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Food Guide to Cooking

Arayees paratha: Indo-Emirati flatbread stuffed with minced lamb

UAE-inspired version of the much-loved Indian stuffed flatbread or paratha



Guide to making Indo-Emirati Arayees paratha
Video Credit: Anas Thacharpadikkal/Gulf News
  1. 400gm  Minced Lamb  
  2. 90gm    Chopped onion
  3. 10gm    Black Pepper
  4. 3gm      Parsley 
  5. Salt to taste
Ingredients [Clockwise]: salt, chopped onion, parsley, black pepper and minced lamb
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

Method to prepare the dough 

In a bowl, preferably a sturdy metal one, add whole wheat flour. Then add a pinch of salt to the flour and mix it into the dough. Keep adding water little by little till small clusters of dough begin to form. Continue kneading.

Knead the dough well

Continue kneading for 4 to 5 minutes to get a smooth dough

Kneading is necessary to encourage the formation of gluten strands

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Keep kneading the flour till pliable. Use your knuckles to knead. Stretch the dough, knead, fold it inwards and knead until the dough becomes smooth.

Once the dough is ready, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil or ghee and knead it one  last time before setting it aside for 30 minutes. Cover the bowl with a wet muslin cloth or a lid. A wet muslin cloth will help the dough retain moisture. And resting relaxes the gluten strands formed, making it easier to roll out.

Adding fat to the kneaded dough
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl to check consistency. It should look like a neat ball just as shown below in the picture. Not too spongy, nor too hard.

A smooth texture is necessary
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News
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Preparing the stuffing

Take the minced meat and all other stuffing ingredients in a plate or bowl, mix well
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

Now, break the dough into small balls and start rolling them out, as shown in the image below.

Rolling out the smaller dough balls
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

Sprinkle some flour on the rolling surface to prevent the dough from sticking, and also for it to rotate freely with a rolling pin.

Rolling the dough with a rolling pin for arayees paratha

Adding some oil or ghee onto the flattened dough

Spread out the fat well on the rolled dough

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Now, fold the dough inwards, towards yourself and press it with your fingers. Fold it again, placing both corners on top of each other, forming a triangle. See images below.

Guide to making Arayees paratha

Folding dough to begin filling the Arayees paratha

Then roll it out again

Arayees paratha being made ready to be stuffed

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Next, begin filling the minced lamb stuffing. Gently press the stuffing to flatten it a little so that you can close the dough back into a ball.

Filling of Arayees paratha

Close the dough from all sides, by folding it sideways, then inwards and outwards to cover the filling in completely. Always remember to pinch the edges shut

Close the dough

Press it gently and roll it out between your palms

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When the filled dough ball is round, press it gently to flatten it a little. Spinkle some flour on the rolling surface and begin rolling it out, as shown below. Make sure that you put equal pressure on both sides of the rolling pin, to press the filled dough evenly.

Guide to making Arayees paratha

Begin rolling it out, again with the stuffing

Make sure that you put equal pressure on both sides of the rolling pin, to press the filled dough evenly

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On a pre-heated griddle on a medium-high flame, put the rolled paratha carefully. In about 30 seconds, flip it using a flattened laddle. 

Guide to Arayees Paratha
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

Once you flip it to the other side, the heated side of the paratha will have light brown marks. On this side, smear some ghee or clarified butter with a teaspoon, after ensuring both sides are cooked well.

Smear the paratha with ghee
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

You can serve this Indo-Emirati Arayees paratha, with either a dip, chutney or raita (yoghurt-based dip with Indian spices)

Cut the round paratha into four equal parts to serve
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News
Thoufeek Zakriya
He is a Sous Chef with Taj, Dubai and also a calligrapher in a number of languages - Arabic, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Syriac and Samaritan
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