MBP March-Rolling!! Gobi Parathas..

pic: Google search

Hey, that's not me!! This is the Theme for this month's MBP!!! And my prowling around took me here ! First off, I must admit, I am a huge fan of One Hot Stove! Apart from the wonderful dishes she makes, her ideas are also awesome and *must try this* variety!

Coming to rolling.... I love parathas.. in fact I like all Indian breads and like to include rotis in my everyday meals. M however, is not too fond of rotis (etc.) and proudly says that before we got married, he had successfully avoided eating any for many years! Not anymore... and twists his face into a comic-tragic look ... how cute!! But seriously, making parathas is not that easy... I mean, one can make parathas out of any stuffing, but the skill lies in the 'rolling' part! I still have trouble at times... rolling the dough (with the filling) into a round shape and uniform all over without the stuffing poking out!Whew!!

My addiction (yes, I will call it that) for Parathas started when I started visiting my best friend L in Delhi. Her Mom made the bestest (?!?!) parathas! Aaaah, I can still taste those awesome breakfasts!!! Served with a dollop of butter, yogurt and pickle.. it's a complete meal!
Soon enough, I too started making parathas, after seeing Auntie make them and also with the aid of a cookery class I attended. My parents also liked this variation from the daily roti- subzi, which is a staple in most Maharashtrian-Kanadiga homes.

I tweaked the recipe a bit... the original recipe is:

1. Make the dough: Mix 2 cups atta (see recipe introduction), 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Add enough water to make a soft dough and knead it for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp towel and set aside in a covered bowl for 30 minutes.
2. Make the filling: This is easily done while the dough is resting. You need 2 cups of finely minced or grated cauliflower, one minced fresh green chili and 1 tsp minced fresh ginger. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, chili and ginger and stir until fragrant (few seconds). Add the grated cauliflower, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ajwain seeds (carom seeds, optional), salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Cook on low heat, uncovered, until the cauliflower is tender. You want the mixture to be very dry.
3. To make the parathas, knead the dough again for two minutes and then divide it into five portions.
In the skillet, divide the filling roughly into five portions too.
Take a portion of the dough and roll it out into a fat circle (try and make the edges of the circle thinner than the center). Place one portion of the stuffing in the middle and pull up the edges to cover the filling. Press down flat and roll it out gently into a flat evenly-thick circle. Fry the paratha in a hot griddle, using a few drops of olive oil to fry each side until it is golden and well-cooked.

My variation :To the dough I added 1/2 spoon of Ajwain.
Instead of Olive oil, I used Canola, which I had,for the dough and making the stuffing.
In the filling, I added a bit of dhania & jeera (coriander and cumin) powder.
And finally, I shallow fried these in butter not olive oil

End Result: The Parathas were awesome!! I had a bit of a problem with the stuffing, which was dry, but still managed to poke out of the dough cover! I served these with thick creamy yogurt and 'Shan' Mixed Hyderabadi Pickle.. I mention this particular brand and variety because it is tooooo good! The pickle contains Fennel (Saunf) and Ajwain which go very well with the paratha (and with everything else too!!)
Rooma, many thanks for hosting this event!

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