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A sleepover at my grandma's is unlike any other sleepover. It doesn't involve haircuts or prank calls, and it's certainly never planned. However, there are some things that have always been the same. Staying up until your eyes glue themselves shut. Baking while the adults are sleeping and feasting on the cookies even after having brushed our teeth. The basement heist for blankets and pillows. That one loud movie that no one is really watching, and of course, the gossip. The never ending gossip and all the lore we know we were never meant to hear. But what comes the day after? When all the cousins are sleeping like donkeys on their deathbed. It's never a sound or a vigorous shake that wakes us up, rather an indescribable aroma. So familiar, yet still carries the most exquisite sensation every time. It comes with a special kind of warmth and an aching strike of hunger. It pulls our eyes wide open and like a hurricane so strong it pulls each and everyone of us out of the mattresses we fought over the night before. We shoot up and run to the bathroom like hostages set free, trampling each other along the way. Ankles are twisted, hairlines are ruined and fingers are slaughtered in the doorway. The anticipation escalates as the very first piece of gold slides onto the pyroceramic plate decorated in blue.
The classic shallow-fried, butter lined, layered, crispy wheat flatbreads (Paratha) are a delicacy accustomed to every brown home. For some, it's paired with whatever they call a meal, while for others, it’s a breakfast must-have. The one thing I can say without a doubt I have tried made by all of my literal and so-called aunts. Although, there’s just something about the ones made by nana that no one can defeat. Something about the way she ties back her hair with her scarf, or the bag clips she uses to keep her sleeves up. It’s like magic, watching it spin as she rolls her rolling pin back and forth, watching her short fingers spread the butter along the snake-like shape that starts them off. Or perhaps it’s the feeling of flour all over the floor as we slip and slide to grab seconds. There's a special taste to the cheese stuffed parathas that are the size of a large pizza that she so adorably thinks she invented. The ones we have to squeeze and wipe out the oil with a tissue from. All topped off with a side of orange juice. The truth is, it isn't any of these things that make them what they are. It’s how she’s so excited to make those dozens, every time, regardless of how much it tires her. All to be able to see that smile on all our faces, as we watch the most painfully dramatic shows that play on her tv, and pass around the world's greasiest remote. We fight like idiots, all while knowing there's nowhere else we’d rather be. |
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Cheese Parhata Recipe
Serves~5 What you need - 3 cups Whole Wheat Flour+ more for surface - 1tsp Salt - 1tbsp Cooking Oil+ more for frying - 1 cup Warm Water - Butter(as needed) - Shredded Mozzarella Cheese(as needed) - Large bowl - (optional) Stand Mixer: dough hook - Rolling pin - Flat not-stick pan
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