Broccoli and onion Paratha - Broccoli Stuffed Indian Flat Bread

Stuffed parathas look hard to make but it is easier than it looks. It is enjoyed by all and is almost similar to a one pot meal. With some raita or pickles it is a meal by itself. Broccoli stuffed paratha might be the easiest of them all. Broccoli has this reputation for being disliked can hide itself inside the pretty looking paratha.

While broccoli was never my favorite, I have moved away from hating it to cooking it in a way that makes the vegetable tasty. Beside roasting the vegetable this is my next best way of cooking it.

Get the broccoli stuffing ready. Prepare the dough and set aside.
Take a small ball of dough and dust it in some dry flour. Flatten it slightly using a rolling pin or just in the palm of your hand.
Place the slightly flattened dough in the palm of one of your hands and using the tips of your fingers on the other hand pull out the sides so it resembles a cup. Place the filling inside the cup and then pull the sides on top and cover the filling completely.
Now dust your board with more dry flour gently roll out the dough to a small circle about 2 - 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the rolled dough on a heated griddle/tawa.
Let it cook on one side till you see bubbles appear on top. Now lightly brush with oil and flip and cook on the other side. Brush with oil on top. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.

Broccoli Paratha
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:30 minutes
Ingredients

For the broccoli stuffing
1. 3 heads of broccoli, separate the florets and use the stems after peeling the skin off.
2. 1/2 onion chopped really fine
3. 2 tsp of grated ginger
4. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
5. 2-3 tsp of red chili powder
6. salt to taste
7. 1 tsp oil
For the Paratha
8. 4 cups of whole wheat flour
9. 1/2 tsp of salt
10. 1 tbsp of yogurt (leave out for vegan)
11. water enough to make a stiff but roll-able dough

Method

1. Prepare the dough first. Mix the whole wheat flour, salt, yogurt if using, add water 2 tbsp at a time till you make a stiff but still pliable dough. Cover and set aside.
2. Heat water in sauce till it comes to a rolling boil. Add the broccoli florets and stems and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Drain the water off. Using a grater mince the broccoli and set aside.
3. Make the broccoli stuffing, in a saute pan heat oil add the grated ginger and saute it for a minute. Now add the finely minced onion and saute till it start to become brown.
4. Add the cumin and red chili powder, mix and add the broccoli and salt and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cook.
Making the paratha
5. Take a small ball of dough and dust it in some dry flour. Flatten it slightly using a rolling pin or just in the palm of your hand.
6. Place the slightly flattened dough in the palm of one of your hands and using the tips of your fingers on the other hand pull out the sides so it resembles a cup.
7. Place the filling inside the cup and then pull the sides on top and cover the filling completely.
8. Now dust your board with more dry flour gently roll out the dough to a small circle about 2 - 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
9. Heat a griddle/tawa. Place the rolled dough on the tawa. Let it cook on one side till you see bubbles appear on top.
10. Lightly brush with oil and flip and cook on the other side. Brush with oil on top.
11. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.

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Spicy Squash Paratha - Roasted North Georgia Candy Roaster

There are squashes and then there are squashes. When I was looking for squash seeds to plant that is different from the usual squash varieties that are found here like the butternut and acorn and decided on 'North Georgia Candy Roaster'. With a name like 'candy roaster' what is there to lose? The only thing I knew about it was that it would taste just like sweet potatoes when roasted.

The plant was a joy to watch in the beginning until the weevil got to it. In spite of the pest problem we still got quite a few of them. The first few I tried were not fully ripe and the taste was nothing special, but once they reached the right level of maturity they turned out to be quite delicious.

Once roasted you could take a spoon and dig right in. I used the roasted pulp to make some parathas and those were soft and very tasty. The roasted pulp could very easily be used for some silky smooth soup.

The North Georgia Candy Roaster is not that common of a squash. So if you do not have it that does not mean you cannot try this recipe. Sweet Potato or Yam will be a perfect replacement for the squash. Butternut or Acorn squash will work perfectly in this well. Be sure to roast them for best flavor. The thing with this North Georgia squash is that it does not have to be roasted as much because the skin is much thinner than the Butternut or Acorn.

Roasting the Squash

Cut the squash, remove the seeds and place them on a lined baking sheet.
Roast first with skin side down for about 15 minutes. Flip and then roast for another 15 minutes or till the flesh is soft. Let cool and peel the skin.
Mash the pulp to smooth. Add the wheat flour along with the spices.
Mix the flour and pulp, sprinkling water only if required and bring it together to a smooth dough.
Take a small piece of dough and roll into a small ball. Dust with dry flour.
Using a rolling pan, press into a thin flat round.
Heat a griddle and place the rolled chapathi on it. Cook on one side.
Flip and cook on the other side, gently pressing so it puffs up.

Spicy Squash Paratha
Preparation Time:35 minutes (for roasting the squash)
Cooking Time:20 minutes
Ingredients

Roasting the Squash
1. 1 Squash slit in half, seeds removed.
2. Rub a few drops of oil on the surface.
3. Preheat the oven to 400F, line a baking sheet and place the squash and roast for about 15 minutes.
4. Flip so the skin side is on top and roast for another 15 minutes.
5. Check by piercing a knife and if it makes without any resistance it is done. Otherwise flip so the flesh side on top again and roast for another 5-10 minutes. Let cool.
6. Peel the skin and take the flesh and gently mash so there are no LUMPS.

Ingredients

1. 2-3 cups of roasted squash pulp
2. 3 cups of whole wheat flour
3. salt to taste
4. 1/2 tsp omam/ajwain powder
5. 1-2 tsp red chili powder
6. approx 1/4 cup of water

Method

Take the pulp and add the rest of the ingredients and mix them together. Sprinkle water only if required to bring the mixture together to form a stiff dough that can be worked. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes (or longer).
1. Take a small melon sized ball and roll between the palm of your hands till smooth.
2. Gently pat the ball to flatten a little bit. Dust it in some flour and with a rolling pin roll gently to form a flat thin round of about 6 inches or so in diameter.
3. 
   
4. Heat a griddle and when hot place the rolled chapathi on the griddle. Let cook for about 2 minutes on one side till you see small bubbles on the surface.


5. Now flip to the other side and let cook for about 30 seconds. Gently press with the spatula so it begins to puff up. Remove from the fire.


6. Continue till all the dough is finished.

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Grated Radish Beetroot Paneer Spicy Paratha

I had lamented this fact many times before. The lack of quality libraries in small towns in India. It is still the same today in my hometown. Even in bigger cities having a quality library used to be a hit or miss unless you had access to the USIS or the British Council. Do let me know if things have changed and the library situation has improved. Well I was lucky to have access to a school library which had plenty of books and that is where I read through all of Perry Mason's books. They are not as popular here in the US as they were back in India in those days. Or maybe I am just showing my age.

Summer holidays were another matter altogether books could not be borrowed from the school library. Lucky me I had uncles who read a lot of English fiction. They went to colleges in Madras or Bangalore and had access to book stores or used book stores that sold these books I guess and looks like my grandfather financed their reading habit knowingly or unknowingly.

It was from among their collections that I chanced upon Ayn Rand and her 2 tomes Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged. It was a day of great joy like chancing upon a treasure trove. At about a 1000 and odd pages it gave me several days of reading pleasure. I doubt that I would have read that many pages of drivel now. Those days with a lot of time on hand and little else to do reading was the primary mode of time pass.

I am glad I was not old enough or mature enough to think or take ideas presented as guiding moral principles. Even in my most wildest dreams I would never have imagined that some people would take her words to be philosophy and that it would dictate their policy in the inner reaches of the US government. One of her admirers was Fed Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Selfishness and Self interest as guiding philosophy and to most right wing politicians she is a hero. They are plenty of material on her in the web if you are interested in reading more about her. No doubt she is a very fascinating personality.

Where did I suddenly pick up Ayn Rand to talk about? It was this article - Is capitalism moral? in the Outlook section of Washington Post. If you are a news junkie like by all means read this article.

