🫓 Paratha with karak
In Gulf cafeterias, paratha means a large, flaky flatbread fried on a flat griddle with plenty of ghee until crisp and blistered. It is folded into quarters and handed over in paper, usually alongside a small cup of karak, the strong spiced milk tea. The bread is buttery, crackly outside and soft between the layers, and is eaten as a quick breakfast or late-night snack.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g plain flour
- 170 ml water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp ghee
Method
- Knead the flour, salt and water into a smooth, soft dough and rest it 20 minutes.
- Divide into 4, stretch each piece very thin, brush with ghee and fold or coil it.
- Flatten the coil into a round about 18 cm wide.
- Fry on a hot griddle with a little ghee, 2 minutes per side, then crush gently to open the layers.
How to make it lighter
- Share one large paratha or order a half: one piece is a meal-sized portion of energy.
- Ask for less ghee on the griddle: 1 tbsp ghee ≈ 120 kcal.
- Choose karak with less sugar to keep the pair lighter.
History
The paratha came to the Gulf with South Asian workers and cooks, and small roadside cafeterias in the UAE, Qatar and Oman made it a staple as the region grew. Pairing it with karak tea is today one of the most familiar street-food habits in the region.
Count it in one photo
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →