Nothing can beat a wholesome plate of parathas, served with a dollop of butter and a side of pickles and curd, on a rainy day. Whether had for breakfast, lunch or dinner, this one-tawa meal is filling, nutritious and packed with flavour.
Parathas can be prepared with just wheat or multigrain flour, and paired with value additions like chopped greens, grated vegetables, toasted or crushed nuts and a plethora of condiments. Rama Gokul gives some must-try paratha recipes that can ease your cooking woes.
GREEN GRAM DAL PARATHA
Ingredients: Half a cup of green gram dal or moong; 2 cups of wheat flour; 1 tsp of cumin seeds; 2 green chillies; a handful of coriander leaves; 1 tbsp of grated coconut; salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.
Method: Pressure cook the dal in half a cup of water till soft and mash it in a bowl while it is still hot. Now add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and knead a soft dough, without adding much water. Make lemon-sized balls of the dough and roll out thick parathas. Place these on a tawa, and cook on both sides with a tsp of oil around. Serve with coriander chutney, pickle or tomato sauce.
PUMPKIN PARATHA
Ingredients: Two cups of red pumpkin (grated); 2 cups of wheat flour; 1 tsp of sesame seeds; 2 green chillies; a handful of coriander leaves; salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.
Method: Mix all the ingredients except the wheat flour in a bowl. Add the flour gradually and knead into a soft dough. Do not add water as there is enough moisture in the grated pumpkin. Roll out the parathas and shallow fry them on a tawa. Serve with coriander and mint chutney.
Note: You can substitute the pumpkin with chow-chow, bottle-gourd or radish.
SPROUTS PARATHA
Ingredients: A cup of sprouted moong; 2 cups of wheat flour; a tbsp of besan; ½ tsp of poppy seeds or khus khus; 1 tbsp of grated coconut (optional); 2 green chillies; a handful of coriander leaves (chopped); salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.
Method: Grind the sprouts once to crush them completely. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture and knead into a soft dough with a sprinkling of water. Roll out the parathas and cook them on a tawa in oil. Serve with mint chutney and curd.
Note: Moong can be replaced with sprouted fenugreek or methi.
LEAFY VEG PARATHA
Ingredients: Two cups of chopped greens (methi/drumstick/palak/coriander); a cup of wheat flour; half cup each of besan and green gram flour; ¼ cup of ragi flour; one onion (finely chopped); ¼ tsp of ajwain; 2 tbsps of grated carrot; 2 green chillies; salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.
Method: Heat a tbsp of oil and sauté the onion till they turn translucent. Add the chopped greens and sauté them for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and make a soft dough. Roll out the parathas and cook them on a tawa. Serve with plain curds or any kind of pickle or chutney.
Note: Dill leaves, radish tops or mint leaves can also be used.
SWEET PARATHA
Ingredients: One and a half cups of wheat flour; ¼ cup of roasted bengal gram flour; 1 tbsp of maida, 2 tsps of poppy seeds; 2 tbsps of grated coconut; ¾ cup of jaggery powder or syrup; 1 tbsp of cashew powder; ½ tsp of cardamom powder and ghee for shallow frying.
Method: Mix all the ingredients well and knead a soft dough. Use water for the dough if you are using jaggery powder. Roll out the parathas and cook them on a hot tawa with a tsp of ghee. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee on top.
Note: You can use date paste, finely chopped dates or raisins for the sweet paratha.