Roti Or Paratha With Mooli Radish Leaves/Greens Dough
Mooli Pattae Atta ki Roti Or Paratha
Mamta Gupta
Mooli patta not only make a delicious Bhujji and Parathas, they can be used to make delicious rotis. Freshly cooked, crisp mooli green rotis and parathas are delicious! Experiment with other edible leaves like turnip leaves or other greens. Makes 10-12.
Ingredients
500 gm. whole wheat chapatti flour (save 1-2 heaped tablespoon of dry flour for dusting during rolling out of parathas)
1 bunch/large cup fresh mooli patta leaves, cleaned, blanched or microwave cooked on full, for 5 minutes
A little flour for dusting.
300 ml. water approximately. Add a little more or a little less until you get a soft dough
Butter/ghee to serve (optional). Oil to pan-fry, if making parathas
Instructions
Clean, wash and chop mooli leaves.
Cook in a microwave for 4-5 minutes on full, or boil in a little water until they collapse.
Drain and allow to cool, then and mash.
Making dough:
Place flour and mooli patta leaves in a bowl. Add enough water, a little at a time, to make a soft to firm...ish dough. If you are new to making roties, it is better to have a firm dough, which is easier to control while rolling out. Experienced Indian cooks prefer softer dough.
Knead for 1-2 minutes. Do not use food processor for making this dough or it will grind the mooli patta leaves too finely and you will loose the texture.
Leave to stand for 10 minutes or so. Knead briefly again. This will make the dough smooth.
Rolling out and cooking chapatties:
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. You can make one ball at a time, while the next chapatti is cooking.
Heat a griddle or tava to medium hot.
Dip one ball in dry flour and roll it out into a pancake like circle. Dipping the ball in dusting flour from time to time, on both sides, during the rolling out process, stops it from sticking. It should be rolled from centre outwards, so that the edges a
Put the roti on the hot griddle/tava. 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.
Next step can be done either on a direct flame or on a pan or under a grill. To cook on a flame, pick the chapatti with tongs, flip over and place directly on a medium flame, it will balloon up. Move it around continuously, or it will burn.
Cook on the other side the same way, moving it from side to side. It should be cooked evenly all over.
To cook on a pan, press it gently with a cloth, coaxing it to balloon. Let it crisp.
If you are new to it, it is easier to cook it under a hot grill. Place the chapatti under a pre-heated grill after step 13, instead of putting it on the flame. Turn it over when it balloons up or gets brown blisters all over. Cook the other side.
Serve hot and with a thin film of ghee or butter, with curries, raita and dal. You can put a thin film of ghee or butter on one side before serving.
Notes
To make parathas with this dough, follow the instructions in Plain Paratha.
