Of Hard Days, Comfort Food and Lacha Onion Parantha

Lacha Onion Parantha combines onions with some simple spices to create an amazing dish! Pair up with some pickles and a bowl of curd and you have some comfort food in hand!

Whenever I am upset, I have realised that comfort food always perks up my mood a bit. This lacha onion parantha is one of those dishes!

Yesterday night, I was feeling down the dumps. I had just come back from spending a harrowing day at the Regional Passport Office, Kormanagala, after feeling helpless and defeated. I posted on FB asking for hugs (which so many of you gave, thank you) and then I tweeted it on a whim. A lot of people suggested storifying the tweets and it does make sense, to keep it together in one place. What I shocked me were the responses I got to my tweets. So many people said, “Hey, me too”, including a guy who has been struggling to get his passport for 3 years now. As I post this, many more responses are coming. It is as if I have opened a can of worms.

It is shocking and amazing that we have to go through this even in 2016. Even today it is as if government officials think they have the power they can yield on us and we will just give in because we can’t do anything and it hurts the most because it is true. We suck up because we need the work done.

Here is the link to what happened if you want to read:

I have been disturbed all day, yesterday, thinking in all this, what is the lesson my child learned who was with me yesterday, observing all of this happening. The rudeness and our helplessness. This morning I woke up feeling slightly better but the heart was asking for some comfort food, something that felt like my granny’s hug, something which would make my world go all right in a bite.

And then I remembered I haven’t made a lacha onion parantha in a long time. I love onion parantha, much more than I love aloo parantha. Honestly, I feel aloo paranatha is overrated and if you have had a good gobhi or onion parantha, you will agree with what I am saying.

So what is the difference between an ordinary onion parantha and lacha onion parantha you ask me? I will tell you, take a bite and you will know. While the regular onion parantha is delightful with the crunch of onions, the lacha takes it to another level. As you would have guessed by now, in a lacha parantha the onion is sliced into thin rounds and then each circle is separated like lachas or rings. This is then spiced and filled in a parantha and roasted on the tava with some ghee and served hot with curd and pickle.

It is a meal guaranteed to take you to heaven or to the comfort of your granny’s hug, of childhood and days where the biggest tension used to be how to get rid of the homework. So today morning when I was looking for comfort, I made this. Initially, I thought I will periscope the making of onion paranthas, but then I was just out of bed, and not in a very sociable mood or errrr condition, a nightie is not too conducive for a live video broadcast you see. So I chucked the idea and went ahead and made the paranthas. Then I ate two big paranthas, by the end of which, I had a huge smile plastered on my face. I was ready to deal with a new bright day.

Honestly, the recipe is not my granny’s but it reminds me of her warmth in every bite, there is something so comforting about these paranthas. I have always equated paranthas and the comfort they offer to badi mummy, all my life!

I learned to make this from a friend of mine. A friend’s mother used to make these delicious paranthas and send in her lunch box when we were in college. I used to love them so much that every time auntie would pack a couple of extra paranthas for me and even then I wouldn’t let A eat them at all.

I might just do a periscope for this someday but till then here is the recipe for you. Make this at home and I can bet brownies you will say aloo paranthas don’t stand a chance in front of them!

Lacha Onion Parantha

Lacha Onion Parantha for the comfort of my granny's hug after a hard day. Click to read about my memories and get the recipe of this parantha which beats aloo parantha hands down any day.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course breads

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the dough

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup water warm
• ghee or oil for frying the paranthas

For the filling

• 5 onions medium
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp amchoor powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsps coriander leaves , chopped
• to taste salt
• 1/2 tsp ajwain

Instructions

 

• Mix whole wheat flour and water together, knead to make a soft dough. A well kneaded soft dough leads to softer paranthas. Keep aside covered with a wet muslin cloth till you prepare the stuffing.
• Peel and slice onions in thin rounds, you can use a mandolin for this, makes it easier. After the slicing, separate each layer so that it resembles lacha or bunches of thread.
• Mix all the filling ingredients along with the sliced onions. A good tip here is to mix salt just before adding the filling to the parantha. In fact, my mum adds salt to each parantha's filling separately since onions start leaving water once you add salt.
• Distribute the dough in 10 balls and roll each ball a little, spread a little ghee/oil on it and place 2-3 tbsp of filling in the middle (more the filling, the better it is, though if you are novice, start with less and increase slowly), cover from all sides and roll the parantha to 1/2 inch thickness.
• Repeat for the rest of the paranthas.
• Heat a tawa or a griddle and cook each side of the parantha till golden brown, add 1/4 tsp of ghee/oil on both sides.
• Serve with curd and pickle.

Notes

If you make this, share a picture with me on twitter, instagram or Facebook? I would love to hear what you have to say about it !

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!