A B PARATHA

'A B Paratha' means Aloo (potato) Stuffed Beetroot Paratha, very bright colour, an eye appealing, filling paratha. This recipe is specially for those, who don't like to have beetroot. It is so delicious that everyone will surely ready to grab those parathas. Very well goes with any spicy pickle, chutney or simply with curd. A healthy paratha, which is just incredible.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR MAKING DOUGH:

1 Cup Wheat Flour (Atta)
1 Beetroot
1/2 tsp Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
1/2 tsp Finely Chopped Green Chillies
1 tsp Vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Oil

STUFFING:

1 Large Boiled Potato (Peeled & Grated)
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
1/2 tsp Dried Mango Powder (Amchur)
2 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves / Cilantro
1/2 tsp Finely Chopped Green Chillies
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Optional)
Salt to taste

3-4 tbsp Oil To Fry The Parathas

METHOD:

First of all, wash, peel and boil beetroot in water with little salt and vinegar till beet is tender. (Vinegar retains the colour of beetroot after boiling also)

Make puree from this tendered beetroot or grate beetroot nicely and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine wheat flour, beet puree, carom seeds, green chillies and 2 tsp Oil. Knead it very well to make a soft smooth dough. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare stuffing for the parathas. In a large plate, combine grated potato, onion, mango powder, green chillies, coriander leaves / cilantro, red chilli powder and salt. Mix nicely, so that everything incorporated well. Keep it aside.

Divide the flour dough into 6 equal portions. Shape into flatten round balls. Divide the stuffing mixture into 6 equal portions.

Place a flatten ball on a plain surface, dust with 1/2 tsp wheat flour. Make a round shape roti approximately 4"-5" diameter. Pour one part of stuffing mixture on the centre of the roti, cover all the edges to make a small pattie. Coat with dry flour and roll again into a thick round paratha.

Heat a tawa (preferably non-stick) till very hot, lower the heat now and place a paratha over it.

When you notice, tiny bubbles rising on the surface, flip on the other side.

Add 1/2 tsp oil on each side of the paratha and fry till paratha becomes crisp and brown spots come on the both sides.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot parathas with any pickle, chutney or curd.

PIZZA PARATHA

It's really a huge problem to each and every mom to innovate new recipes on daily basis for our kid's lunch box. Not only for kids, when we are also getting bored with regular chapatis or parathas, may tryout this cheese filling easy to make, healthy 'Pizza Paratha', came to know about it from a TV show, made little twist in our regular plain or stuffed parathas. This paratha itself is a fulfilling meal, no need of any side.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 tbsp Oil for frying parathas

FOR DOUGH:

1&1/2 Cup Wheat Flour (Atta)
1/2 tsp Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
1 tsp Dried Mango Powder (Amchur)
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
Cold Water To Knead The Dough

FOR FILLING:

4 Cheese Cubes (Grated)
1 Medium Tomato (Deseeded & Chopped)
1 tsp Finely Chopped Green Chilies
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Finely chopped Cilantro / Coriander Leaves
1 tsp Dried Basil

FOR TOPPING:

2 Cheese Cubes (Grated)
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Tomato
1 tsp Dried Basil

METHOD:

In a large bowl, combine wheat flour, carom seeds, cumin seeds, dried mango powder, salt and oil. Add cold water little by little and knead it in a smooth soft dough (like chapati dough).
Cover and set it aside for 15-20 minutes. After that, divide it into 8 nos. equal flatten balls and keep those aside.
In another bowl, combine all ingredients for filling. Mix well by using a light hand. Divide this filling into 4 equal portions.
Take out two flatten balls from the kneaded dough, roll out into two rotis. Spread the filling on one.
Place the other roti on the top of the first one and seal the edges. Roll out again with a soft hand.
Heat tawa or griddle, roast each paratha in usual way, till both sides are done. Add little bit oil on the both sides of the parathas.

Remove it on a serving plate, sprinkle 1 tbsp grated cheese, 1/2 tbsp chopped tomato and 1/4 tsp basil on the top of each paratha. Serve immediately with spicy chilli garlic tomato sauce.

