Chilli Parotta

I've seen Chilli Parotta and Kothu Parotta being used interchangeably to describe the same dish and eventhough I'm no parotta expert, being quite a fan of this... i've observed quite a few differences between the two. I first had Chilli Parotta when my cousin raved so much about this dish from a hotel called 'Guru Prasad' in Madurai and since that was a vegetarian restaurant, my mom okayed it and soon he brought home a couple parcels of it for us to taste. I remember not liking it as much as kothu parotta and found it a bit too saucy but it was quite good.

Nowadays however Chilli Parotta is a common feature in most restaurants in India (atleast TamilNadu) and there is no trouble finding vegetarian versions of both chilli & kothu parottas. My dad's friend owns a small restaurant so I was allowed to watch the chef make this since my dad mentioned how much i like this to the owner... They first deep fried the parotta pieces (now that was a shock because parottas are fattening as is and are made with Lots of oil & maida and then to deep fry them as well was atrocious i thought)... and then he told me how they typically make the gravy and keep & toss it all together when an order comes through. So, the recipe here is my attempt at replicating it at home, but with a few modifications of which first & foremost was to skip the deep frying part... :) Still, this is definitely not a diet friendly or health conscious recipe but definitely falls in the 'once in a while indulgence, in moderation' category.

CHILLI PAROTTA

Ingredients:
Parottas- 5 to 6 (I use the frozen ones)
Red Onion - 1 big
Green Bell Pepper - 1 small to medium, cut into 1 inch cubes
Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
Tomato paste - about 1 tbsp
Poppy seeds (khasa khasa) - 1 tsp
Cashews - 3 or 4 (optional)
Ginger - half inch piece
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Spring Onions - 2, chopped, green & white parts separated
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Curry masala powder/Garam Masala - half tsp to 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to tasteOil - 1 to 2 tbsp
Method:
1) Peel & halve the red onion. Chop one half and set aside. Cut the remaining half into 1 inch cubes (similar to the capsicum).

2) I used frozen paratha so i popped them in the microwave for 30 seconds before frying them on a tawa till they get crisp (instead of deep-frying). Cut the parotta pieces into 1.5 to 2 inch squares - i used a pair of kitchen scissors.

2) Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tsp of oil and saute the chopped onion, garlic and ginger cloves till brown, then add the chopped tomato with the masala powders and salt. Also add the poppy seeds & cashews at this point and let it cook till it gets thick. Allow this mixture to cool a bit and grind in a mixie to a paste.

3) Heat the remaining oil in the pan, and add the cubed onions & the white of the spring onions and saute for a few minutes till translucent before adding the cubed capsicum and a pinch of salt. When they get tender crisp, add the ground onion-tomato paste and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes atleast.

4) Add a tbsp or two of water (to loosen up the mixture so the parottas can soak it up) and immediately add the parotta pieces and toss so they are uniformly covered by the paste. Cook this on a medium-high flame till dry.

5) Switch off the stove and stir in the green tops of the spring onions - reserve about a tbsp for garnish later. Delicious Chilli Parotta is now ready.

Comments

  1. Oh, who cares about diet when you can have this yummy Chilli Parotta once in a while. Looks mouthwatering. I will try it, making some wheat Parottas today! :)

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  2. Quick, easy AND spicy! and a great way to take care of leftover chapatis :)

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  3. I love love this dish.Every time when me and my friends go out to eat at a local restaurant here,we order this..It looks soooooooo yummy..Wish i could grab some!

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  4. Laavanya, I know sometimes diet has to be tossed to enjoy some real food :) I make this with leftover chapatis and they disappear. I am craving for some just looking at yours.

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  5. i have never had chilli parotta or kottu parotta....but i can imagine the shock on the deep frying..it is best never to view what happens in the restaurnat kitchen....i should be trying this 'healthier' version out...it looks great. Btw. the terattipal was absolutely delicious!!..thanks.

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  6. never tused tomato paste..i guess it brings out bright colour rt? the dish looks spicy and inviting ...

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  7. Somehow I always had the feel they deep fry the parotta because they were extremely crisp and almost crunchy! Now u clear it! Looks delicious ur chilli parota!

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  8. I tried kottu parotta,but never tried this one..looking yumm...will give a try definitely

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  9. Didnt knw chilli parotta is easy to make....looking sooo yum! Will have to try this once soon!

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  10. Wow...thats an easy and wonderful recipe...looks so delicious.

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  11. I have heard soo much abt this but have never had them .. does look very nice

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  12. wow..what a mouthwatering recipe.......i love this..yummy

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  13. Love the colour, looks mouthwatering....

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  14. absolutely drool worthy... love the colour :)

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  15. slurrp!!! wonderful chilli parathas nice color too, I never used poppy seeds and tomato paste gotta follow your way to get the color... This is sure to be my dinner sometime in the next week...

