Pakistani ยท Breakfast

Anda Paratha

The standard Pakistani weekday breakfast: a crisp paratha with egg cooked into it.

Prep 15 minCook 10 minServes 2

Anda paratha is breakfast in a large share of Pakistani households, and it lives or dies on the paratha rather than the egg. A properly laminated paratha has visible layers and shatters slightly when torn; a badly made one is a dense flatbread with egg on top.

This is the folded method, which is more forgiving than the coiled one for a cook making several in a row.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta), plus extra for dusting
  • 3/4 cup water, approximately
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp ghee or oil, for layering and frying
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
  • Fresh coriander, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. 1Mix the atta and salt, then add water gradually and knead into a soft, pliable dough. It should be softer than roti dough. Rest it covered for at least 15 minutes.
  2. 2Divide into 4 balls. Roll one out into a rough circle about 15 cm across.
  3. 3Brush the surface with ghee and dust lightly with dry flour. Fold the circle in half, brush and dust again, then fold in half once more to make a triangle.
  4. 4Roll the triangle out gently to about 18 cm, keeping the layers intact. Rolling too hard here presses the layers together and you lose the flakiness.
  5. 5Heat a tawa over medium heat. Cook the paratha dry for about 1 minute per side until pale brown spots appear.
  6. 6Add about 1 tsp ghee around the edges and fry, pressing lightly with a spatula, until golden and crisp, roughly 1 to 2 minutes per side.
  7. 7For the egg, beat 2 eggs per serving with the chopped onion, green chillies, coriander, salt and pepper.
  8. 8Push the paratha to one side of the tawa, pour the egg mixture onto the free side, and let it set for about 30 seconds. Then lay the paratha on top of the egg and press gently so it bonds.
  9. 9Flip once so the egg side cooks for another 30 seconds, then serve immediately with chai.

Notes for the Cook

  • The dough must rest. Skipping the rest gives a paratha that fights back while rolling and turns out tough.
  • Medium heat throughout. High heat browns the outside before the layers inside have cooked and separated.
  • Parathas do not hold well. In a household eating at different times, make the dough in advance and cook each one to order rather than stacking them.

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