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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Masala Avrakkai Poriyal - Hyacinth Beans Stir fry with spices and peanuts

I cook a vegetable almost every other day. Lightly seasoned and with sauteed onions and green or red chilies and finished with a sprinkling of fresh/frozen grated coconut. While this is easy to cook when you are brain dead in the evening and want something done as quickly as possible this is not exactly terribly exciting.

So when I was getting ready to make a stir fry with hyacinth beans albeit using the boring method, my brother stepped and suggested we try these masala kind instead. He wasn't sure where exactly he got the recipe but vaguely remembered the spices he thought that went into and also the roasted roughly crushed peanuts.

Masala Avrakkai Poriyal
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:20 hours
Ingredients

1. 1 lb of avrakkai
2. 1 tsp oil
3. seasonings: 2 tsp urad dal, cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves
4. 1/4 cup of roasted peanuts
For the spice powder
5. 1 tbsp Bengal Gram (kadalai paruppu)
6. 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds
7. 1 tsp cumin seeds
8. a few pepper corns
9. 4 red chilies

Method

1. Roast the ingredients for the spice powder one by one and set aside. The dal should brown a little bit. Cool and powder using a spice grinder.
2. Coarsely powder or crush the peanuts.
3. Clean the beans. remove the strings if any and cut into 1 inch piece.
4. Add the beans to a sauce pan, add a couple of tsps of water and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Set aside. If there is any moisture drain it. (see Note:)
5. In a wide mouthed pan heat oil, when hot add the urad dal and saute till it turns brown. Add the cumin and mustard seeds.
6. Add the beans and saute for 3-4 minutes.
7. Sprinkle salt and the spice powder over the beans, saute for a couple of minutes.
8. Finish with sprinkling of the crushed peanuts and turn off the heat.
9. Note:You can add salt when steaming the vegetable.

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