Varieties of Desi Bread to Try with the Best Indian Dishes

Posted by Rudra on September 30th, 2019

India is a land of astounding diversity where the language, attire, rituals, and food habits change every few kilometres. For the uninitiated, there are as many as a whopping twenty types of bread that you can happily pair with a wide and diverse array of the best Indian dishes in Kolkata and elsewhere in the country. Here is a brief discussion that covers most of them. You can explore them with the best Indian dishes in Kolkata and other metropolises across the country.

ROTI

Rotis are essentially a kind of flat bread typically served with various curry or dry dishes and are made with atta (wheat flour) or maida (refined flour). The only differentiating factor between a roti and a chapati is that the former is prepared in a tandoor (hollow clay oven) while the latter is not. Historically, the roti was indigenous to Punjab but later gained immense popularity in different parts of India. You can find them in any Indian eateries including the north Indian veg restaurants in Kolkata.

NAAN

Naan is arguably the most commonly served desi bread served at a vast majority of the restaurants in India and also frequently prepared at different ceremonies, including weddings for accompanying a number of non-veg and veg, delectable food items. It is prepared from a dough made by blending the maida, curd, yeast, ghee (clarified oil) or butter, milk and water in appropriate proportion. The particular indigenous bread tastes best when consumed fresh from the oven and the more you delay eating the same, the hard it gets for one to bite and chew. Do remember this when ordering it at the best restaurants in Kolkata and other cities in India.

PARANTHA

Paranthas are one of the most frequently ordered varieties of desi bread and offered with vegetable or non-vegetable delicacies as well as savoured with a bowl of curd or chutney. It is prepared from a dough of refined flour or wheat flour. Paranthas come in different flavours, such as being stuffed with potato, cauliflower, bottle gourd, paneer (cottage cheese) or radish. You may choose to have them at breakfast at any north Indian restaurant in Kolkata and other cities in the country.

CHAPATI

The humble chapati has a very unique place in the staple diet of almost all the Indians and is prepared with wheat flour, water, and oil along with little salt, about just a smidgen. It is usually relished with vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods in both curry and dry form. You can enjoy the rotis with Indo-Chinese fusion foods like Paneer Manchurian as well.

FULKA

It is necessarily a smaller avatar of the chapati and is roasted using a standard gas burner until the fulka puffs up with all its goodness. Hence, there goes the name!

RUMALI ROTI

Rumali roti is a type of an extremely thin and supple flatbread that derived its name from the term rumal, that is, a handkerchief. The dough is prepared by mixing atta with maida in a suitable ratio and is typically made on the surface of an inverted handi (cauldron) or a kadhai (wok). It is not only immensely popular among the Bengalis but also in many other ethnicities in India. 

MISSI ROTI

It is primarily consumed in the Indian state of Rajasthan and prepared with all the ingredients that are used to make a chapati. However, a missi roti also contains several dried spices, such as turmeric powder, cumin powder, and red chilli powder. It tastes best when served hot, piping, and with a blob of pure ghee that makes the accompanying dishes even more delicious and appetizing.

PURI

Puris are also very much popular among the Indians and made with atta or maida. The refined or course wheat flour is impregnated with table salt and in some places, cumin powder is added as well. Finally, several doughs are formed, flattened, and deep-fried. Puris are typically served with bhaji (a mixture of boiled potatoes and other steamed vegetables). They are known to accompany a number of desi desserts, such as halwa or kheer, and many semi-dry or pan-fried vegetable dishes as well.

THEPLA

Thepla is the Gujarati version of the chapati and typically served with vegetable delicacies or even pickles. It is prepared with wheat flour, fenugreek leaves, and different spice powders and could be eaten in place of the chapati.

LACHCHA

It is also another Punjabi specialty item and known by the name paratwala parantha. The term parat means layers in Punjabi and as quite a few, crispy layers can be readily seen in a lachcha, hence, the origin of its name. The dough is pretty much identical to that of a regular parantha. Lachcha paranthas are usually served with nearly all the vegetable dishes.