Dough:
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup water (Use more as needed)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 chopped green chili
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (green coriander)
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder (optional)
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for rolling
- Oil to cook
Dough
- Mix flour, salt and water together to make soft dough (if the dough is hard add a little more water). I like mixing the dough by hand.
- Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly greased surface to make smooth and pliable dough.
- Set the dough aside and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest for at least ten minutes.
- Boil 2 medium potatoes with 2 cups of water. After the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. Let the potatoes cook until they are tender.
- Once tender, remove them from the water and let them cool down. Note: Do not cool the potatoes under running water because the potatoes will become too soft.
- After the potatoes are cold enough to handle, peel the skin off and mash the potatoes.
- Mix green chilies, cilantro, cumin seeds and salt to the mashed potatoes.
- Divide the dough and potato mixture into 6 equal parts. The potato balls should be about 1 1/2 times larger than the dough balls.
- Roll the dough into 3 inch diameter circles. Place the potato balls in the center. Seal by pulling the edges of the rolled dough together to
- make a ball. Proceed to make all six balls.
- Let them settle for 3 to 4 minutes before rolling them.
- Heat the skillet on medium high. Note: An iron skillet works best. To check if the skillet is hot enough, sprinkle a couple of drops of water
- on it. If the water sizzles right away, the skillet is ready.
- To make it easier to roll the balls, first roll them in dry whole-wheat flour.
- Lightly press the ball on the sealed side and keep it on the topside when rolling. Roll the ball light handed in to 6-inch circles. Whenever the dough sticks to the rolling pin or rolling surface, lightly sprinkle dry whole-wheat flour on both sides of the semi-rolled paratha.
- Place the paratha over the skillet. After a few seconds you will see the
- paratha change color and puff in different places.
- Then flip the paratha over. You should see some golden-brown spots on the topside. After a few seconds, spread 1 teaspoon of oil on the paratha. Again, flip the paratha and lightly press the puffed areas with a spatula.
- Flip again and press with the spatula making sure the paratha is golden-brown on both sides.
- Cool the parathas on a wire rack so they don’t get soggy.
- Parathas can be kept outside for up to 2 days wrapped in aluminum foil or in a covered container. For later use, parathas can be refrigerated for 5-6 days or freezed (wrapped in aluminum foil) for a month. Re-heat on a skillet or toaster oven.
Try substituting chopped cilantro with a 1/4 cup of finely chopped mint leaves. You can use a variety of herbs in this recipe. Make sure to remove
all excess water when adding your choice of fresh herbs.
Serving Suggestions
- Parathas can be served with Tomato Chutney, Plain Yogurt, mattar Paneer, or Green Chilli pickle.
- Make it like a Mexican Quesadilla by topping it with cheese and sliced tomatoes, then folding it in half.
