Moong Daal Parathas with Fragrant Gujarati Garam Masala!

As a little girl I was very fond of birthdays and birthday parties! I was the center of attraction, people would pamper me, put up with my fussing and demands.. they did that anyway.. hmmm.. the cake, blowing candles, cutting the cake and eating it and finally.. presents! If blowing candles brought a twinkle to my eyes, accepting presents brought roses to my plump cheeks! Not content at having the time of my life on my birthday, I ensured that I had the same on my cousins birthdays too! My parents had a hard time holding me back when it was time to blow the candles!
Now you may wonder where all this is leading to. A couple of weeks ago I received a parcel in the post.. I was excited , the roses bloomed again! This time however it was a parcel for Little S, from dear Trupti . She sent him the most adorable baby clothes!! But wait, that's not all!! There was something in it for me too! (Yaaaaay!!)

This beautiful little jar contains fragrant Gujarati Garam masala! I was thrilled! I confess, I did not know that there was a Gujarati Garam Masala. I tell you this stuff is amazing!


For some time now , I have been laid back about making parathas / rotis and the likes. I missed parathas and wanted to make some. Trupti's masala came in at a time when I was craving for some spicy filling enclosed in a warm toasty whole wheat cover, piping hot, off the griddle with pickle on the side...ummmmmmm!
A few months ago I made Dhal Puri and the memory lingered and I wanted to re-create it, but this time I wanted to experiment with a different daal and use the Garam Masala. So this time around I opted for Moong Daal.


For the Filling :
1 cup Moong Daal
1 Dry Red Chili
1 Bayleaf
1 tsp. Ginger - Garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce , alternatively use 1-2 green chilies
1/4 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala (this imparts a subtle flavor which we prefer)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Sugar (optional)
Juice of 1/2 Lime
1tbsp Chopped Cilantro

For the Cover :
Whole Wheat Flour / Gheun ka Atta
Oil
2 pinches Salt
Water
Mix all the above and make a smooth dough (like the one made for Rotis. I did not use any specific measures for the dough. Any left over dough is used for making Fulkas.)

To make the Filling:
Pick and Wash the Moong Daal. Soak it in plenty of water for about 2-4 hours. In a saucepan add water, daal and cook till it is al dente.
Drain ALL water. Keep the daal aside for a while (after the daal was at room temperature, I kept it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours)
Grind to a coarse powder. I used my chopper.
Heat Oil in a wok/ kadhai. Add the bayleaf and red chiles.
Add the ginger-garlic paste ( keep a safe distance from the wok, this thing sputters and spatters.
Add the moong daal, chili garlic sauce. If using green chile's, add to the tempering and then add moong daal.
Mix well, add the garam masala, cumin pwd. Salt, sugar.
Do not overcook the mixture, this tends to make the filling very dry. Mix and let the spices blend in well.
Remove from heat, add lime juice and chopped cilantro. Let the mixture cool.
To make Parathas:
Heat the griddle/ Tawa.
Take a golf ball size piece of the dough and roll out a disc ( approx. the size of a puri).
Into this disc spoon the filling.
Bring together the sides and seal to make a ball.
Dust with flour and roll out parathas.
Transfer to the hot griddle and cook on both sides on Medium-High heat.
Brush with oil on both sides and cook till you see brown spots appear. Serve hot with pickle and curry of your choice or with plain Yogurt.


If you are new to making parathas, check out Cynthia's superb slide show on making parathas.
This Paratha is similar to dal puri and the subzi is a great accompaniment to the paratha.

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