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Pile up the parathas

Paratha King offers a complete healthy and delicious meal at affordable prices

As the clock strikes 12pm, lunch hour officially starts and for those who don't bring lunch from home, choosing from a whole list of restaurants can be a daunting task. Those looking for a healthy option might find it even tougher as the prices for the dishes can often cause a dent in the pocket. This is where Paratha King, with its whole-wheat, vegetarian range, and affordable prices come to the rescue.
Its combo box is a fulfilling meal for one person and comes with two parathas, dal, chana, yoghurt, pickle, and green chilli, all for Dh18, and is perfect for curing those lunchtime hunger pangs. 
Naren Gurnani, Managing Director, Paratha King says: "We started over 10 years ago and over this period, we have become a renowned Indian brand in the UAE. I can confidently say that nobody on the market offers a healthy and delicious meal like we do. We use wholewheat, and sunflower oil, and don't use any artificial ingredients. Our brand has sustained its growth over the years because we give special emphasis on the quality of products we use.
"Whenever I see a young child eating paratha it makes me very happy because a paratha is a healthy meal prepared in front of our eyes. Our main motto is quality."
Paratha King opened its first branch in Al Karama, and also has outlets in Al Khaleej Centre, Dubai Internet City and Al Nahda, and recently opened a store in Sahara Centre, Sharjah. 
"Work is underway on our first branch in Abu Dhabi and we are hoping to open it on February 14, my son's birthday," shares Gurnani. The restaurant has a wide variety and some of their best-selling dishes include the schezwan, aloo, paneer tikka, seven-grain and chocolate paratha. Their tawa pulao, rajma chawal, dal kichdi, palak kichdi, gajar ka halwa and mango lassi are equally popular and give the feeling of indulging in a home-cooked meal. 
Paratha King also recently launched chaat items, as well as rolls that are currently only available in Sahara Centre, but will soon make its way to the other stores. "Recently, we launched our range of coconut parathas in order to cater to the South Indian diaspora," says Gurnani. "Initially people were not opting for it, but when we started telling our customers they could replace it if they didn't like it, they gave it a shot and not one person sent it back! And now, our coconut sugar paratha has become a big hit! We customise the dishes according to different tastebuds and can make it without oil, salt or however they like."
Gurnani highlights that the restaurant's busiest times are from 12pm to 2pm during lunch, and then from 8pm to 11pm for dinner, and Friday they are busy the whole day. He adds that almost 50 per cent of Paratha King's diners come from North India and the rest of the 50 per cent comprises South Indians, Emiratis, Europeans and Filipinos. 
When asked about future plans, he says: "We are in the process of developing our own app so our customers can easily stay connected to us."
Must-haves
Paneer tikka paratha: Made with paneer, capsicum and spring onion. It is a zesty dish that makes for a great appetiser.
Schezwan paratha: It comes with a scrumptious stuffing of noodles and a spicy schezwan sauce and makes for a delicious Indo-Chinese dish.
Seven-grains paratha: For those looking for a healthy paratha without stuffing, this is a great option and is made with whole wheat, black millet, white millet, maize, nachni, rice flour, and Bengal gram flour, plus spices.
Chilli milli paratha: Love spices? Then dig into this fiery paratha that has a stuffing of green and red chilli, capsicum, potato, and spring onion.
Chocolate paratha: This one makes for the perfect sweet ending to any meal.
-deepa@khaleejtimes.com