Friday 8 July 2011

Kothu Paratha (finely shredded Paratha's cooked with meat and spices)

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My mom used to make kothu parathas with left over parathas and we used to love it. She used to do variations of it with bread and chapathi also. I have tried making the bread version here but it was pretty sad and so never really ventured into that again. I never really bothered making them with parathas because, for one I have no clue how to make parathas and two, store bought parathas were too precious to be torn up and used.

That's when I came across a frozen packet of 'kothu paratha' while scouting around the Indian grocery store. Picked it up thinking I'd give it a shot, hoping it would actually be worth it. My craving for kothu paratha made me prepare it the very next day for dinner. My mom and dad are holidaying In Delhi at the moment so I couldn't get the recipe she uses, but searched around a few blogs and came up with this. 

It tasted so darn good, I am kicking myself for not picking up more than one packet of kothu paratha. They are nothing but parathas shredded (which is for the plain lazy people like me). You can use left over chapathi's or frozen parathas for the same, but make sure you cook it before tearing it up. 
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Shredded paratha- 2 cups (about 5 to 6 medium size parathas chopped or shredded)
Onion- 1 large
Tomatoes- 2 medium
Ginger paste- 1/2 tbsp
Garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder- 1.2 tsp
Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp
Meat masala- 1.2 tsp (optional)
Minced chicken- 250 to 300 gms
Curry leaves- a sprig
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt- to taste
Eggs- 2, lightly beaten (optional)
Chopped coriander leaves- to garnish (optional)
If you are using frozen parathas or chapathis, then cook them on the tawa as per instructions and then chop it up or shred it. Keep aside.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds, followed by curry leaves.
Then add the chopped onion and sauté till it wilts a bit and turns a light brown.
Add the green chilli, ginger, garlic pastes and mix well. Cook till the raw smell disappears.
Throw in tomatoes and cook till it becomes one mushy ,mix.
At this point add all the spices- turmeric, chilli, coriander, meat masala and cumin. Season with salt and cook till oil starts appearing on top.
Add the minced chicken and stir to coat it well.
Cook till the chicken is done and all the water evaporates, but make sure its not too dry. Keeping it in semi gravy form is also ok, but not too watery. (If you feel that the chicken is too much, then store some away at this point).
Add the shredded parathas and give it a good stir to get the masalas and chicken to mix in with the parathas. 
Raise the heat to high and stir fry for a couple of minutes continuously.
Then make a well in the centre of the pan and add the beaten egg. Scramble it well and cook along with the paratha mix.
The kothu paratha is done when the egg is cooked through.
Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with some chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with yoghurt and pickle. (I made an okra-yoghurt side for it)
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Notes: You can of course do a veg version of it avoiding the egg and chicken and maybe adding some green peas, carrots etc.
Technically the paratha pieces are shredded much finely, but I kept it as it is. Watch this to get a better idea about what and how kothu paratha is made.
If you don't have minced chicken, then use chicken breast or thigh fillets. Chop them up into tiny pieces and pre cook with a bit of salt. Then add that to the onion-tomato mix.
I read somewhere that you can also used left over chicken curry as the base and then add the shredded parathas into that. Mighty easy that sounds, I must say :)

37 comments:

Vineetha Sush said...

mhmmm..straight from the kitchen ..kollam !!I never knew plain frozen kothu is available ,i have seen readymade chicken and veg kothu in frozen sec but never came across the plain one,after seeing this i feel like trying this.I am sure i
I too will pick this next time :)Have a lovely weekend(hopefully a sunny one) !!

Prerna said...

I think this is what my husband was talking about that he ate at an Indian restaurant. We make a choorma roti poha with shredded stale rotis but never ate this before. I'll have to show this to the husband and if this is the same thing then I am sure he will be a happy man 'cos he loved it when he ate at the restaurant :-)

Binys Recipes said...

U know i can't finish 1 parantha but if its in this form i can eat atleast 1/2pkt....i have never had it back home but my h loves it and so made it...tastes great...did a bit of research first on the recipe and tried it with my tamil frens b4 i was satisfied....its awesome recipe..

kavis said...

Hey girl...Its look so scrumptious.I love koothu paratha specially Sri Lankan version.I used store brought paratha too and I often make them,since the paratha is cheaper in here just £1.29(buy one get free).A must try recipe :)

aipi said...

wow, love it, the recipe, picture, everything ~ recently had the veg version at a local restuarant n totally loved it :)
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Gayathri Ramdas Sreekanth said...

