In a bowl, add the whole-wheat flour along with salt – mix well. Sprinkle water little by little and make it into firm pliable dough. Knead the dough for atleast 5-7mins and add a teaspoon of oil on top – knead again. Let the dough rest for atleast 10mins.
Make seven (largish) equal sized balls out of the dough. Dust some wheat flour and roll each ball of dough into a thin roundel or roti. On one of the rolled out roti, using a pastry brush, spread some oil all over. And dust whole wheat flour a little evenly over the top.
Starting from one end, pleat the rolled out roti until you reach the other end making sure the pleats are a cm long. Roll the pleated roti to form a roundel. Repeat this with rest of the dough balls.
If required dust some flour and roll it again thin. Meanwhile heat a flat tawa/pan. Gently put the rolled out Paratha on hot tawa. On medium flame, cook the paratha on both sides gently pressing it down with a spatula until brown spots appear all over it and the layers puff up perfectly. Apply oil as needed on both sides and remove from heat.
Serve hot with Vegetable Shahi Korma or any North Indian gravy. Optionally, serve a wedge of lemon and sliced onions & green chillies.
Notes
Instead of whole wheat flour, maida or all-purpose flour can be used but that requires a lot oil right from the dough to the rolling.
Ensure that the flame is set on medium. Slow cook the Parathas to ensure even cooking on all sides and the insides.
Applying oil and flour on rolled out roti before pleating is what brings the layers out. Apply both evenly.
Keep the pleats as thin as possible so that there is scope for many pleats and later when cooked many layers.