Ceylon Channa Parotta recipe with step by step photos. Ceylon Parotta is a very popular street food that is sold in many road side shops. I have made this vegan and with whole wheat flour. When made at home with minimal oil, this makes a wholesome, nutritious and filling breakfast or dinner.
In my MIL’s place, I have seen this being made and served in many food stalls. Next to Chilli Parotta, these sell like hot cakes and are quite popular among the town residents. The aroma is so enticing and leaves you feeling hungry when ever we pass by the shops.
I finally had a chance to taste them when my SIL’s hubby brought home a parcel. The taste was simply outstanding. It was crisp and crunchy on the outside while soft because of the filling inside.
How Ceylon Channa Parotta is made at Stalls:
They make a “Veechu Parotta” ie., make a very thin sheet from the dough. Pour generous amount of oil onto the tawa and place the disc on the hot tawa. Then they place the stuffing in the middle and and flip the sides from all around to make a parcel with a flat ladle.
By the time they do this the bottom part would be cooked fully and would have turned crisp. Flip it and pour oil around once again to make the other side crisp as well which they cut into two and serve.
The above image is an old one and this is how it will look when made with all purpose flour and made into parcels. You just have to cut into half and serve with sauces of your choice.
Our Favorite Video:
I had to pester my SIL to get the recipe from anyone of her friends as we all loved it very much. When she got it for me, I found that it was so simple yet different from the other paratha varieties we make at home. Unlike how I had made it earlier, this time I made it like a regular paratha using whole wheat flour, as I did not want to dunk it i a pool of oil.
Ceylon Channa Parotta Recipe with stepwise photos:
1. In a mixie jar, take all the ingredients mentioned for the paste and grind it to a fine paste without using water and set aside.
2. Heat a pan. Add oil and when warm, add onion and sauté till pink.
3. Add green chillies, mint, coriander leaves and sauté till they leaves shrink. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and sauté. The contents of the pan will dry up.
4. Add the ground paste and cook for 3-4 mins over medium flame, stirring in between till the raw smell disappears.
5. Add boiled and mashed chick peas, salt and mix well and cook for 2 more mins.
6. Add mashed potatoes. Mix well and take off fire. Add lemon juice and once again mix well.
7. Once cool, make even lemon sized balls of the stuffing and set aside.
8. Make even orange sized balls of the dough and set aside.
9. Roll a dough ball into the size of your palm. Place a stuffing ball in the middle and pull the dough from the sides over covering the stuffing.
10. Once again roll into a smooth ball between your palms. Place the ball on a rolling board and sprinkle little flour on the board.
11. Gently roll into 7 to 8 inch disc using the rolling pin.
12. Heat a tawa. Place the rolled parotta and let it cook for seconds over medium flame. Drizzle few drops of oil all around the parotta. Gently flip and cook the other side also.
Ceylon channa parotta is ready to serve. You can apply either oil or ghee on the surface before serving. You can eat it as such or just a bowl of curd sprinkled with red chili powder and roasted cumin powder will go well with these parathas.
Ceylon Channa Parotta Recipe details below:

Ceylon Channa Parotta Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough:
- Whole wheat flour or All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
- Salt – to taste
- Oil – 3 tbsp
- Water – to knead
For the Stuffing:
- Chick peas or Kabuli Chana - 1/2 cup
- Boiled Potatoes -2 medium
- Onion - 2 big
- Green chillies – 2 to 3
- Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup
- Mint leaves – 1/4 cup
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp (optional)
- Salt – to taste
- Oil – 4 tbsp
To be ground to a paste:
- Onion – 1
- Ginger – 1 inch piece
- Garlic – 4 pods
- Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
- Cloves – 3
- Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Star anise – 1
- Kalpaasi or Black stone flower - 2 pinch
Instructions
Preparation:
- Soak the chickpeas in enough water for 8 hours or over night.
- Chop the onions, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves finely.
- Crumble the boiled potatoes and mash lightly with a potato masher.
