Name: ______________________________
Fancy Bread
by Anita Nahta Amin
Anil froze when he saw the flyer at school.
Culinary Academies of America presents Junior
Cooking Camp. He had to go! But he needed
money to get there.
So, the next morning on Saturday, Anil got to
work. He sifted, stirred, rolled, cut, and baked. He
iced, glazed, powdered and sprinkled. He stacked
the cookies hed made into cellophane bags. Then,
he tied a ribbon around each bag with a tag that
read Anils Gourmet Cookies.
Now, Anil said, pulling off his flour-dusted apron, Ill make my dreams come true.
He knocked door-to-door, trying to sell the cookies. I need money for cooking camp, he told each
neighbor. I want to be a chef.
Just bought some cookies, one neighbor said.
On a diet, the next one said.
No money, the third admitted.
Lets try Puris, his grandma, Nanima, suggested after Anil came home with a lot of good luck
wishes but no money.
They drove to Puris Indian Grocery Store.
Cookies? Mr. Puri waved his hand dismissively. No sweets. Too many sweets. He pointed
toward some shelves stacked with desserts from India.
But those are canned, Nanima argued. These are fresh. And what is that youre selling?
She motioned toward the freezers. Frozen Indian meals. How long does it take to make a fresh
paratha (flat bread) and aloo (potato)?
Mr. Puri shrugged. Nowadays, too long.
Nanima tut-tutted. People are moving too fast these days. Fast this, fast that. People will
forget how to cook, I tell you. She and Anil left.
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Once home, Anil put the cookies on the kitchen table. Guess Im not going to camp.
Nanima patted Anils shoulder. Not all chefs go camping, huh. Some cook dinner at home.
In a bowl, she mixed flour, oil, water, and spices. She split the paratha dough with Anil.
Sighing, Anil broke a bit off, rolled it into a ball, and flattened it with the palm of his hand. As he
rolled it out, he thought about how traditional paratha shapes were so boring. Circles, triangles,
nothing fun.
His gaze strayed to some nearby cookie cutters. All that work hed put into making those
cookies rolling, cutting...
He blinked. Cookie cutters cut dough. Why couldnt he use them on paratha dough?
Anil broke into a huge grin. As he worked, he suddenly felt Nanima beside him.
Frowning, Nanima picked up his parathas one by one. A car. A cat. A flower? What kind of
parathas are these? After some silence, she said, I should like eating the cat.
Maybe other people will like them, too, Anil said. I could sell them even make seasonal
parathas bells for winter, shamrocks for spring
Fancy parathas, Nanima mused.
Maybe the Indian store will buy some, Anil hoped.
Nanima called Puri. Puri, I have a big moneymaker for you. My grandsons parathas. Theyre
fast but fresh and fancy. She paused. Youll see them? Good.
They cooked the parathas and brought them to Puri.
Puri frowned. Too small, these parathas. People like big parathas, so you have more to scoop
vegetable with. Parathas were like edible spoons. You see? Puri demonstrated by tearing off a
piece of paratha. He pretended to scoop up some potato. Then, he put the paratha piece and
pretend potato into his mouth.
But these are more fun for kids, Anil said.
Puri blinked. Parathas for kids? Puri slowly nodded his head. Something new. And delicious.
Well try them.
A few days later, Puri called Anil.
When Anil hung up, Nanima asked, Well? What did Puri want?
Anil grinned before hurrying to the kitchen. Fifty parathas each week! Kids love them! Camp,
here I come!
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Name: ______________________________
Fancy Bread
by Anita Nahta Amin
1.
Why does Anil have trouble selling his cookies to Puri when he and his
grandma first go to the Indian grocery store?
a. The cookies don't taste good.
b. People would rather eat brownies.
c. There are already a lot of cookies at the Indian grocery store.
d. People think they are too expensive.
2.
According to the story, what is the meaning of the word paratha? What does the word aloo
mean?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3.
What does Anil do with his paratha to make it different than anything else that Puri sells in his
Indian grocery store?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4.
5.