MOOLI KA (STUFFED RADISH) PARATHA

Today I am here with an essence of the great state 'Punjab' and which is also very popular in Gujarat, a traditional variety of Indian flatbread, 'mooli ka paratha'. A very yummy parathas where shredded radish is mixed with several Indian spices and stuffed inside the Indian flatbread. This paratha is a perfect, easy to carry dish for picnics or for long journey. It has a shelf life of about 4-5 days even in room temperature. Mooli parathas are usually served as breakfast in Punjabi homes and those are always very filling and delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

FOR DOUGH:

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (atta)
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour (maida)
1/2 tsp Carom Seeds
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil

FOR STUFFING:

2 Medium Sized Radishes
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Dried Mango Powder (amchur)
2 Finely Chopped Green Chilies
1/2 tsp Grated Ginger
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Finely Chopped Cilantro / Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil / Ghee To Fry The Parathas

METHOD:

First of all, wash, peel and grate radish. Add little salt to this grated radish, mix wel and leave it for 15-20 minutes. At this time, you can see radish releases water. Squeeze it very hard/tight and set it aside. Don't discard water.
For stuffing, take squeezed mooli, add grated ginger, cumin powder, dried mango powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, chopped coriander leaves, little salt in it and fold very nicely.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, green chilies and radish mixture. Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes. Switch off the heat now. Let it cool down a little.

Now knead dough with whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, carom seeds and radish juice (which is kept side by in the previous process). Knead it nicely to make a smooth dough. Spread few drops of oil on the dough and set it aside.
Break the flour dough into 7 equal portions. Shape into flatten round balls.
Place a flatten ball in a plain surface and make a round shape roti approximately 4"-5" diameter. Pour one part of stuffing mixture on the centre of the roti and cover all the edges. Make a small pattie. Coat with dry flour and roll again into a thick round paratha.
Heat a tawa (preferably non-stick) till very hot, lower the heat and place a paratha over it.
When you notice, tiny bubbles rising on the surface, flip on the other side.
Add 1/2 tsp oil on each side of the paratha and fry till paratha becomes crisp and brown spots come on the both sides.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot parathas with chili pickle and sour curd; enjoy this filling and super tasty paratha!

SURUL POLI - SOUTH vs NORTH CHALLENGE

Most of you know that there is a event going on named 'South vs North Challenge', which is a brain child of my dear friend Divya Pramil of You Too Can Cook....there are two teams South and North. Each team challenge each other in every month. I am so happy to complete this month's challenge recipe. The challenged recipe, 'Surul Poli' is given by my dear friend Shama Nagarajan from easy2cookrecipes. Where as me challenged to my South Indian friends with 'Labongo Latika'. 

'Surul Poli' is a crispy sugar coated roll with coconut filling. This is an authentic preparation of Kaveri delta region, Thanjavur sweet. A very special dessert for festive occassions. I made little changes, but the main flavour and process is almost same. Such a tasty delicious sweet it is, my full family enjoyed it whole heartedly. Thank you so much Shama for sharing this delightful festive sweet.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE OUTER COVERING OF THE POLI:

½ Cup All Purpose Flour (Self Raising Flour / Maida)

½ tbsp Clarified Butter (Desi Ghee)

Pinch of Salt

Water as required

½ Cup Oil for deep frying

FOR THE FILLING:

¼ Cup Roasted Chana (Pottu Kadalai)

¼ Cup Sugar

1 tsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)

2 tbsp Freshly Grated Coconut

2 tbsp Cashew nuts

3-4 Pods Cardamom

1 tbsp Raisins

4-5 Chopped Dates

FOR THE SUGAR SYRUP:

½ Cup Sugar

½ Cup Water

FOR GARNISHING:

3-4 Cherries

1 tbsp Tutti Frutti

METHOD:

Heat 1 tsp clarified butter in a pan, ghee roast grated coconut and cashew nut for 2-3 minutes or until coconut releases aroma and turns slightly brown. Mix ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup roasted chana, coconut, cashew nuts and cardamoms in a chutney jar. Grind in a mixer into a fine powder. Set it aside.

