke warm water.
- Cover the dough and keep aside for 15 minutes.
- Now divide the dough into 4 equal parts and flatten them in between your palm. Now spread some flour on the worktop, take one flatten ball and roll it into 6 – 7 inch diameter circle, with the help of rolling pin.
- Apply oil with the help of a brush all over the paratha and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of crushed mint leaves and some flour on the top.
- Now you can make pleats by two methods: a) Cut thin stripes of the rolled paratha with the help of knife/pizza cutter and gather all the strips one on the top of another.b) Making pleats of the rolled paratha just like Chinese fan.
- After making pleats, apply little oil all over the pleats and stretch them. Start folding from one edge and make a roll. Again sprinkle some flour and roll into round parathas of about 4- 5 inch diameter.
- Heat the tava and place the paratha on it. Flip it when one side is partly cooked and apply oil on this side. Now again flip it and apply oil on this side too.
- Cook them till the parathas are golden brown in colour by flipping 2-3 times on each side. Cook all the parathas similarly. Give them a crush in between your palm once or twice, so that all the layers are clearly visible. Serve them hot and enjoy with the curry or chutney of your choice.
Notes
- Your dough should not be tight otherwise the layers won’t be visible after cooking.
- Always roll the parathas very gently after making pleats, otherwise the layers won’t be visible clearly. For that, first tap the roll with the help of your palm and fingers, and then roll lightly with the rolling pin.
- You can make the pleated rolls few hour in advance and then roll and fry the paratha at the time of eating. Just keep the pleated rolls covered with damp kitchen towel to avoid them drying.