PARATHAS 2 WAYS

Parathas 2 Ways image

Story goes that my sister tried to feed me paratha when I was a baby-I was hooked, and I strongly believe it was the beginning of my love affair with food. Parathas are stuffed flatbreads that are beloved all over India. Delhi even has an alleyway called the Paranthe Wali Gali ("byway of the paratha" in Hindi). When making parathas, you can use just about any fillings you like to keep yours seasonal. Here I suggest a bright carrot filling and a creamy mashed pea filling.

Provided by Maneet Chauhan

Time 45m

Yield 10 to 12 parathas

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

3 cups whole-wheat flour (preferably atta)
Kosher salt
2 cups peeled shredded carrot
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 green chiles, such as Thai or serrano, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
1 teaspoon chaat masala
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Whole-wheat flour, for dusting
Vegetable oil or ghee
Butter, plain yogurt and Indian pickles, for serving

Steps:

For the dough: Mix the flour and salt to taste together in a large bowl. Begin adding about 1 cup water, adding the water until you have a soft dough. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook if you like. Knead the dough until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
For the carrot-ginger filling: Combine the carrot, onion, chiles, cilantro, ginger, cumin, chaat masala and salt to taste in a medium bowl. Set aside.
For the green pea-cumin filling: Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they start to crackle. Stir in the ginger. Add the fenugreek, coriander, chili powder, garam masala, chat masala and salt and pepper to taste. Add the peas. Mash coarsely with the back of a spoon and set aside.
To assemble the parathas: Pull off a piece of dough about the size of a lemon and roll it into a ball. Roll the ball out with a rolling pin until it is about as thin as a tortilla. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling of choice in the center. Bring all the edges up to the center to enclose the filling and then pinch to seal. Tear off any excess dough.
Flatten the filled dough with your hands. Then use the rolling pin to roll the paratha out to a circle 7 to 8 inches in diameter; use flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
Spoon oil or ghee onto a griddle set over medium heat. Cook the paratha on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, adding more oil to the griddle as necessary. Serve hot with butter, plain yogurt and Indian pickles.