Kothu Parotta

This is one of my favorite dishes when we eat out in Saravana Bhavan. For a long time, it has been in my to-do list. I searched lots of recipes, but wanted an eggless one.

Kothu Parotta is traditionally made with scrambled eggs and veggies. Finally, I got the recipe from Sharmis Passions. I did make some changes to suit my taste buds. This is a very simple and flavorful dish. Kothu means ‘minced’ in Tamil, where the small strips of soft and flaky parottas are coated with a medley of spices and gravy, and pounded using the edge of a flat spatula.

Undoubtedly, parottas have gained fame about how unhealthy the dish is. In spite of the controversies, parottas sweeps the street side Tamil Nadu in all avatars, and still remains my favorite.

Let’s see how it’s made.

Ingredients:

Parotta (frozen)	2
Medium-sized onion finely chopped	1
Tomato sauce	1 Tbsp.
Green bell pepper finely chopped	1
Oil	2  Tbsp.
Cumin seeds	1 Tsp.
Salt	To taste
Mustard seeds	½ Tsp.
Cilantro	To Garnish
Curry leaves	Few sprigs

Masala (Saute and Grind into paste):

Medium-sized Onion	1
Tomato chopped	2
Ginger paste	1 Tsp.
Poppy seeds	1 Tsp.
Cashew nuts	5
Sambar Powder	1 Tsp.
Garam Masala	½ Tsp.

Method:

Shred the parotta into small pieces. Since I used frozen parotta (I used Kawan), I thawed it, and then shredded it using a food processor.

Take a wide heavy-bottomed pan and add 1 Tbsp. oil and sauté shredded parotta pieces. Roast them until they turn golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove them from heat and keep aside.

In the same pan, add 1 Tbsp. of oil and sauté the Masala items. Grind them into a fine thick paste with very little water.

In another pan, add 1 tsp. oil, mustard and cumin seeds. After a few seconds, add curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter, add onion, ginger garlic paste and sauté till the onions turn pink.

Next, add the green bell pepper and stir for a couple of minutes until the peppers are soft yet have a crunch to it.

Add the ground paste, tomato sauce, Sāmbar powder and cook this paste for 2 minutes.

If the mixture is dry, add very little water but it should not become too watery. Now, add the garam masala. Add roasted parotta pieces and mix well so that the masala coats the parotta pieces. Simmer and cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat. Serve hot with raita.