Fenugreek Paratha (Indian Flatbread)
Methi Paratha
Paratha is made of whole wheat chapatti flour. It is a richer version of chapatti. Freshly cooked, crisp paratha, eaten as the cook is taking it off the griddle, is delicious though a little high in calories! This version has methi leaves mixed into the dough before cooking.
I have given a basic recipe here, but you can spice it up by adding a few spices. You can use other green leaves in place of Methi. To make parathas crisper, add little bit of oil/spice mix from any Indian pickle jar that you may have around, e.g., mango or chilli pickle.
Also see Paratha With Alu Methi Stuffing (Potato & Fenugreek Leaves).
Makes 10-12.
Ingredients
- 500 gm. (3 1/2-4 cups) chapatti flour (keep a little aside on a plate, to use for dusting).
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 cup fresh methi (fenugreek) or Bathua (lambsquarter/pigweed) leaves, chopped finely. You can use 2 tbsp. dry or 'kasoori' methi leaves
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. carom or ajwain seeds
- 1 inch piece of ginger, very finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, very finely chopped (optional)
- 300 ml. water approximately. Add a little more or a little less until you get a soft dough
- Oil for pan frying
Instructions
- Making the dough:
- If using dry methi leaves, soak them in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Then lift out the leaves, leaving the water and any dust in it behind.
- Place flour, (save 1-2 heaped tablespoon of dry flour or use extra, for dusting while rolling out parathas), onions, ginger, methi leaves, carom seeds, 1 tbsp. oil, salt in a bowl.
- Add enough water a little at a time, to make a soft to firmish dough. If you are new at making parathas, it is better to have a firm dough, which is easier to control while rolling out. Experienced Indian cooks prefer a little softer dough, which makes softer parathas.
- Knead well for 5-6 minutes. Do not use food processor for making this dough or it will grind the onions, methi leaves etc. too fine and you will loose the texture.
- Leave to stand for 10 minutes or so. Knead briefly again.
- Rolling out the parathas:
- Break dough into 10-12 portions and roll them into balls, using a little dry flour to dust. Keep them covered with a moist cloth.
- Parathas are generally rolled out one at a time. You roll out the next one while previous one is cooking.
- Roll one ball in dry flour and roll it out to approximately 7 cm. or 3 inches diameter.
- Place 1/8 tsp. (a few drops) of oil in the centre of the circle, pull the edges in and seal it in the centre. Now you have a ball again.
- Heat a griddle or tava.
- Roll out the ball into a 6-7 inches or 16-18 cm. circle. It should be rolled from centre outwards so that the edges are thinner than the centre. You will need to dip it in dusting flour, on both sides, a couple of time during this process. Parathas should not be too thin, approximately 2-3 mm. thick, as very thin ones do not have 'bite'. This again is your personal choice, some people prefer paper thin parathas.
- Cooking:
- Heat a griddle or tava to medium hot.
- Put the paratha on the hot griddle. Turn it over when it changes colour to semi-translucent and you can see a few blisters on the under-surface.
- Cook the other side same way and turn over again.
- Brush a little oil on both surfaces. This can be done with a small ladle or a soup spoon.
- Press it gently all over, using a flat spatula. This type of paratha does not usually puff up, because of the 'bits' of onion, ginger etc.
- Cook until crisp and nicely browned on both sides.
- Serve hot with a pickle of your choice, Apple (or Other Fruit) Chutney or Coriander, Mint, Mango/Apple Green Chutney (Chatni) and plain, natural yoghurt. They also taste nice with Turnip Or Kohlrabi Curry
Notes
- Parathas can be made in advance, stacked on top of each other and wrapped in Aluminium foil. They can be re-heated before serving, either individually on a griddle or in a microwave - place 4-5 parathas spread out on a plate and heat for 2-3 minutes on maximum power.
- They freeze quite well but should be defrosted properly before re-heating.
- You can cut parathas into wedges and serve as a snack.
- You can use chopped up mooli leaves instead of methi leaves.