In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, ½ tbsp Clarified butter, pinch of salt. Knead it to make a soft smooth dough by using little water. Divide into 5 equal sized balls. Cover with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a saucepan. Boil till it forms string consistency. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now take a small ball from the dough and spread it like a poori (approx 3” diameter). Heat ½ cup oil in a pan, deep fry poori in oil. Drain poori on paper towel to absorb the excess oil. While it is still warm, dip it in the sugar syrup and place it immediately in the plate with dusted powder. Spread 2 tsp of grinded powder along with few raisins and chopped dates over it. Roll them immediately. Repeat the same for the remaining dough.

While serving, pour extra syrup and grinded extra powder on the top of the polis. Garnish with cherries and tutti frutti. Serve warm. You may store the remaining in an air-tight container.

Sending to: Shama's easy2cookrecipes

Sending to: Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

METHI NA THEPLA (GUJARATI FLAT BREAD WITH FRESH FENUGREEK LEAVES)

'Methi Na Thepla' is a staple flat bread from Gujarati cuisine and very famous in Western India. I am really fond of Gujarati dishes such as dhoklas and theplas. I have already posted Methi Paratha recipe here, but I make methi theplas oftenly in my kitchen, as it is soft, moist, thin and this theplas stay good for long. This is an ideal dish for travelling, you can eat them simply with pickle or chutney. Whole jeera (cumin seeds) or sesame seeds can be added to enhance the taste of theplas. This theplas are easy to prepare when compared to stuffed parathas. I prefer to make them when I am in no mood to cook elaborate meals.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups Washed & Finely Chopped Fresh Fenugreek Leaves (Methi Greens)
4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (atta)
2/3 Cup Curd / Yogurt (dahi)
1 tsp Minced Ginger (adrak)
1 tsp Minced Green Chillies (hara mirch)
1/4 tsp Carom Seeds (ajwain)
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder (haldi)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (lal mirch)
1 tsp Cumin Powder (jeera)
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt (namak)
3 tbsp Clarified Butter (ghee)
1/4 Cup Refined oil (for frying theplas)

METHOD:

Take a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients including fenugreek leaves in it.
Add 3 tbsp clarified butter and yogurt, knead into a firm smooth dough, if water is required, add very little.
Cover with a wet cloth and set it aside for 20-30 minutes.
Divide dough into 30 equal sized balls.
Heat non-stick tawa on high flame and start preparing theplas one by one.
Lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface, take one ball and flatten it with your palms and start rolling it on the rolling board into round shaped circle of 7"-8" diameter. (It must be thin like chapati only)
Place rolled thepla on the heated tawa. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the top surface.
As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle few drops of refined oil and spread all over the surface of thepla. Flip again after 30-40 seconds and drizzle few drops of oil on this side too and spread evenly with a flat spatula and press gently.

Take off from tawa. Theplas should be soft and moist. Serve warm theplas with pickle, chutney or simply with yogurt.

Do give your feedback in the comments below....
Sending to: Cook with Comfort ~Blog Anniversary Event, Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event

KIFLI - HUNGARIAN PASTRY

My favorite Kifli is a traditional Hungarian pastry, which means 'Crescent Moon', made by cutting sheets of soft flour dough into triangular wedges and wrapping those wedges and gave a crescent shaped morsel and then baked. There are lots of variation of Kiflis. These Kiflis are buttery, flakey, very tasty and look very cute. 

INGREDIENTS (for making 12 nos pastries):
250 gms All Purpose Flour / Flour (maida)
1/2 pkt of Yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Luke Warm Water (not too hot)
50 gms Unsalted Butter (melted)
1/2 tsp Caraway Seeds (shahjeera) & 1/2 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds (For Decoration)

METHOD:
Add yeast and 1 tsp sugar with warm water. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, melted butter and mix it thoroughly.

