Chini Paratha

Chini Paratha

by Shila Shrestha

At 2 o’clock, we were ready to make chini paratha. These are triangular layered rotis with sugar in them. I had eaten paratha before. At school, Anita didi makes paratha better than anyone else including our teachers and cooks. And today I was going to help her make the special chini paratha which is sweet and I can imagine, very tasty.

When we cook something, first we have to wash our hands. Especially before we eat or cook after coming from outdoors. 

Sabita didi had already made dough. She had made a huge spherical dough. Then all of us sat around the dining table and around Anita didi. Anita didi taught everyone how to make chini paratha. She especially helped the small ones. Palistha ma’am and I took photos. 

Photography is an important part of what we do. Since we do so many exciting things at      Spiny Babbler, we need group as well as individual photos involving everyone participating. 

Sabita didi and Anita didi took out smaller lumps of dough from the big ball of dough and made round circular pieces and gave one each to all the children. Everyone flattened the round balls and got a chance to make roti. While rotis are supposed to be perfectly round, obviously, many of them were not so! We, the children, have a hard time making circles on our copybooks so we cannot make wonderfully round roti. 

Sabita didi and Anita didi helped everyone and made their rotis round. Then Anita did started folding the rotis into halves but before doing that, she spread a bit of oil and sprinkled sugar in the roti. Then she again used the rolling pin to make it bigger. Then she folding the roti again so there was a triangle. Then she added some more oil and sugar. 

Sabita didi cooked the roti. The children are allowed to use the rolling pin, spread the oil and sprinkle the sugar, but they are not allowed to go the fire and cook because the pan is too hot and can burn them. 

All the kids were very happy to make chini paratha. Now the chini paratha was ready to eat but still very hot. As soon as they cooled, the kids ate the chini paratha. They loved the chini paratha and wanted more and more. I cooked my own paratha, the shape came out quite well, I thought. It was very yummy