Salna

A thin, spiced gravy that is parotta's essential companion — made with a base of shallots, tomatoes, and a ground coconut-spice paste, loose enough to pour over and soak into layers of parotta. Every street parotta stall in Chennai offers salna in egg, chicken, or plain versions. Without salna, parotta is incomplete — the pairing is as fundamental as dal and roti in the North.