Shana frozen parathas come in stacks of 5 or 15 and are raw and pre-rolled. All you have to do is put one into a hot, dry frying pan, flip it a few times and minutes later a fresh, golden paratha is yours to enjoy. I’ve tried all the varieties (apart from the reduced fat ones) and while they aren’t quite as flaky as Taste of Malabar’s, they’re excellent for shop-bought, cook at home bread; no need to knead, prove or shape.
I get on really well with frozen baked goods and I’ve written about how much I love frozen croissants before. They have that freshly baked taste and crisp texture that pre-baked breads and pastries (even when reheated) lack. Shana frozen parathas have completely replaced ready-made naans and chapatis in our house.
The wholemeal paratha is just as tasty as the original white version and the flavoured varieties like garlic and onion are great but the aloo gobi stuffed paratha is my favourite. They’re a bit chunkier so you get one less in a pack and they cost £2.79 compared to £1.69 for the standard parathas but they’re worth it.
My favourite grocer, Asian Bazaar on Magdalen Street in Norwich, stocks a wide variety of Shana parathas and I’ve occasionally found them on the Sainsbury’s website although they seem to come and go.
The flat packets hardly take up any room in the freezer and while the parathas are a great side dish for any Indian meal, we’ve also been eating them for weekend breakfasts in the form of kati rolls, either plain with eggs or stuffed with avocado, tomato, spinach and spring onion. I’ve even used them in place of naan for Dishoom’s bacon naan roll because I don’t have the energy to make fresh naan for breakfast and frozen parathas are a great alternative.