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  16. you are maing me crave for this yummy dish. I usually add an egg to this. makes it even more tastier.

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  17. I love chili parottas, used to have it often in India. The pictures look awesome, I am still drooling :) Thanks for sharing this recipe!

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  18. WOW yummm recipe, looks yummmm!!!

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  19. you are tempting me very much with this picture. love the idea of adding spring onions. i have also tried this before.. it is real yum.

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  20. I first had them at Vasantha Bhavan and has been my favorite ever since. Looks tempting.
    I have avoided making it for the deep frying part. I also tried baking them but did`nt give the desired result. Will have to try your version.

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  21. Great, never tried this... sounds very good!

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  22. Oh..Thanks for this Lavs..this was my fav n all time food during Btech days..:)..N I thought it was saucy ,had tatsed of Red chilli sauce..But I see u havent added any n still looks so yum..Am going to try this sometime,will let u knw..:)

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  23. I too make this with frozen parotta,very handy!
    Urs is looking very nice and colour is awesome!

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  24. Wow....looks sinful :) Will be hard to adhere to the moderation part.

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  25. i'd take this over a cake or cookie any day!!!

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  26. looks yummy new or me,...will try this ....when i am driven by my cravi to eat somethin spicy,...

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  27. I eat whenever i go to restaurant, looks too yummy!

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  28. I love the egg kothu parota! I've seen them being fried on the tawa with a lot of oil but I'm not surprised that it's deep-fried too. Where I live, I don't recall seeing 'Chilli Parota' the name as such but in some restaurants Kothu Parota looks like this.

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  29. This is my fav! I love it so much! Your recipe makes me drool... Delicious!

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  30. that looks so colorful and yummy! Never ate this before. I think tomato paste gave that beautiful color! :)

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  31. Will try this one. Have had chilli parotta from a Kerala restaurant and just loved it. Thks for sharing the wonderful recipe.

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  32. it's a must try for spice lovers...would give it a try sometime :)
    Thanks

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  33. my, my!!! that looks fiery and wonderful Laavanya:)

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  34. I don't think I've heard of this one. Sounds interesting.:D

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  35. We had this when we went to madurai and just loved it...wanted to make it since long..looks yummy

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  36. Laav,we aren't eating CHILLI PAROTTA everyday.guess we can indulge once in a way and walk the calories out.picture is too good to resist.Lata

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  37. Nice! Chilli Parotta reminds me of those hometown days.. Pretty staple dish in any restaurant menu.. Nice to see a recipe for it! Would love to try this soon..

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  38. very yummmmmyyyyy.. i'm gonna try this out.. but i don have miocrwave to cook frozen parottas.. wat can i do?

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  39. Hi Aishwarya, you can cook the frozen parottas on the tawa instead of using the microwave. Let me know how it turns out if you get a chance to try out this recipe.

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  40. Thanks! lavanya. Tried it and came out really well! BTW could you tel me wherein Madurai is the Guru Prasad restaurant?

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  41. Thank you very much for this. I eat this regularly at a hotel, but now I want to make this at home!

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  42. This was definitely a keeper!! Tried it and its has the hotel taste I was missing. Thanks for sharing.

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  43. Renukha, apologies for the delayed reply - Hotel GuruPrasad is near the Periyar bus stand - unless they have moved in recent times.

    Swapna - Thank you so much for trying this out & for your feedback. Am glad you liked it - it's quite a favorite at our home too... :)

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  44. nice... tasty.........&yummy.......

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  45. Hi Laavanya,

    i studied my masters at madurai and my first ever chilli parotta was at Guru Prasad Madurai. I love love love their chilli parotta. I also loved the one that they used to serve at Anna Meenakshi at college house. I miss those days!!! Bookmarked to try. I knew that there was a gravy it was being cooked in...Never cd try it as my waistline wd never allow it!!! :)
    Shobha

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    1. I am from Madurai so will keep the Anna Meenakshi chilli parotta in mind for my next trip there. As much as I love this, I don't make it for the exact same reason - it is fattening.. but once in a while in moderation is okay (easier said than done) :D

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  46. Wow its looking so delicious..!! Cant wait to have it, mouth is watering now!! Thanks for sharing this recipe ill try it. Even i'll like to share a link its awesome & Helpful - India food network cooking channel

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  47. I made this for a party of 80, prepared the gravy a day before, cooked the parottas and cut them that day and I mixed both in the serving foil trays with burner beneath them.By the time everyone started dinner both the gravy and parotta mixed well and got gr8 compliments from my guests.

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    1. Thank you Thenmozhi... loved your idea of preparing this for a large group - so glad it was a hit.

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