The non-leavened bread, the Farata, owes its nickname from the Indian Punjabi Paratha. Relative of the famous Nan, instead of being cooked in an earthenjar, the farata is seared on a high temperature pan. A real delight !
Just arrived, we first went to taste these culinary marvels. There is an open-air kitchen at the La Louise area in the township of Quatre-Bornes. The three lady-cooks prepare them on order. We can eat on the spot in the kitchen, sit on a stool, watching Bollywood thrillers.
Here are the faratas-to-be in dough rolls
Dough rolls are firstly flattened with the bélo ("rolling pin")
In order to lightly puff the paste, the thin paste is folded, a vegetable oil pellicle within.
The very hot tawa (a hob) is oiled with a towel while the farata is flattened
As the farata is put on the hob, it blows like a baloon under the action of the steamed water within the dough
The simple fact of adding oil on it makes it blow bigger, because the fat turns the baloon into an airtight environment
The farata is served with two veg’ caris (sauce or stew) that vary, depending on the season, plus a satini (from the word "chutney" = any hot sauce) if desired
To grab a quick bite, the rolled version is easier to enjoy
So, we saw what we could call the "street farata", next I will introduce the "farata of the lounge" , which is used as a tool to avoid getting our fingers greasy when we eat a cari ! ...and as a bonus,the recipe !
RSS website