Add luke warm water in it and knead it nicely to make a smooth dough. 

Cover it tightly and keep aside for 30-40 minutes, till it enlarge double in size.

Now takeout dough, sprinkle little flour on it. Again knead it for a minute or two. 

Divide the dough into three equal balls. Now cover it and leave for 30 minutes.

Flat each ball like a large and thick chapati, a circle of 8" diameter. Cut into 4 equal parts. Fold each part as it is shown below to make each pastry.

Preheat oven to 190 C. Line up parchment pepper on cookie sheet. Arrange pastries on it. Brush butter on each pastry, sprinkle little caraway seeds on few pastries. And also sprinkle little sesame seeds on the rest of the pastries.

Bake it for 25 minutes. Place on a wire rack and let it cool naturally. Store in a air-tight container.

Serve with warm soups. Its delicious!!! 

NOTE: May use warm milk instead of warm water.

Sending to:  Guru’s Cooking Giveaway Kids Special ’13

Sending to:  Virtual Eid Potluck Party 2013

Sending to: Gujarati Zaika

SATTU KA PARATHA

Today, I am going to share a delicious and healthy paratha recipe from our neighbour state, Bihar - the fastest growing state during the 11th plan period. How many of you have had 'Sattu'? Sattu is a high energy giving staple food of Bihar. Actually, the roasted chana dal (Bengal gram) powder is known as 'Sattu' in Bihar. It is very nutritious food with full of fiber. Here, Sattu is the main ingredient to prepare Sattu Ka Paratha. Specially for this stuffing, it gives a very nice taste to the parathas. Tryout, I am sure, will love it.

INGREDIENTS:
2&1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (atta)
1 & 1/4 Cups Bengal Gram Sattu (I used 'Ganesh' brand sattu)
3 Green Chilies (finely chopped)
3 tbsps Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
1" Ginger Piece (grated)
1&1/2 tbsps Spices, from Kashmiri Red Chilli pickle
1/3 tsp Black Salt (for taste)
1/4 tsp Nigella Seeds (kalonji)
1/4 tsp Carom Seeds (ajwaan)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
5-6 tbsps Oil For Frying
2 tsps Mustard Oil + 2 tbsps Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Salt

METHOD:
Take a large bowl. Combine whole wheat flour, 2 tbsps vegetable oil and 1/2 tsps salt. Mix nicely. Slowly add water to knead it into a smooth dough. The dough will be same like chapati dough. Cover and keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.

In the mean time, let start to make the stuffing. Take another bowl, combine Bengal gram sattu, green chilies, coriander leaves, nigella seeds, carom seeds, grated ginger, black salt, pickle spice, 2 tsps mustard oil, red chili powder, lemon juice and salt. 

Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle little water on it and mix well. The right mixture should be, if you touch, it must bind the mixture nicely. Sattu mixture is ready to stuff now. Set it aside.

Divide wheat flour dough into 10 equal balls. 

Wrap each ball in wheat flour and flat it to make a round disc of 4" diameter. Add 2 tbsps sattu mixture on the center of that disc. 

Wrap it up from all sides, then close it nicely. Press it lightly by your palm, so that filling should be spread evenly inside the parathas.

Agarin wrap it with little wheat flour and roll out a slightly thick paratha of 7" diameter. Don't give too much pressure while rolling out parathas, otherwise outer layer of the paratha will easilly break and sattu comes out. Follow the same with the remaining balls. Heat greased non-stick tawa / griddle. Place a paratha on heated tawa.

When the lower part of the paratha is cooked, the upper part will look dark. Flip over the other side then.
Spread little oil on both sides of the paratha and fry it for 2-3 minutes, to make paratha soft, crispy. When brown specs appear means the paratha is done!

Serve immediately with spicy pickle or sour curd or aloo-tamatar ka chokha and a glass full lassi. It is very suitable for a weekend breakfast or brunch. Enjoy this Bihari delicacy.

Sending to: Guru’s Cooking Giveaway Kids Special ’13