Mr. Khasim, who began a school for people wanting to learn the art of making the perfect parottas three years ago in Koodal Nagar, says that the dish must be crispy and flaky on the outside but soft and easy to tear. The flat bread should be able to soak Madurai's preferred gravy- chicken salna- into its layers while holding it all together steadily. He says that the city's undying love for the dish has led to a boom as it is now widely popular. It has also created a market in various other districts of Tamil Nadu and locations outside the country including Dubai, Sharjah, Malaysia, Singapore and the Maldives. “This is why so many young people are waiting to learn how to make parottas. There is a large manpower shortage in the hotel industry as many people are unaware of the perfect way of rolling, shaping and making a parotta. Hoteliers in resorts outside India want to recruit south Indian masters because of our unique way of rolling out the dough without the help of a rolling pin. That is when I decided to open the school three years ago and impart my knowledge,” he says.