Anda Paratha
انڈا پراٹھا
Anda paratha is how roadside breakfast stalls turn two things into one: the paratha is half-cooked on a hot , split or folded open, and a beaten, spiced egg is poured in to cook between the layers. The result is a crisp paratha with a soft omelette sealed inside, easy to eat with your hands, with a cup of chai. It uses the same dough as our plain paratha.
- ⏱ Total: 45 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 15 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the atta and salt, then add water gradually and knead for 5 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Rub with a little ghee, cover and rest for 20–30 minutes.
Beat each egg in a cup with a quarter of the onion, green chilies, tomato, coriander, crushed chilies and salt. Making one cup per paratha keeps it quick at the stove.
Divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll one into a thin circle, brush with ghee, fold in half and in half again into a triangle, and roll it out to about 18 cm.
Cook it on a hot for about a minute on each side, until it has pale spots and starts to puff.
Carefully slit open one edge of the paratha with a knife to make a pocket (it will puff as you do), pour in one cup of egg and press the edge closed. Alternatively, pour the egg onto the tawa, lay the paratha on top and press.
Drizzle ghee around the edges and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side, pressing gently, until the paratha is golden and crisp and the egg is set. Repeat with the rest and serve hot with chai.
Serve hot, cut in quarters, with chai, ketchup or green chutney.
Kitchen notes
Keep the egg filling dry: seed the tomato and chop the onion very finely, or the egg will leak out.
The pocket method is easier if the paratha puffs well on the first cook. A soft, rested dough helps.
Keep the heat at medium. Too hot and the paratha burns before the egg inside is cooked.
Breakfast in one piece
A paratha with a fried egg on the side is a classic Pakistani breakfast. Anda paratha just puts the egg inside. It’s a favourite at roadside stalls because it’s quick and easy to hold, and at home because it means one plate, one tawa and no runny yolk on the school uniform.
Two ways to get the egg in
The pocket. Cook a layered paratha until it puffs. Carefully cut along one edge and the two layers separate, leaving a hollow inside. Pour in the egg and seal the edge by pressing it down. It cooks inside like a thin omelette.
The press. Pour the egg onto the hot, greased tawa and lay the half-cooked paratha on top before the egg sets, pressing down so the egg sticks. Flip and fry. This is simpler and works well with frozen parathas.
The filling
Keep the omelette mixture simple and dry: finely chopped onion, green chili, seeded tomato and coriander, with salt and crushed red chilies. Too much tomato or onion releases water and makes the paratha soggy.
Serving
Serve with a cup of doodh patti, ketchup or green chutney. It’s also good packed in a lunch box.
Questions people ask
Can I use ready-made frozen parathas?
Yes. Cook the frozen paratha until it starts to puff, then use the second method: pour the egg on the tawa and press the paratha on top.
Can I add cheese or keema?
Yes. A spoon of leftover keema or grated cheese in the egg makes a heartier paratha, popular in Karachi.
Is it good for lunch boxes?
Yes. Let it cool, wrap it in foil, and it stays soft until lunchtime.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 330
- Protein
- 11 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
