Paraanthe - waala Blog

Our friends Manasi & Piyush are getting married in a few months. Now both are fans of the great 'Stuffed Indian flatbreads', and Manasi requested I include this one in my blog, for a ready reference on lazy Sunday mornings!
So,I made up a batch of mixed paranthas, to help me quantify the ingredients, and we've had a very satisfying Sunday lunch! :-)

How to stuff a parantha: Take a largish piece of dough and roll it into a thick circle, about the size of a saucer. Put the stuffing in the centre and fold the rest of the dough and seal the stuffing into the dough using your fingers. Roll into desired size using a rolling pin, and fry using a little oil.

Serve with plain dahi / boondi raita / pickles of your choice. 

Good ol' Aaloo Parantha

Ingredients for stuffing:

2 medium sized Potatoes (boiled, mashed)
1 small Onion (finely chopped)
2 tbsp fresh Coriander (chopped)
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 green Chilli (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Cumin powder (jeera) + 1 tbsp Coriander powder (dhania) +1 tsp Carom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt (as per taste)

Paneer Parantha:
Ingredients for stuffing:
1-1/2 cups Paneer (grated)
2 tbsp fresh Coriander
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 green Chilli
1 tbsp Cumin powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Carom seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder + 1/2 tsp Garam masala
Salt (as per taste)

Kheema parantha:
This is a good way to use up any left over kheema curry, if not, a fresh batch takes hardly any time to make.
Ingredients for Kheema:
1 cup Chicken keema (minced chicken)
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 Green Capsicum (finely chopped)
1 medium tomato (pureed)
1 green Chilli (chopped)
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Cumin powder (jeera)
1 tbsp Coriander powder (dhania)
2 tbsp Meat masala powder + 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
2 tbsp fresh Coriander + 2 tbsp fresh Mint leaves (chopped)
Salt (as per taste)

Preparation of the Chicken kheema:
1.  Sautee the chopped Onion, chilli, ginger-garlic paste till light brown. Add chopped Capsicum. Saute till capsicum is cooked.
2.  Add Tomato puree and all the dry spice powders and salt- and cook till fragrant.
3.  Add the Chicken kheema and cook through ( alternatively, pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles) 
4. Once the kheema is cooked through, remove the lid and open cook and dry out the kheema till it is moist, but all the water is absorbed. 
5. Add the chopped Coriander and mint leaves and mix well. Stuff into dough and roll out the parantha as usual.


Andaa (egg) Parantha:
Ingredients for stuffing:
2 large Eggs
1 medium Onion (chopped)
1 medium tomato (chopped)
1 green Chilli (chopped)
1/2 tsp Garam masala
2 tbsp Cheese grated (optional)
1 tbsp Fresh green Coriander (chopped)


Preparation of the Andaa Parantha: 
1.  Whisk the eggs along with the onions, tomato,chilli,cheese and garam masala.
2.  Roll out a 2 plain rotis to the required size.
3.  Put the rolled out roti onto the frying pan and wait for a few seconds till it begins to set. Pour the whisked egg mixture onto the roti and sprinkle the coriander leaves over the setting omlette.
4. Place 2nd the rolled out roti onto the omlette when it is almost set,and wait for it to cook through and become firm.
5. Drizzle a little oil over the roti and flip over and fry till golden brown.