Winter mornings with hot and nutritious parathas and pickles on the side is a breakfast favourite for not only adults but also the kids. And the best part is that winter is the season for lots of leafy green, and root vegetables which are not just delicious but also a power house of nutrition.
I always take this opportunity to make stuffed parathas because they are super easy, yummy and also a great way to sneak in that extra dose of immunity and fibre that we need in winters.
Just a hint of carom seeds in the paratha dough ensures the right digestion.
They are easy and quick to prepare for early morning tiffin too, let’s get warm and cozy with these comfort foods.
Here are some of my family’s favourite picks along with their recipes:-
1.Beetroot paratha
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup grated beetroot
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger green chili paste (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds
- 2 tablespoon ghee
- Salt to taste
Method:
1. Mix together whole wheat flour with 1 -2 teaspoon of melted ghee, ginger green chili paste (if adding), salt and carom seeds.
2. Now add grated beetroot and mix well
3. Add water, a little at a time and knead the mixture into a soft dough. Keep the dough covered for 10-15 minutes
4. Take out a small portion of the dough and roll it out to get a triangle shape (apply some ghee)
5. Heat a skillet on medium flame and roast the paratha on a low flame from both the sides. Apply a little ghee while doing so
6. Serve the paratha warm with some salad , curd or raita
2. Spinach paratha
Options to make the Spinach (palak) paratha –
- Blanching Spinach: Blanch the spinach leaves, i.e., wash the spinach and put them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and take the spinach out and then take out the spinach and run them under cold water (This retains the green color of spinach). Blend together with 1-2 tablespoons of water to make spinach puree.
- Finely Chopped Spinach: If you don’t have time to puree, You can finely chop the spinach and add it to the flour along with spices and make the dough
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch palak leaves / spinach
- 3 cups water
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 green chilli
- 2 cup wheat flour
- ½ tsp ajwain / carom seeds
- salt to taste
- 2 tsp oil
- water as required, to knead dough
- ½ cup wheat flour, to dust
- oil / ghee / for roasting
Method:
- Firstly, prepare a dough with palak puree.Donot keep it too soft
- Further pinch a medium sized ball dough, roll and flatten it.
- Also dust with some wheat flour.
- And roll it in a thin circle like chapati or paratha.
- Now on a hot tawa place the rolled paratha and cook for a minute,roasting on both sides
- Also brush oil / ghee and press slightly.
- Serve palak paratha with raita and pickle.
3. Carrot paratha
Ingredients:
- Wheat flour – 2 cup
- Carrots – 1 cup (grated)
- Green coriander – 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
- Oil or ghee – 4 tbsp
- Green chilly – 1-2 (finely chopped)
- Ginger – 1 inch piece (grated)
- Salt – less than 1 tsp (as per taste)
- Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Red chilly powder – less than 1/4 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
- Mango powder – 1/4 tsp
Method:
- Preheat oil in a pan. When oil is sufficiently hot add cumin seeds and sauté for while.
- After sauteing cumin seeds, add green chilly, ginger, coriander powder and sauté the spices for few minutes.
- Now add salt, red chilly powder in grated carrots and sauté the carrots for 2-3 minutes until water evaporates. Carrot filling is now ready.
4. Prepare a dough with whole whet flour adding some ghee and carom seeds (crushing in your palm),add water as needed and let it rest for 10-15 mins
- Preheat tawa. Place 1-2 tsp stuffing over rolled parantha and lift the parantha from all sides to close the stuffing. Flatten the dough ball with your fingers so that stuffing gets spread evenly inside the parantha. Dust with dry flour and flatten some more with your fingers. Now roll into parantha.
- Place it on the tawa and cook on both sides,spread some oil on both side as well. (Keep the flame medium,increase the flame whenever required).
- Serve carrot stuffed parathas with chutney, pickle, raita, aloo-tomato curry o any other sabzi you relish eating the most.
4. Mooli (raddish) paratha
Recipe Tips:
Ensure that you keep in mind the below mentioned vital points before you start cooking the healthy and simple mooli paratha recipe for your baby.
- Wash the mooli thoroughly and peel off before grating.
- Remove water entirely from grated mooli so that there shouldn’t be additional moisture in the stuffing
Ingredients:
- Onion-1 finely chopped
- White Radish – 1 large grated in small grater
- Green Chilli -1 finely chopped
- Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp+ ½ tsp for tossing radish
- Chilli Powder-1 tsp
- Coriander Powder -1 tbsp.
- Cumin Powder -1 tsp
- Garam Masala Powder -1 tsp
- Chat Masala Powder -1 tsp
- Ajwain/ Carom Seeds – ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Oil-1 tbsp.
Method:
- First make stuffing.Take grated radish in a colander and place it over a plate. Add ½ tsp of turmeric and some salt and mix well. Let it stand for 30 mins.
- Now squeeze all the water with your hands and set it aside.
- Now this can be used for your filling.
- Heat oil in a kadai. Add in ajwain and let it sizzle.
- Add in onions and mix well.
- Add green chillies and sauté for 2 mins…Now add in all the spice powders and mix well.
- Now Add in the prepared radish and mix well.
- Let it cook for 5 mins until it is cooked and all water has evaporated. Remove it in a bowl and allow it to cool down.
- Make dough by mixing atta and salt in a bowl with carom seeds. Slowly add in water and make into a dough. Apply some oil and let it stand for 30 mins covered.
10.Divide the dough and stuffing into equal portions. Now roll this into chapattis. You can dip raw flour if needed.
11.Heat a tawa and put this on it. Flip it again and cook on both sides till light golden and cooked. Remove it and serve with pickle or raita
5. Methi paratha
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups wholewheat flour
- 1/4 cup thick curd
- Water as needed to make a dough
- A pinch of Hing
- 2 tsp white sesame seeds
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped methi leaves
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp chopped green chillies (optional)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
- 2 tsp ghee for the dough and extra to smear on the parathas
Method:
- Add all the ingredients in a large bowl except the flour, water and ghee.
- Mix well and then add the flour.
- Now add water little by little to make a semi soft dough. Apply ghee and knead again. Set the dough aside for 15 mins to rest
- Roll out the parathas using a bit of dry flour, making them thicker than rotis. Cook them using some ghee on both sides until golden brown and slightly crisp
- Serve warm with some pickles & curd.
Which one is your favourite and which one would you like to try next!
Do try these out and tell me which one is your favourite in comments! Follow my Blog for more on parenting and mom life hacks!