Mughlai Paratha

By Fahima Haque

Mughlai Paratha
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(360)
Notes
Read community notes

Mughlai paratha is a popular street food found in Bangladesh that traces back to the Mughal Empire. It’s a crisp, flaky, pan-fried flatbread that’s stuffed with fluffy eggs and fiery chiles, and gently spiced with earthy turmeric. Paratha is extremely customizable, so you can use what you have; this version is vegetarian, but keema, a spiced ground meat mixture, is often added. Vegetables like diced bell pepper or a handful of baby spinach are untraditional and welcome, but be mindful of the water content of the vegetables you choose or the eggs will weep. The end result is satisfyingly savory and addictive in its contrasting textures.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

    For the Dough

    • 1cup/130 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • ⅛teaspoon baking powder
    • 3 to 4teaspoons olive oil, ghee or melted butter
    • ¼cup cold water

    For the Filling

    • 1whole egg plus 1 yolk
    • ¼red, white or yellow onion, finely chopped (about ⅓ cup)
    • 3tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    • 2 to 3Thai chiles (or 1 Fresno chile or 1 jalapeño to tone down the heat), finely chopped
    • ¼heaping teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ⅛teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼teaspoon black pepper

    For Frying

    • ¼cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

310 calories; 19 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 276 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Whisk to combine. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the water. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir gently until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until it forms a smooth ball. Rub the ball of dough in 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil. Cover the dough loosely in plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    While the dough rests, prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the egg and egg yolk, onion, cilantro, chile, turmeric, salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rough 12-by-12-inch square.

  4. Step 4

    Place the filling in the center and spread in an even layer, leaving a 2-inch border on each side.

  5. Step 5

    Gently lift the left side of the dough toward the middle and fold it, bringing the left edge slightly to the right of the middle of the filling. Repeat on the right side, folding the right edge of the dough toward the middle of the filling, so both sides slightly overlap at the center. Reinforce the seams by gently pinching them.

  6. Step 6

    Finish sealing in the filling: Fold the top edge of the dough down toward the middle, just far enough to safely seal in the filling, about 2 inches down, then fold the bottom edge up to seal in the filling, about 2 inches up, gently pressing to seal. Your end result should look like a rectangle.

  7. Step 7

    Fry the paratha: In a large skillet, heat the neutral oil over medium-high. Place paratha in the skillet, seam-side up, carefully spooning the hot oil on top of the paratha to baste it, tilting the pan if need be. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then carefully flip the paratha over and baste and cook until golden, another 5 minutes.

  8. Step 8

    Serve hot, ideally, or at room temperature, cut in half into two rectangular pieces.

Ratings

4 out of 5
360 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

JE

Excellent! For a little extra flakiness in the dough, I made the fat content 3 teaspoons butter, plus 1 teaspoon lard.

Laura

Added maybe 1/3 cup diced , spiced beef. Rolled out the dough and then folded onto itself and rolled times 4 so that the dough would be flakier and then rolled back out to a 12 x 12” square and proceeded with recipe. Also subbed rogan josh for turmeric. The pastry was well laminated and flaky. I would definitely make again. The other notes were correct and I added a bit more water and fat to the dough.

Linda PA

You can get this technique down quickly - then you are going to want to make this EVERY week. Don’t worry to much about the dough; even if it’s a bit rough, it will come together. I followed exactly save parsley swap for cilantro cause I did not have it. I look forward to adding spinach or potato next

Sara

Pretty easy for beginners and SO tasty

Laura

Added maybe 1/3 cup diced , spiced beef. Rolled out the dough and then folded onto itself and rolled times 4 so that the dough would be flakier and then rolled back out to a 12 x 12” square and proceeded with recipe. Also subbed rogan josh for turmeric. The pastry was well laminated and flaky. I would definitely make again. The other notes were correct and I added a bit more water and fat to the dough.

Susan

Seems versatile. Delicious as the recipe directs. Made with groceries I usually have on hand. We had this for a late breakfast today, but would make a tasty meal any time of day.

Linda PA

Great with a sauce of saracha aioli

Linda PA

You can get this technique down quickly - then you are going to want to make this EVERY week. Don’t worry to much about the dough; even if it’s a bit rough, it will come together. I followed exactly save parsley swap for cilantro cause I did not have it. I look forward to adding spinach or potato next

james

Definitely a side dish and not a meal!

Emmie

Ate a little dry. Hot sauce recommended.

Linda Cooks

I found it hard to get the folded over ends cooked evenly when you make a gib 10" paratha. I tried dividing into two and while it took a while to get the dough rolled out and rested so it stopped snapping back, two smaller parathas cooked better - the dough wasn't as thick. I added garam masala and a little more salt. Yum!

Emily

Really nice recipe, very tasty-- however, I found that 5 minutes per side was way too long--it got much too dark. Definitely check it about 2.5 minutes in, or turn the heat down a twinge. Also agree that the filing could use more salt.

Livia

Like others, I found I needed to add more water and fat to get the right consistency. It turned out amazing. Will definitely be making it again and again

adrienne

I sprinkled some Aleppo pepper into the filling and it was nice and fiery. Definitely extra oil / butter for the dough!

bermy

Inaara and I made this October 2020. It was easy compared to making individual rotis.

bermy

I don’t think I put an egg and if I did it was only one egg, not additional yolk.

cerin

Like others I found the amount of water too small for the dough and had to add to get it to a smooth shape.

aj

i subbed out cilantro for parsley and it worked great. my filling was a little eggy (some of the liquid escaped while i was folding) but it fried up well and the dough was delicious. this is a fun one.

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