Stuffed Parathas – Stuffed Indian Bread

My love affair with parathas started recently and I just can’t get enough of them.  Stuffed parathas can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian depending on the stuffing itself.  The best part about this dish is that the only accompaniment you need with it is a blob of butter on a hot paratha and a raita.  Simple, rustic, filling and oh – so delicious!

Start off by making the dough for the bread.

 Ingredients:

2 cups atta (unrefined wheat flour)

2-3 tablespoons of wheat bran (wheat germ)

½ a teaspoon of salt

A few drops of oil

Using warm water, mix the flour and knead it to a soft pliable dough.  Add a few drops of oil to the dough, knead for a couple more minutes and leave it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

You can buy the atta from an Indian store - and I got the wheat bran from the supermarket.

Meanwhile, you can start getting the filling ready.  You can use any filling that you like – but remember it has to be dry.  I have made these parathas with fenugreek leaf and cottage cheese filling as well as lamb mince and potato filling.

Fenugreek and cottage cheese filling:

1 bunch fenugreek leaves – chopped finely

½ cup of shredded Indian cottage cheese (paneer)

2 -3 green chillies chopped finely

2 stalks of coriander chopped finely

1 small piece of ginger chopped finely

½ teaspoon of cumin seeds

½ teaspoon of chilli powder

¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder

½ teaspoon of amchur powder (dried powdered mango)

A pinch of salt

1 tablespoon of oil

Heat oil in a wok add the cumin seeds and when it sizzles, add the ginger and green chillies. When you can smell the aroma of the ginger (in a couple of minutes) add the chopped leaves and all the powders and salt.  Mix well.  Now add the paneer and mix well. Set aside.

For lamb mince filling:

½ a cup of lamb mince

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

½ a mashed potato or a handful of cooked peas

Cumin seeds

½ a chopped onion

2 stalks coriander leaves 

½ teaspoon of chilli powder

¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder

½ teaspoon of amchur powder (dried powdered mango)

Salt to taste

Heat oil, add cumin seeds. Add the onions and ginger garlic paste and saute.  Then add the lamb mince along with all the powders.  Then add cooked potato or peas.  Add salt to taste.  Make sure the mixture is dry.

I sometimes use left over Kheema Mattar or Aloo Kheema (Recipe later) for the stuffing to make my work easier and also to use leftover food in the fridge.

Raita:

1 very finely sliced red onion

Amchur (dried mango powder)

Lime juice from half a lime

Black salt to taste

Yogurt (greek style or fresh home made)

Let the onion slices sit in the lime juice for 15 miuntes.

Add all the ingredients and mix well.

The assembly:

Take the dough that has been resting and make 6 even sized balls.  Roll out each of the balls to a circle about 4 or 5 centimetres wide and place a tablespoon or so of stuffing. Pinch the ends of the circle in a pleating motion and close the circle.  Now roll it out very carefully to a circle about  8 – 10 centimetres wide.

Heat oil in a skillet and cook the paratha on both sides.

Serve hot with a knob of butter and a raita.

To my Aussie friends, it is the Indian version of a stuffed toasted sandwich - great for breakfast or dinner, healthy and bursting with flavour!

I must admit it took me a while to perfect the art of rolling out the stuffed parathas - but whether you get the shape or not, the taste is awesome.