Plain Paratha Recipe

Name: Plain Paratha
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 3 cups Whole wheat flour (atta); ¾ tsp Salt, adjust to taste; 1 tbsp Desi ghee, for the dough; 1¼ cups Water, lukewarm, add gradually; ½ cup Desi ghee, melted, for layering and cooking, or oil; ¼ cup Whole wheat flour (atta), for dusting

سادہ پراٹھا بنانے کا طریقہ

Everyday layered atta paratha folded into a triangle with ghee between the folds, cooked on the tawa until flaky inside and crisp at the edges.

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Marinate / soak

30 min

Serves

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

The plain paratha is the bread of the Pakistani breakfast table: whole wheat dough rolled out, brushed with ghee, folded into a triangle or square so the layers trap fat, then rolled again and cooked on a tawa. The folds are what make it flaky; the ghee on the tawa is what makes it crisp. It goes with an omelette, khagina, chai, achar or last night's salan.

Ingredients

6 servings

For 6 servings

Cups & chamachGrams & ml

3 cups Whole wheat flour (atta)≈ 360 g
¾ tsp Salt, adjust to taste
1 tbsp Desi ghee, for the dough
1¼ cups Water, lukewarm, add gradually
½ cup Desi ghee, melted, for layering and cooking, or oil
¼ cup Whole wheat flour (atta), for dusting

Method

Mix the atta, salt and 1 tbsp ghee, rubbing it in with your fingers. Add the water little by little and knead for 5 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
⏱ 30 min
Knead the dough briefly again and divide into 6 balls. Roll one into a 6-inch circle.
Brush the circle with ghee and sprinkle lightly with dry flour. Fold it in half, brush and dust again, then fold in half once more to get a triangle.
Dust the triangle and roll it out evenly, keeping the shape, until each side is about 7 inches.
Heat a tawa on medium-high heat. Cook the paratha dry for about 30 seconds until bubbles appear, then flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds.
⏱ 1 min
Spread a spoon of ghee on top, flip and press the edges and corners down with a spatula. Ghee the second side, flip again and cook until both sides are golden with crisp brown spots.
⏱ 2 min
Take it off and crush it lightly between your palms to loosen the layers. Keep wrapped in a cloth while you make the rest.

Tips for the best result

For a square paratha, fold the ghee-brushed circle in from four sides like an envelope. Square or triangle, it is the same paratha.
Resting the dough properly is what lets it roll thin without springing back.

Common mistakes

Pressing too hard when rolling the folded paratha. You squash the layers together and it turns out like a thick roti.
Cooking on low heat. The paratha dries out and goes hard before it browns; keep the tawa hot.

How to serve

Serve hot with an omelette, khagina, achar and chai, or alongside any salan.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge wrapped in foil; reheat on a hot tawa. Half-cooked parathas without ghee freeze for a month with paper between them.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories: 390kcal
Protein: 6g
Fat: 21g
Carbs: 48g
Fibre: 8.5g
Sodium: 290mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 10

Whole dish ≈ Rs 58 · 77% of ingredients by weight priced

Prices in

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Plain Paratha: questions people ask

Why is my paratha hard?

The dough was too stiff or not rested, or the paratha was cooked too slowly on low heat. Use a soft dough, rest it 30 minutes and cook on a hot tawa.

Can I make paratha with oil instead of ghee?

Yes, it works the same way and is lighter. Desi ghee gives more flavour and crisper edges, so many people use oil for layering and a little ghee on the tawa.

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