Moving to the recipe,

Radish is one of those vegetables I buy even though I am not very fond of it. Reason being it is perfect in sambhar and stays fresh for a long time especially the red round ones we buy from the Amish market. Invariably after a few months even the sight of the radish is unbearable. I stop and then they start again later having forgotten. The difference this time I was intent on trying to make stuffed parathas. Once grated and the water squeezed out they become about half in mass so grate twice of what you would normally want. Once sauteed they shrunk a little bit more and I needed aa bit more so used some grated paneer in the mix and the paneer was what made it a big hit.

Grated Radish Beetroot Paneer Spicy Paratha Ingredients

For the stuffing
1. 2 cups of grated radish and beets and let sit for about 10-15 minutes
2. 1/2 tbsp of grated fresh ginger
3. 1 cup of grated paneer
4. 6 green chilies seeds removed and chopped very fine
5. 1 tsp turmeric powder
6. 1 tsp coriander powder
7. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
8. salt to taste
For the Dough
9. 4-5 cups of whole wheat flour
10. 1/2 tbsp of yogurt
11. 1/2 tsp of salt
12. water as required
13. Combine the above ingredients for the dough and mix it with water as required to form a stiff but pliable dough, cover and set aside.

Method

1. Combine the beets, radish and ginger and with the palm of your hands squeeze out as much water as possible.
2. In a wide mouthed pan add a bit of oil and saute the radish mixture and green chilies till it cooks a bit.
3. Add all the powders and salt and combine them well.
4. Add the paneer give a good mix and turn off the heat. Let cool.
5. Make small lime sized balls and set aside.
6. Take a slightly larger portion of the dough and flatten it out with your hand to form a cup shape, place the filling inside the cup and bring the edges around to cover the filler. Check this link for a better idea.
7. Dust some flour over the rolling board and roll into a circular shape careful not to let the filling spill out.
8. Heat a griddle and when hot place the rolled paratha on top and cook on both sides applying oil on each side till brown spots appear.

Serve with any raita of choice.

Spicy Paratha with Lentils and Greens (Methi leaves)

I registered DD when she was about 5 in soccer hoping she'd one day become a David Beckham. Just saying. Anyway throughout the season she aimlessly ran behind the ball and some days just refused to step onto the field. Little did I know that for all that trouble she'd be a proud owner of a medal at the end of the season. As the seasons rolled by the medal tally started getting higher and higher and finding a place to put the useless medals was getting to be a problem.

Back home a medal is a precious thing given out only to winners who had accomplished something. Nobody got a medal just for showing up. Sorry that was not how things were done and there was a certain respect for accomplishment. Notion like everybody is a winner, medals for self esteem was something that was unheard of and we were all better for it.

The other thing that I couldn't quite understand was whenever a scribble was made on a piece of paper it was celebrated as high art and hung on every available space in the refrigerator.

In an effort to conform to behaving like how a mom is expected to behave around her children, I am guilty of esteem boosting as well. But as the kids got older I consciously avoided giving out empty praise.



Well my action has not seriously damaged my kids nor am I the worst mother there is. I don't say it research says I may have been onto something. Research done for the past 30 years when esteem boosting became big, shows (well here you always need research to show something that everybody knows) that unearned praise actually harms more than does good. Read this article in the Washington Post - Telling kids they're great isn't so good ...

Thought I'd share and hear how parents feel about esteem boosting.

Now onto the recipe,
This recipe comes from a TV program via my mom. This recipe is a sure fire winner and a keeper. Parathas that are soft and tasty to boot. Rolling out also becomes much easier with the addition of lentils.