According to the story, why doesn't Puri like Anil's special parathas at first?
a. The parathas are too flat.
b. The parathas are too fluffy.
c. The parathas are too big.
d. The parathas are too small.
How does Anil convince Puri that the problem he sees with Anil's parathas really isn't a problem
at all?
____________________________________________________________________________________
6.
At the end of the story, what is the deal that Puri makes with Anil regarding his parathas?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Super Teacher Worksheets -
[Link]
Name: ______________________________
Fancy Bread
by Anita Nahta Amin
Fill in the missing letters to form a vocabulary word from the story. Then write
the full word on the line. Be sure you spell each word correctly.
1.
t ___ a ___ ___ t i ___ n ___ l
____________________________________
hint: customary to a certain culture or group
2.
d ___ s ___ i ___ s i ___ e l ___
____________________________________
hint: without showing interest; rejecting an idea
3.
___ d i ___ ___ e
____________________________________
hint: able to be eaten
4.
___ o u ___ ___ e ___
____________________________________
hint: exceptional quality of food
5.
___ i ___ t e ___
____________________________________
hint: sorted fine particles or powder to remove
lumps or larger pieces
6.
d e ___ o ___ ___ t r ___ t ___ d
____________________________________
hint: showed how something is done
7.
___ e l ___ o ___ h a ___ e
____________________________________
hint: a thin, transparent material used for wrapping
8.
___ o u ___ ___
____________________________________
hint: a mixture of flour and water that is used for
making bread or pastries
Super Teacher Worksheets -
[Link]
Name: ______________________________
Fancy Bread
by Anita Nahta Amin
In the story, Fancy Bread, Anil uses his creativity and his talent for cooking
to help him raise money for camp. With hard work and a unique idea, Anil
makes his dream of going to cooking camp a reality.
On the lines below, tell about a time when you had to use your creativity
and talent to reach a goal. What did you want to accomplish? How did
you work toward your goal? Did you achieve your goal?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Super Teacher Worksheets -
[Link]
ANSWER KEY
Fancy Bread
by Anita Nahta Amin
1.
Why does Anil have trouble selling his cookies to Puri when he and his
grandma first go to the Indian grocery store? c.
a. The cookies don't taste good.
b. People would rather eat brownies.
c. There are already a lot of cookies at the Indian grocery store.
d. People think they are too expensive.
2.
According to the story, what is the meaning of the word paratha? What does the word aloo
mean?
Paratha means flat bread. Aloo means potato.
3.
What does Anil do with his paratha to make it different than anything else that Puri sells in his
Indian grocery store?
Anil uses cookie cutters to turn his paratha dough into fun shapes.
4.
5.
According to the story, why doesn't Puri like Anil's special parathas at first? d.
a. The parathas are too flat.
b. The parathas are too fluffy.
c. The parathas are too big.
d. The parathas are too small.
How does Anil convince Puri that the problem he sees with Anil's parathas really isn't a problem
at all?
Anil explains that the small parathas in fun shapes are perfect for kids.
6.
At the end of the story, what is the deal that Puri makes with Anil regarding his parathas?
Puri will allow Anil to sell fifty parathas per week in his store.
Super Teacher Worksheets -
[Link]
ANSWER KEY
Fancy Bread
by Anita Nahta Amin
Fill in the missing letters to form a vocabulary word from the story. Then write
the full word on the line. Be sure you spell each word correctly.
1.
t r a d i t i o n a l
traditional
hint: customary to a certain culture or group
2.
d i s m i s s i v e l y
dismissively
hint: without showing interest; rejecting an idea
3.
e d i b l e
edible
hint: able to be eaten
4.
g o u r m e t
gourmet
hint: exceptional quality of food
5.
s i f t e d
sifted
hint: sorted fine particles or powder to remove
lumps or larger pieces
6.
d e m o n s t r at e d
demonstrated
hint: showed how something is done
7.
c e l l o p h a n e
cellophane
hint: a thin, transparent material used for wrapping
8.
d o u g h
dough
hint: a mixture of flour and water that is used for
making bread or pastries
Super Teacher Worksheets -
[Link]
