Gobi Paratha

Last week I was in Bangalore. The weather in Bangalore was really breezy, chilly with drizzling now and then. It was just perfect to curl up with a nice book and a hot cup of tea. And on most of the days, during my stay, I did just that. I sat and enjoyed my mom’s delicacies.

 With the onset of the chilly weather, Bangalore’s markets get flooded with fresh veggies like cauliflower, radish, peas etc. It’s a delight to shop and cook these.

Stuffed parathas are our family favorite. They are relished by kids and adults alike.  They are also a great way to sneak in some vegetables into your kid’s meal. On one of the chilly evenings, we prepared these hot and delicious parathas with cauliflower. Hot from the tawa with a dollop of butter, these parathas are to die for. Serve them with a pickle and raita of your choice.

What you’ll need

For the dough

1. Wheat Flour – 2 ½ cup + little extra for dusting
2. Ajwain/Omam – 2 pinches
3. Oil – 1 tbsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Water as required for kneading
6. Oil/ ghee/butter for frying the parathas

For the filling

1. Grated Gobi – 2 ½ cup, tightly packed
2. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
3. Chilly Powder – ½ tsp
4. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
5. Garam Masala – 1 pinch
6. Salt to taste
7. Fresh Coriander Leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
8. Oil – 2 tsp

Method

For the dough

1. In a wide bowl, add the wheat flour, ajwain, salt to taste and mix well with hands.
2. Now add the oil and rub it well.
3. Add water little by little and knead in smooth and pliable dough.
4. For the filling
5. Break the cauliflower in florets, wash well.
6. Grate them.                        
7. Heat a Kadai with oil, add the grated cauliflower, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilly powder and salt to taste.
8. Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Remove cover and add garam masala powder and mix well. Fry for another 3 to 4 minutes without the cover.
10. Add finely chopped coriander leaves.
11. Allow to cool.

To prepare the parathas

1. For making the parathas, pinch out a lemon sized ball from the dough, roll out into a small disc. Place a spoonful of filling in the middle and bring the edges together to completely cover the filling. The edges should overlap slightly to seal the masala. Gently flatten the filled ball. Dust with flour and roll out to a flat disc of about 5-6 inches. 
2. Heat a tava (griddle). Roast the paratha on medium heat till done on both the sides. Grease the paratha with a little oil while cooking.

Delicious parathas are ready. Serve with a pickle and raita of your choice.

Note:

1. You can use finely chopped green chillies instead of red chilly powder.
2. Adding Ajwain or Omam is optional. I like the flavor and hence add it.
3. To get perfect parathas, without the stuffing coming out, make sure there is no moisture in your filling. Also, the outer dough should not be too tight or too sticky. The trick of making good parathas lies in these two points.
4. If you feel your filling has some moisture, add a spoon or two of wheat flour or roasted gram flour, this will absorb all the moisture.