Preparation

Flour, sugar and salt are the basic ingredients for Roti Prata. Water is added to the flour to form a stiff dough. The dough is kneaded next. This is an important procedure as it makes the dough soft and pliable. By kneading, the dough is also aired and this makes it light. After this, the dough is divided into smaller portions and left to rest overnight.In the morning, the ball of dough is placed on the work table and the prata-maker gets to work. With sure, quick movements, he whirls and twirls the dough from left to right, from right to left until it is paper thin and four or five times larger than the original piece. This is the most difficult step in prata making and is considered an art in itself. After folding this thin piece into a rectangle, he tosses the prata on the griddle greased with peanut oil. The prata is said to be cooked when dark brown "blisters" burst on the surface. A well-made prata should be crisp outside and soft inside. Pratas can be eaten with sugar, curries or just plain. The most enjoyable way of eating the pratas is with the fingers; the bread is torn into bite size pieces and dipped into the curry before being popped into the mouth.