The Paratha Series#2-Paneer Paratha-and 2 more varieties of fillings

So, onto my second post in this series. By the way, did any of you attempt to make stuffed parathas for the first time ever, after reading my previous post? If yes, I'd love to hear from you...If you're following my blog on FB, you can also upload pics of the recipes you've tried from this blog, on its FB page...check out the new album just for readers photographs, under the "Photos" tab!

In this post, I'm going to feature a favorite food item-paneer (cottage cheese). You could fold the stuffing the same way as in the previous post, but today I'm going to show you another way of folding in the stuffing, that personally for me, is way more interesting and fun than the previous method.

I found this method in a Nita Mehta book, Paranthas Aachars & Chutneys, but the procedure and photographs there seemed complicated, so I asked my friend Priya to demonstrate it for me, after which it seemed doable. That's one reason I've taken more step-by-step pics of this method, because I know how it seemed difficult to me from the way it was presented in the book-I'm trying to rectify that here! The stuffings given below are Priya's.

     For the dough:

1. 3 cups whole wheat flour
2. Salt to taste
3. 1 cup water (if it's lukewarm, you'll get a softer dough)

• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt well.
• Add the water gradually and combine with the flour to make a soft but firm dough. Knead until smooth for 1 to 2 minutes. Leave it to rest, covered with a cloth, for about 30 minutes.
• By the way, I love adding dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) to my dough whenever I make chapathis, so that's the green speckles you can see in the dough.

                                                                       
                                                                         Stuffings:

     1. Paneer:

1. 100 g paneer, mashed or crumbled
2. A pinch of black salt (kaala namak)
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper to taste
5. Garam masala powder to taste
6. 2 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped

     (You could also add one onion and one green chilly, all chopped fine. I didn't do this).

     Mix all this together in a bowl and keep aside.

     2. Mushroom-Sweetcorn:

1. 50 g mushrooms, sauteed in oil with salt until all the inherent water has evaporated and it's well cooked
2. 50 sweetcorn, steamed until soft
3. 1 medium onion, chopped fine
4. 1 green chilly, chopped fine
5. 1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped fine
6. 1/2 teaspoon carrom seeds (ajwain)
7. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
9. Pinch of black salt
10. Salt to taste

      Mix all this together in a mixing bowl and keep aside.

    3. Sprouts:

1. 1/2 to 1 cup bean sprouts (you can use either green gram, soybean, alfalfa, or mixed bean sprouts-steamed for 5 minutes)
2. 1 medium onion, chopped fine
3. 1 green chilly, chopped fine
4. 1/2 teaspoon carrom seeds (ajwain)
5. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
7. Pinch of black salt

In a pressure cooker, saute and fry all the above and cook for 2 whistles (with just a drizzle of water).
Or cook in a closed pan until the sprouts are soft.
Or  grind the sprouts first in a mixer to a coarse powder if you want a smoother stuffing.

Or, if you are sprouting the beans at home, leave it to sprout for 2 days at least, at which point it will become soft enough for you to use it without any cooking required!

To make the paratha:

• Divide the dough into lemon-sized balls.
• (This would be the right time to heat up the tawa/griddle).
• Take one ball and roll it out into a circle of about 5 inches in diameter.
• Place a tablespoon or two of any one of the fillings in the middle, then spread it to cover the whole roti surface.
• With a knife, make a slit from the periphery of the roti to the center.
• Now, take one side of the slit roti and roll it in a clockwise direction, like a cone.
• When you reach the other side of the slit, make the cone stand upright.
• Press down lightly with your palm
• Now take your rolling pin and applying slight pressure at the center, roll out the roti gently towards the outside, to make a disc as large or thick/thin as you want.
• Transfer to your tawa/griddle and wait for a few minutes, then flip over.
• When both sides have become polka-dotted with brown spots, remove from the tawa and spread ghee/butter over it.
• Serve hot with spicy yogurt or pickles

TIPS: Adding a blob of butter on the paratha just before eating it, when it is still hot and crispy, makes it even more yummilicious!


Here are the step by step pics:

And the yummy paratha with a side of yogurt garnished with some chilli powder