Palak Cheese Paratha

Parathas are always yummy and excites me. I am sure it excites everyone, some cold yogurt melting butter on top of hot paratha, one bite oh my! Heavenly - I just roll it few bites one paratha is over, I can;t wait for curd or achar.

Palak / Spinach lovers go ahead and try this. Feed this to all who dislike eating palak as side dish. Nobody would complain.

This is slightly different from our regular stuffed paratha. As the main ingredient palak is mixed with the dough. Let's get into the recipe, it's not at all complicated like the other paratha.

Preparing the Palak paste:
Heat water in a large vessel. Blanch the Palak for no longer than a min. I did for around 30 sec. Remove and let it cool down a bit. We need to blend this to a nice fine paste. In a mixie jar add couple of green chilies or as needed, salt and the palak as whole and blend well with little water if required.

1. Add this paste to atta and make soft dough. Let is rest for 15 - 30 minutes.
2. Roll chapatis and grate cheese on top as shown in the picture. Sprinkle Ajwain (carom seeds). This is optional, good for stomach. I add ajwain in all my parathas.
3. Make folding as in picture, and roll them. You can make this and keep for as many parathas you need to prepare.
4. Roll out all these to thin parathas 
5. Cook it on hto tawa spreading oil or ghee on both sides till the brown spots form.

Enjoy these parathas with butter or achar or curd.

Red spinach potato Stuffed paratha

Parathas are very popular these days in southern part of India too. It's not rocket science you just need to know how to roll out a stuffed paratha. You can use any stuffing ensure it's dry. This paratha is made from spinach and potato. For people who dislike eating spinach you can make paratha.

Preparing the stuffing:

Wash and clean the spinach, chop finely. Boil potatoes, peel and smash well. Dry roast the spinach in a pan lightly and add in the potato, coriander leaves, chopped green chili. Mix well turn off the heat. Wait the mixture cools and then add salt, mix with hand set aside.

You may use any spinach you have. You may also use seasoning / masala powder as per your taste.

For the paratha:
Add some ajwain (carom seeds / omam / imothagam) to the flour, little salt, oil mix well. Knead the dough by mixing water. Prepare the dough and keep aside for 15 - 30 minutes.

Roll out the parathas with stuffing. Spread oil on  a hot tawa place the paratha, cook on each side with little oil till golden brown. Serve with butter spread on it, or curd. Refer to this recipe for the pictures on how to do the stuffing. Below is the steps for another method.

Mixed vegetable paratha - quick and easy

Now who does not love paratha, even though you are in dieting. My mouth always water when I have the craving to eat paratha though I want to lose weight.

You can make parathas with any any of the vegetables you like such as Carrot, beetroot, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Onion, Radish, Spinach, Potato, Cottage cheese (Paneer), Peas, raw banana capsicum etc.  In this recipe I am using Chinese cabbage, carrot and radish.

Grate these vegetables and dry roast them slightly to loose the moisture. Do this in lowest heat for 2 - 3 minutes. Do not cook, as these vegetables can be consumed raw we just need to reduce the moisture so rolling out parathas would be easy.

Ingredients:

1. Radish (Red or white), Carrot, Cabbage - grated
2. Green chili - finely chopped - as per taste
3. Ginger - little finely chopped (optional)
4. Coriander leaves a bunch - finely chopped
5. Crushed Cumin - Optional 1/4 to 1/2 tb spn
6. Asafoetida - less than 1/4 t spn
7. You may add red chili pwder / garam masala / chaat masala - little if required
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for paratha
10. Wheat atta for making the dough
11. Ajwain - carom seeds / ommam / imothagam (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl add ajwain to atta, little sal and few drops of oil if required mix well
2. Add water little by little and knead the flour and keep aside, covered for 15 - 30 min
3. In the meantime prepare the stuffing. 
4. Dry roast the vegetables for 3 - 5 min in lowest heat, add chili at last. Let is cool down
5. Add coriander leaves, and spice powders.
6. Mix all the ingredients for stuffing in a bowl and add salt at last just before making parathas.
7. Roll out paratha with stuffing, cook on medium heat on both sides till golden brown with little oil.
8. Enjoy the parathas with butter spread and cold yogurt(curd)

Radish stuffed Paratha - Mooli ka paratha

Paratha is widely eaten as breakfast in Northern part of India, which has become very popular in down south as well. It;s available and served as Breakfast or Lunch or dinner in most of the restaurants. Parathas are usually stuffed and there are a variety of kinds. One such type is made with Radish, referred as Mooli in Hindi.

