Here is a simple recipe for vegetable paratha that is full of fresh vegetables, easy to make, and good to kick start your day.
If you ask, “What are the most favorite Indian breakfast dishes?” you will get “paratha” as one of the most probable answers. Originated in northern parts of India, paratha has become popular all over in India, especially as a breakfast item. Due to long working hours and very hectic schedules that rarely allow a person to relax and have proper food, breakfast has become the most important meal of the day in metros and cities in India.
There are several vegetarian and non-vegetarian breakfast options, which are easy to make and fill you at least for the next 5-6 hours. But when equal importance is given to nutritious breakfast, paratha is something one can count on.
Commonly made of wheat flour dough by pan-frying on ghee or oil, there are lots of possible variations of paratha. They can be plain, with veggies and herbs added to the dough, or even stuffed with spicy vegetarian or non-vegetarian stuffing. Parathas are commonly served with “Raita” (a combination of yogurt and vegetables or fruits), Achar (pickle), and/or any vegetable (dry or gravy). Vegetarian stuffed parathas commonly include potato, cauliflower, green peas, paneer, and mixed vegetables as stuffing. Non-vegetarian parathas are mostly made by stuffing spicy minced lamb in either whole-wheat or refined flour flatbread.
Egg parathas are made either by stuffing spicy scrambled egg or by coating plain paratha with beaten egg with herbs and spices. In some parts of India, sweet parathas are also made with stuffing like boiled chickpea and jaggery mash, coconut and sugar, semolina pudding, or sweet khoa (dried whole milk with sugar and essence). But sweet parathas are consumed mostly in lunch or dinner. They are not preferred as breakfast.
The paratha dough can be made the earlier night and kept in the refrigerator by wrapping it up with a plastic sheet to maintain the freshness. There is also a recipe for Raita that goes well with almost all kinds of parathas.
Vegetable Paratha
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup grated green cabbage
- ½ cup grated carrots
- ½ cup crushed green peas
- ½ cup finely chopped fenugreek leaves
- 1 teaspoon green chilly paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger-garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Water
- Oil/ghee
How to Make Paratha
Heat 2 teaspoons oil/ghee in a pan. Add fennel seeds and allow them to splutter. Add turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, green chilly paste, coriander powder, and stir well. Then add all the vegetable one-by-one and mix well. Add salt and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat when the veggies are little moist.
Keep aside the veggie mix and let it cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the veggie mix to a large mixing bowl. Add whole-wheat flour and mix it well. Add little water while kneading the dough. Add a little more flour if more binding is required. Form dough that is soft but tight enough to roll. Give a final knead with 1 teaspoon oil in your hand and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Make 6-8 equal size balls of the dough. Take a single ball and roll it in dry flour. Roll the paratha with a rolling pin. When it is your palm size, just brush a little oil and fold to make a semi-circle. Again brush a little oil and fold to make the shape of a quarter pie. Again dust it with dry flour and roll till it becomes disk size.
Heat griddle on high. Make sure your griddle is nicely hot and place a paratha on it. Turn it over after 5-6 seconds with a spatula. Again turn over after 5-6 seconds. Brush a little oil/ghee to both the sides and cook the paratha till it has nice light brown spots on both sides. Remove on a paper towel. Brush it with little butter (optional) and serve with raita, achar, or tamarind and dates chutney.
How to Make Raita
You will need:
- 1 cup set yogurt
- 1 cup chopped white onions
- ½ cup seeded and chopped tomatoes
- Handful of chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Salt to taste
Directions:
Beat yogurt in a bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Serve cold with parathas or as a side dish with any type of rice or with snacks.
Vegetable Paratha And Raita For A Perfect Healthy Breakfast
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup grated green cabbage
- ½ cup grated carrots
- ½ cup crushed green peas
- ½ cup finely chopped fenugreek leaves
- 1 teaspoon green chilly paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger-garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- Salt to taste
- Water
- Oil/ghee
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil/ghee in a pan. Add fennel seeds and allow them to splutter. Add turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, green chilly paste, coriander powder, and stir well. Then add all the vegetable one-by-one and mix well. Add salt and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat when the veggies are little moist. Keep aside the veggie mix and let it cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the veggie mix to a large mixing bowl. Add whole-wheat flour and mix it well. Add little water while kneading the dough. Add a little more flour if more binding is required. Form dough that is soft but tight enough to roll. Give a final knead with 1 teaspoon oil in your hand and keep aside for 15 minutes.
- Make 6-8 equal size balls of the dough. Take a single ball and roll it in dry flour. Roll the paratha with a rolling pin. When it is your palm size, just brush a little oil and fold to make a semi-circle. Again brush a little oil and fold to make the shape of a quarter pie. Again dust it with dry flour and roll till it becomes disk size.
- Heat griddle on high. Make sure your griddle is nicely hot and place a paratha on it. Turn it over after 5-6 seconds with a spatula. Again turn over after 5-6 seconds. Brush a little oil/ghee to both the sides and cook the paratha till it has nice light brown spots on both sides. Remove on a paper towel. Brush it with little butter (optional) and serve with raita, achar, or tamarind and dates chutney.
Notes
- 1 cup set yogurt
- 1 cup chopped white onions
- ½ cup seeded and chopped tomatoes
- Handful of chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Salt to taste
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