Frozen Parathas & Breads, page 2

Flatbreads are the hardest part of an Indian or Sri Lankan meal to make on a weeknight, which is why frozen ones have become a fixture of so many freezers. This part of our frozen department sorts them by type. Frozen parathas run from plain and laccha to aloo, methi and other stuffed parathas. Porotta and veechu roti are the layered, flaky breads of Kerala and Sri Lanka. Rotis and chapatis cover phulka, whole wheat chapati, bajra roti and thepla, and naan and kulcha bring the tandoor breads of the Punjab home.

Choose by the meal. Chapatis and phulka are the daily bread for dal and sabzi. Parathas are richer and hold their own with just yoghurt and pickle. Porotta wants a gravy to soak up, such as chicken curry, beef curry or a thin salna, and naan is the bread for butter chicken, paneer and a dinner with guests. For Sri Lankan kothu, frozen kothu rotti arrives already shredded, so it goes straight into the pan with egg, vegetables and curry.

Cook every one of these straight from frozen. Heat a tawa or heavy frying pan over a medium flame, lay the bread on dry, and turn it every thirty seconds or so until both sides are spotted gold and the layers have lifted. Most parathas and porotta already have fat worked into the dough and need no extra oil, though a little ghee at the end never hurts. Store packs flat at -18°C so the breads stay separate, and never refreeze breads once they have thawed.