To Make the Dough:
- In a bowl mix together flour and salt. Add 2 tbsp of oil and work it into the flour. Adding water little by little and make a soft dough. Coat the dough with the remaining oil and close with a lid. Let it rest for 1-2 hours.
To be ground to a paste:
- In a mixie jar, take all the ingredients mentioned for the paste and grind it to a fine paste without using water and set aside.
To Make the Stuffing:
- Discard the water used to soak chickpeas and rinse twice. In a pressure cooker, place the rinsed chickpeas, add water so that it stands above the chickpeas. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles till they are cooked soft. Drain the water and let it cool.
- When completely cool, mash using a potato masher and keep it aside
- Heat a pan. Add oil and when warm, add onion and sauté till pink.
- Add green chillies, mint, coriander leaves and sauté till they leaves shrink.
- Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and sauté. The contents of the pan will dry up.
- Add the ground paste and cook for 3-4 mins over medium flame, stirring in between till the raw smell disappears. If this mixture appears more dry then add 1-2 tbsp more oil.
- Add boiled and mashed chick peas, salt and mix well and cook for 2 more mins.
- Add mashed potatoes. Mix well and take off fire.
- Add lemon juice, if using, mix well once again and keep aside to let it cool down completely.
- Once cool, make even lemon sized balls and set aside.
How to make Ceylon Channa Parotta:
- Make even small orange sized balls from the dough.
- Roll into the size of your palm.
- Place a stuffing ball in the middle and pull the dough from the sides over covering the stuffing. Once again roll into a smooth ball between your palms.
- Place the ball on a rolling board and sprinkle little flour on the board.
- Gently roll into 7 to 8 inch disc using the rolling pin.
- Heat a tawa. Place the rolled parotta and let it cook for seconds over medium flame. Drizzle few drops of oil all around the parotta.
- Once it starts puffing up, gently flip and once again drizzle few drops of oil around for the other side to cook as well.
- Continue like wise with all the dough balls.
- You can apply either oil or ghee on the surface before serving.
- Ceylon channa parotta is ready to serve. You can eat it as such or just a bowl of curd sprinkled with red chili powder and roasted cumin powder will go well.

Looks so delicious and filling.
You nailed it, alright, Radhika. From your pictures, the do look awesome.
This is really very different!! loved this chana aloo paratha very delicious and so tempting..will try to make this soon 🙂
Interesting and yummy parotta.Book marked.But can skip KALPAASI incase if we don’t get it.
looking yummy….super clicks…
Sounds awesome.. will try next time..
Delicious and yummy looking wholesome parathas.
Deepa
They look so inviting. I can have any number of this for dinner
looks amazing radhi but where will i find kalpaasi?
Hi Radhika ,
Ceylon paratha looks spicy and delicious!!!
Really I add it to my favourites 🙂 🙂 🙂
Keep it up Radhika..
Chana paratha sounds innovative…i like the shape…really yummy!
wow.. cant take off eyes from the screen 🙂
Wow these look so tasty.I willl definately try.
I saw the pic and I was hooked.. Never heard of such Parotta Radhika.. Thanks for introducing new things..
Love this Radhika.. bookmarking..
love the thick filling..looks spicy and delicious..
Wowwwwwwww…drooling..
Looks marvellous,irresistible and yummy..
i make the nonveg paratha often…. this is a new twist and will try this
yummy and tempting…
Shabbu’s Tasty Kitchen
wow. this looks really awesome. so delicious
Looks so nice. So filling too.
Wow, these look perfect! I just ate a huge fathers day brunch, but this has made me hungry all over again!
wow… ceylon paratha looks fantastic… delicious and filling… do participate in my first blog event Guest Quest…
Aboultely delicious paratha…
delicious looking parotas……..very nice.
oh my god radhika this looks delicious!!im making it soon!!
Looks so very inviting dear.
that is just majestic! I’m gona try with more of wheat flour.
Looks awesome! Ceylon parantha = yum
wow radhika you made the same roti that we make often 🙂 we call it curry roti
radhika, tried this. super hit at home.. this is my post. do check it out http://arusuvai-kurippu.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/ceylon-parata-with-potato-and-channa.html