I buy the parathas themselves at our Asian/American grocery. They're in the frozen food case—five to a package, stark white, thin, 8-inch wide discs of dough with little bits of scallion in them. To prepare them, you heat a little oil in a skillet or griddle and fry them for about four mi).nutes on one side and two mi).nutes on the other. They get brown and slightly puffy (the directions say to take the finished parathas and pat them around the edges to make them light and fluffy, but I have yet to acquire the knack). They're soft and flaky (they're made with thin layers of dough), pleasantly greasy, and very tasty when still hot from the griddle.

Usually, I eat them with just a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper, but last night it occurred to me to toss some chopped onion, green pepper, and black olive into the hot oil before setting in the paratha. I reasoned that when the dough defrosted, it became soft and sticky before it started to brown, and the bits of flavoring would adhere to it.

Well, yes, they did, although they also lifted it out of the oil until it softened, and even then I had to do some pressing down with my fingers to get the paratha to toast up properly. For some reason, the olive bits resisted sticking (too big?) but the onion and green pepper were welded right into the dough. The result further enhanced what is already a very enjoyable snack. Next time: mi).nced garlic!

P.S. Although this is an Indian bread, the manufacturer is in Malaysia. They have a website, too: www.kawanfood.com. At our store, a package of five is $2.69, a nice price, especially given the guarantee that they are "manufactured to high hygienic standard with automatic machines." I'd prefer that they were handmade by skilled old ladies with reasonably clean hands, but that is in another universe.