Naan, puri, paratha, pav: a beginner’s guide to Indian breads, from soft and chewy to crispy and golden
Bread is an important part of Indian cuisine, with more than 30 different varieties to choose from. Chef Palash Mitra gives us a rundown of the most popular types, and declares his personal favourite
Whether it’s baked, fried or even slapped into a hot tandoor, there’s no denying that bread runs in the veins of Indian culture.
“We have a saying in Punjab: bread, house and clothes,” says Palash Mitra, the executive chef of the New Punjab Club in Hong Kong. “These are the three most important things. And bread comes first.”
There are more than 30 different types of bread in India, each differ slightly from region to region, which are paired with a variety of sumptuous meats and stews. (Mitra uses the word “stew”, explaining that the word curry is not used in India).
You can take the Punjabi out of Punjab, but you can’t take the naan out of the Punjabi
The vast assortment of flatbreads reflect the diversity of flavours and food traditions found in the country of 1.3 billion people.
Born in Calcutta, Mitra has taken his love of Indian cuisine around the globe. Previously the chef of upmarket Indian restaurant Veda, on Arbuthnot Road in Central, he moved back to Hong Kong last year to head up the recently opened New Punjab Club, after his time spent in London leading the Michelin-starred, colonial British-Indian restaurant Gymkhana.
Here is Mitra’s beginner’s guide to ease you into the delectable world of Indian breads.