There are different ways stuffing can be set in the dough before rolling out as paratha.  You can Google and will get lot of images. I usually follow a much easier method most of the time, Like the picture I have given below.

Ingredients:

1. Radish Grated - 1 (Red or white)
2. Green chili - finely chopped - as per taste
3. Ginger - little finely chopped
4. Coriander leaves a bunch - finely chopped
5. Crushed Cumin - Optional 1/4 to 1/2 tb spn
6. Asafoetida - less than 1/4 t spn
7. You may add red chili pwder / garam masala / chaat masala - little if required
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for paratha
10. Wheat atta for making the dough
11. Ajwain - carom seeds (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl add ajwain to atta, little sal and few drops of oil if required mix well
2. Add water little by little and knead the flour and keep aside, covered for 15 - 30 min
3. In the meantime prepare the stuffing. 
4. Take a handful of grated radish and squeeze out the water, alternatively you may also dry roast this for 2 min in low heat (If dry roasted wait for it to cool down)
5. Mix all the ingredients for stuffing in a bowl and add salt at last just before making parathas.
6. Roll out paratha with stuffing, cook on medium heat on both sides till golden brown with little oil.
7. Enjoy the parathas with butter spread and cold yogurt(curd)

Paneer Paratha - Cottage Cheese Stuffed Wheat Bread

Northern part of India is widely known for a variety of Parathas made from Wheat flour and different stuffing. This cuisine is usually eaten as breakfast or can pack for lunch as well. They are heavy and highly nutritious. Most of us love Paneer and this is yummy with grated cottage cheese and greens.

Ingredients for Dough :

1.  Atta (Wheat Flour) - 1 cup
2. Ajwain (Carom Seeds) - 1 Tb.spn
3. Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 tb spn
4. Salt to taste
5. Ghee / Oil ( 2 tb.spn) - Optional
6. Water to knead dough

For Stuffing

1.  Grated Paneer - 1 Cup
2. Green Chili - 3 - 4 (as needed) finely chopped
3. Coriander leaves - a bunch - finely chopped
4. 1/2 Inch Ginger - Finely chopped
5. Red chili powder - 1/2 tb or as needed
6. Salt as per taste

Oil / Ghee for frying the Parathas.

Preparation Steps:

1. Mix the dry ingredients of dough with Atta and add oil
2. Mix slowly with hand, and add water slowly and knead to make the dough.
3. Dough should be soft and not loose, so be careful while adding water.
4. Cover and keep the dough aside for 15 - 20 minutes.
5. Mix all the ingredients of stuffing and check for adding more salt of spice
6. Make medium size balls (slightly small than tennis ball) from the dough to roll out Parathas
7. Roll out the balls using a rolling pin of around 10 cm diameter, it should be thick.
8. Spread 2/3 spoons of stuffing as needed and pick the edges and seal, pat the stuffed balls with some flour before rolling them out.
9. Press down gently  with your fingers keeping the sealing on top, to make it flat so that it can be rolled.
10. Roll it to approx 15 - 17 cm diameter. Do not roll out too thin. (will post some pictures separately on how to do stuffing & alternate methods to do stuffing)
11. Heat Tawa and place the Paratha on it, When the paratha puff up a little turn it over.
12. Apply ghee or oil, and press with a spatula and turn over. Apply ghee the other side too.
13. Take it off the flame when cooked thoroughly on both sides.
14. Serve hot with cold yogurt or pickle. 
15. Alternatively can apply a thin layer of butter, and roll it. Kids love this.
16. Cool completely in the open if you want to box them for later.