Spicy Paratha with Lentils and Greens
1. 1 bunch of methi leaves picked and washed
2. 1/2 bunch of coriander leaves picked
3. 2-3 tbsp of yogurt
4. 1 tsp pepper corn, a few methi seeds, a few mustard seeds
5. salt to taste
6. 1/2 tbsp of red chili powder
7. 3 to 4 cups of wheat flour (atta)
8. 2 tbsp of channa dal (Bengal gram)
9. 2 tbsp of moong dal
10. 1/2 tbsp of grated ginger (optional)

Method
1. In a pan heat oil and add the pepper corn, methi and mustard seeds, saute for a minute. Add in the methi leaves and coriander leaves and let them saute till they are wilted. Cool and blend to a paste.
2. Roast the channa dal and moong dal till they start to turn golder brown. Cool and blend to a powder. (I use the coffee grinder)
3. Take the whole wheat flour, the dal flour, chilli powder, salt in a bowl. Add in the blended greens and mix it into the flour. Add in the yogurt and mix it in.
4. Add water only if required to bring the dough together. The dough is not as sticky as the regular dough and comes together pretty easily.

5. Take lemon sized balls and roll out the dough like you would a normal chapathi.
6. Heat a griddle, place the rolled out dough, cook on one side till brown spots start to appear. Flip and cook on the other side. Brush some oil if required.

Serve with raita and pickles.

Sweet Potato Paratha

I am not all that fond of Indian cities. The crowds, traffic, pollution, heat all besides adding to the annoyance makes me want to run away to my ancestral village. Here in the US, it is the suburbs that get to me. The lack of people, the cemetery like quietness all make it seem like human beings were sucked out and the shells of their dwelling were left behind, even though the truth is there are a lot of people who live in suburbia. It is absolutely impossible to tell the unique character of a place but for the sameness that seems to permeate suburbia all over this country.

In contrast the US cities are the ones brimming with character and quirks. These are the qualities that make you want to go back to the city again and again or not. I have professed my love for DC. There is a lot to like about DC and I won't go there today.

The other city I keep falling in love over and over is New York city. Who doesn't you say? The crowds which seem to forget that niceties like letting someone pass, the honking cars, the exotic tongues all add to the charm. There is something happening all the time but of course the city never sleeps so no surprises there.

Christmas in New York was crowded, noisy and did I say crowded? Usually we stay with friends in New Jersey and drive through the city which is not the same as exploring by walking. This time we took a bus from DC to NY and stayed in the city. This meant we had to do a lot of walking and the cold and wind made it a bit difficult but walking we did. We were in the heart of Broadway after all so did catch a theater performance as well.

It took all of 10 minutes to realize that everyone keeps walking and fast so stepping aside to let someone pass is normally not done. Among all the walking the street carts provided the fastest and easiest way to get food. My favorite among the small eateries was Maoz Vegetarian Falafel sandwiches a chain. The falafels were crispy and flavorful. I also sampled falafel from the cart vendors, so I had something to compare against and I paid almost the same price for both but thought the Maoz was way better.

The contradictions the first and second paragraphs can be explained thus. It is probably the dullness of life in suburbia that makes me appreciate cities here in the US perhaps. Whereas in India the chaos of every day in the city makes for appreciating village life. Grass is greener on the other side always.

What is your favorite city?


Now on to the recipe,

It is not actually a recipe but a suggestion. Sweet potatoes parathas like sweet potato fries should be the new find. The super soft slightly sweet parathas were a kids delight as well. What brought the recipe about were some overcooked mushy sweet potatoes. To eat boiled sweet potatoes they have to be cooked just so when overcooked they taste just about inedible. Not to despair, just set them aside to be used in making parathas.

I did not add any other spices to it but a tiny bit of chili powder and grated ginger would be nice too.

Sweet potato parathas
Ingredients
1. 2 sweet potatoes
2. 2 - 2 1/2 cups of wheat flour (atta)
3. a pinch of salt
4. 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
5. 1/4 tsp of cumin powder (optional)
6. 1 tsp of grated fresh ginger (optional)

Method
1. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes till smooth.
2. Add the wheat flour and salt (and the spices if doing so) and mix to form a smooth dough.
3. Let it sit for 30 minutes (this is a must).
4. Now make small lime sized balls and roll it evenly into a 4-6 inches in diameter.
5. Heat a tawa and cook the paratha first on one side and when it starts to get brown spots flip and cook on the other side.

Serve with pickles or just by itself.