Sorghum Flour Spicy Paratha
Jowar/Jwar Paratha, Chatpata
Gnostalgia
Sorghum comes from grass family and it is the staple grain of poor people in Asia and Africa. It is quite similar to wheat in nutritional values. Indians usually make flat bread (roti) and fried flat bread (paratha) with it. Here, addition of spices, onions, ginger and garlic etc. gives it an interesting twist. It is suitable to be eaten as a snack, on its own.
Makes 6
Ingredients
12 oz. jowar flour
2 heaped tbsp. onion, peeled and very finely chopped*
1-2 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped/grated*
1 small to medium clove garlic, finely chopped/grated*
1 green chilli, very finely chopped*
1 cup of loosely filled chopped, fresh coriander leaves*
1/2 tsp. salt
Enough warm water to make the dough
Oil/ghee to fry (oil for vegan)
*These ingredients can be chopped together in a food processor
Instructions
Sieve the flour and salt in a bowl, add onion/ginger/garlic/coriander and mix.
Add enough water to make a firm dough and knead well. (If you want your parathas to be soft, add 1 cup of mashed potato to the dough). Keep aside for 30 minutes or so.
Make balls of approximately a golf ball size.
Roll out of each ball to about 3-4 mm thickness, 5 inch in diameter. Do not make the parathas any bigger and handle carefully. They are crumbly, especially before cooking, and break easily. To help with rolling out, dust the rolling board/surface and the ball with flour and roll out gently.
Lift off gently, with a flat spatula or a fish slicer. Alternatively, you can place a greased ball between two layers of a sandwich bag that has been slit open (sandwich bag is firmer and better than cling film). Roll out to required size.
Ease the paratha off the plastic gently and transfer to the frying pan.
Turn over gently when it changes colour. Brush ghee/oil on both sides and cook until it looks golden on both sides, with brown blisters all over.
Serve hot with pickles and a Raita of choice.
