Za’atar parathas with grated tomato

Resting time: 20 minutes Parathas are flaky South Asian flatbreads—these particular ones are based on Indian laccha paratha, which uses semolina in the dough. There’s a bit of a knack to making them but once you get the hang of the process, they are not complicated. Cutting the dough, as we do here, is actually a really simple way of achieving those flaky paratha layers and, once you’ve mastered the method, they’re also quite fun to make! Traditionally there’d be some ghee involved, but we’ve kept these vegan and also included za’atar and grated tomato, Noor’s sneaky additions. Serve these as part of a brunch spread or as a snack.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Put the flour, semolina, salt, and sugar into a large bowl and use your fingers to mix everything together. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, using your hands to incorporate, then slowly start to pour in the water, using your free hand to bring the dough together into a shaggy mass. Use about ½ cup/120ml of water at first and then slowly add more; you’ll use about ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/155ml in total, give or take. Add a little more if you think it needs it. The mixture will seem quite wet at first, but this is how it should be.

Step 2

2. Transfer to a clean work surface and knead for 5 minutes, until you have a smooth, pliable dough that isn’t at all sticky. Transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.

Step 3

3. Meanwhile, use a box grater to roughly grate the tomatoes (see this page), discarding the skins. Transfer the grated tomato to a sieve and allow to drain for about 5 minutes. Put the drained pulp (about 8 oz/220g) into a bowl with the garlic, oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper. Set aside until needed.

Step 4

4. Mix together the za’atar and the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl.

Step 5

5. Transfer the dough to a well-oiled surface and divide the mixture into six 3-ounce/80g balls.

Step 6

6. Working with one piece at a time, and keeping the rest under a damp kitchen towel, use a well-greased rolling pin to roll out the dough as thin as it can go without tearing, paper-thin/1mm thick and about 12 inches/30cm in diameter (it’ll start to look a little transparent). Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle; it doesn’t need to be.

Step 7

7. Using a small sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into multiple ½-inch/1cm-wide strips.

Step 8

8. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the za’atar oil all over the strips, using your hands or the back of a spoon to gently spread it all over the surface.

Step 9

9. Use your fingers to push the strips together so that you end up with one long piece of dough.

Step 10

10. Then, using your dominant hand, wind the whole thing around the four fingers of your other hand and tuck the end through the center, to form a round. It will look like a bird’s nest. Continue in this way with the remaining dough, making sure your work surface is well oiled each time.

Step 11

11. Roll out each of the rounds into a 4–5 inch/10–12cm disc.

Step 12

12. In a medium frying pan on medium heat, cook each paratha for 3 minutes on each side. Brush the top with about 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, then flip over, cook for another 1 minute, brushing the other side with another 1 teaspoon of oil, flipping again and cooking for a final 1 minute. Place the cooked paratha on a baking sheet or plate and cover with a kitchen towel (this’ll help keep it nice and soft). Continue in this way with the rest, using two pans to speed things up.

Step 13

13. Serve the parathas with the grated tomato alongside.

Step 14

Get ahead:

Step 15

– If not eating right away, wrap the cooked parathas really well—you can eat them either at room temperature or reheated.

Step 16

Make it your own:

Step 17

– Play around with different spices, or make these parathas plain with some ghee instead of the za’atar oil, if you’re not vegan.