So thattukada..! I mean the recipe..Remember having this first time at Ceylon bake house at cochin..

Suja Manoj said...

My husband will love this,perfect tattukada style..looks awesome..

Reshmi Mahesh said...

That has come really superb...Used to have this from Coimbatore....never tried at home...Lovely clicks..`

Satrupa said...

I have heard so much about kothu parathas' but never got a chance to try it. Now that I have a recipe from a trusted source I can give it a try ..... looks delicious. And as always your clicks are fab !!

Swathi said...

Kothu paratha adipoli. I made them long back . Need to try now.

Anonymous said...

That indeed looks yummy- I make the sweet version but this salty version is new to me & healthy too!

Unknown said...

I made it last week too but still craving for it :) Looks very tempting

Chitra said...

looks very tempting...

Padhu Sankar said...

Looks superb .I will try veg version

Tina said...

kandittu kothiyavunnu....superb dear...

Miriam Korula said...

nish i love kothu parathas too...but have never tried to make them at home.....I could use just fresh kerala parathas for these right? oh i'm so looking forward to trying this...:)...as always the snaps look gorgeous...:)

RenZak said...

Kottu :-)This is a big time favourite in Sri Lanka, with so many varieties :-)

Sarah said...

aaah... i love a good kothu porota anyday! I miss the road-side vendors at my home town who make these yummy delights! Yours look mouth-watering! And I think I'll just get myself some porotas today :) and leave them til tom so that they get stale :)

Rinku Naveen said...

Nisha..Kothuparatha adipoli aayittundu.. Never tasted this before but it looks so tempting..

Reva said...

This is one of my favourite dishes from street side eateries :) beautifully made and presented:) loved it..
Reva

Kulsum said...

I have heard of this but never made it I bet its good. We make something similar called mmm...great I forgot the name of that something but we use whatever leftover we have including rice, roti and make a curry out of it and its one of my fav comfort food! lol i hear u on making paratha is painful :-D

Rumana Rawat said...

What a innovative dish:)

schmetterlingwords said...

Hi Nisha, that just looks delicious. Last week, I too made kothu parotta out of frozen parottas, but without egg and meat. It was damn good I say. It would be even better with minced meat. Next time I get minced meat, I'm gonna try your version. Yumm yumm :-)

Sanchita said...

I have never had this before ..but this looks so tempting..I will give it a try soon..

Umm Mymoonah said...

I love this any time, I have to say this is my most favourite food. Beautiful pictures as always.

Anonymous said...

Oh Boy! I had no idea about this dish.. i always throw away extra parathas .. because if I keep them .. then you know, they don't taste good.
Something tells me Arvind might already know about this dish .. let me show it to him and give it a try. So we can make with any plain paratha ?
www.sunshineandsmile.com

Torviewtoronto said...

one of our favourite Nisa you have done it deliciously
Torviewtoronto and Createwithmom

Vimitha Durai said...

I love kothu parotta and urs have come out so perfectly... Perfectly done..

divya said...

looks awesome...

Cool Lassi(e) said...

That looks divine! I usually make Kothu Barotta with eggs and such. Never did it with meat..Awesome mouth-watering shots!

Afsal_ Alif said...

Well, I bet I can finish off this dish within a(2)minute......

Monet said...

I have never heard or seen this before, but my goodness...it does look good! Thank you for sharing this flavorful dish with me. I hope you had a joy-filled weekend, and I'm wishing you a blessed week full of love, laughter and family.

Sarah Naveen said...

How u gal!!! i cant get enough of this !!! love it and nice clicks too

Unknown said...

I love kothu porotta..This looks awesome!

Unknown said...

I never knew that Kuthu parotta was available in frozen form... and your pictures look like it is really good!! I will keep a lookout for it now... Thnx for sharing

Plateful said...

I love anything thattukada and this totally reminds me of thattukada specialties. My case with paratha is that we never have any leftovers -- kids love Kerala paratha and they're too happy to mop it up with any gravy, or even snack on it on its own while watching TV. I'll have to hide some to make this..! lol Pics are awesome Nisha. Reminds me of writing to you soon. Take care sweetie.

Unknown said...

Oh yes I need to try this recipe! Looks delish!
Chowringhee Kamla Nagar