Sunday Special: Paratha Parade -rolled with passion stuffed with compassion

CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF DR KAVIRAJ KHIALANI

Indian breads as we know are popular not only in our kitchens and restaurants but across the world, there are a number of ways in which these breads have been altered, modified to suit the needs of a number of guests every single day in the food service industry. The story of parathas dates back to a time when the development of indian breads was on a fast pace and the concept of making them more wholesome and filling in nature adding value to its composition and content became a way of life for many foodies across the globe.

Paratha is well defined and fits into the accompaniment category of our Indian menus and includes simple yet popular ingredients from preparing a dough using water with whole wheat flour, maida, salt, oil or ghee, a few select indian spices, the fillings or stuffing’s start from the all-time favorite aloo to the exotic mushroom, cheese & chicken keema parathas, dal ke parathey, sattu ka paratha, soya bean ke atta ka paratha, bajra and ragi varieties etc are too being included these days to make them more nutri dense.

Innovation & creativity has left no stone unturned and we see people including almost anything that can sit in between that paratha dough getting itself rolled out being cooked on both sides on a tava or a hot griddle to a nice golden brown color, a topping of white butter is a must of paratha lovers and the sides include a bowl of fresh curd or a boondi raita/ mix-veg raita, some select choice of pickle from aam ka achaar to the mix veg to shalgam and more, papad is also one of the needs of many parathas to go along.

Here are a few simple- easy to make parathas for our readers:

MASALEDAAR MOONG KE PARATHE

Ingredients

For the paratha dough

1 cup atta

½ cup maida

Salt-1/4 tsp

Oil/ghee- 2 tsp for the dough + as needed for cooking the parathas.

Water as needed to make a firm hard dough- rest for 20 mins.

For the moong stuffing

Yellow moong dal- 1 cup soak for 15 mins boil in a open kadai with salt to taste and ½ tsp turmeric powder, water- strain out the dal once it is just cooked and not mashed, allow to cool on the side.

Add the following ingredients to the cooked dal

Salt to taste

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Chopped coriander-2 tbsp.

Chopped green chili- 1 tsp

Chaat masala-1/2 tsp

red chili powder-1/4 tsp

Method

Prepare the dough for the parathas and keep aside.
Prepare the moong dal filling and mix well.
Divide the dough into 4 portions, roll out each and place a good amount of moong dal filling in the center of the dough and secure it back into a round, seal it well, lightly roll the paratha once again and using a hot tava and oil/ghee cook the paratha on both sides until nice and golden color, cook on a medium to low flame for even cooking, cut and serve hot with curd/raita/papad/pickle.

METHI AUR MAKKAI KE PARATHE

Ingredients

For the paratha dough

1 cup atta

½ cup maida

Salt-1/4 tsp

Oil/ghee- 2 tsp for the dough + as needed for cooking the parathas.

Water as needed to make a firm hard dough- rest for 20 mins.

For the methi-makkai stuffing

Oil-1 tsp

Ginger- 1 tsp chopped

Green chilies- 1 tsp chopped.

Fresh methi leaves-1 cup chopped

Salt to taste

Boiled crushed sweet corn- ½ cup

Roasted crushed jeera powder-1/2 tsp

Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

Aamchur powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander and mint leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped

Grated cheese- 2 tbsp.

Method

Prepare the dough for the paratha, allow to rest for 20 mins.
Heat oil in a pan add in the ginger and chilies and saute add in the corn and methi leaves, salt and all powdered spices.
Cook the mixture well on a low flame for 4-5 mins and remove into a plate, add grated cheese and allow to cool.
Divide the paratha dough into 4 portions roll out place a little filling and re-shape it back by rolling it into a paratha.
Using a tava and oil/ghee cook the paratha on low to medium flame to ensure cooking, serve hot.

MURGH MASALA PARATHAS

Ingredients

For the paratha dough

1 cup atta

½ cup maida

Salt-1/4 tsp

Oil/ghee- 2 tsp for the dough + as needed for cooking the parathas.

Water as needed to make a firm hard dough- rest for 20 mins.

For the murgh masala stuffing

Chicken breast/ leg piece boneless – 150 gms cut into small pieces.

Oil-2 tsp

Ginger –garlic paste-1 tsp

Onion- 2 tbsp. chopped

Salt to taste

Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Garam masala powder- ½ tsp

Tomato ketchup- 2 tbsp.

Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp.

Mint leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped

Boiled chopped eggs-1 no

Grated cheese- 2 tbsp.

Method

Prepare the dough for the parathas and allow to rest and divide into 4 portions.
Prepare the chicken filling for the parathas by heating up oil/ghee in a pan saute the onions, ginger, chilies for a few seconds.
Add in the chicken pieces cut finely add salt all powdered spices to taste, a little water just to cook the chicken, add in the tomato sauce and simmer, allow to cook for 10-12 mins, add in the boiled chopped eggs, coriander, mint and mix well.
Remove onto a plate, cool down the dry to moist textured filling add in grated cheese and mix, stuff the same into the parathas, cook them on a tava with oil/ghee to a nice crusty golden color on both sides, cut and serve hot.

PANEER AUR CHEESE WALE PARATHE

Ingredients

For the paratha dough

1 cup atta

½ cup maida

Salt-1/4 tsp

Oil/ghee- 2 tsp for the dough + as needed for cooking the parathas.

Water as needed to make a firm hard dough- rest for 20 mins.

For the paneer & cheese stuffing:

Grated paneer- 1 cup

Grated cheese-1/4 cup

Chopped green chilies- 1 tsp

Salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Coriander leaves chopped-2 tbsp.

Mint leaves- 2 tsp chopped

Roasted crushed jeera-1/2 tsp

Ajwain- ½ tsp

Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp

Boiled mashed potatoes-1/2 cup

Method

Prepare the dough for the parathas and allow to rest, divide into 4 portions.
Prepare the stuffing by combining all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and placing it into the parathas as a filling.
Cook the paneer aur cheese wale parathe on a tava using oil/ghee on a low to medium flame cooking on both sides to a nice crusty color.
Cut them into quarters/wedges and serve hot with a bowl of curd/raita or some pickle.

SHAKHARKHANDI KE PARATHE

Ingredients

For the paratha dough

1 cup atta

½ cup maida

Salt-1/4 tsp

Oil/ghee- 2 tsp for the dough + as needed for cooking the parathas.

Water as needed to make a firm hard dough- rest for 20 mins.

For the Shakarkhandi stuffing

Sweet potatoes- 400 gms boiled, peeled and mashed

Boiled mashed green peas- ½ cup

Grated carrot- ¼ cup

Salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Coriander and mint leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped

Aamchur powder-1 tsp

Chaat masala-1/2 tsp

Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

Roasted crushed jeera-1/2 tsp

Green chilies- 2 tsp chopped

Method

Prepare the dough for the parathas and allow to rest.
Prepare the stuffing for the parathas and mix them well into a mixing bowl.
Divide the dough into 4 portions roll and stuff the filling inside each portion. Roll it back into a paratha and cook it on a tava using oil/ghee to a light golden color.
Cut into halves/quarters and serve hot with papad, pickle, raita.

SOY BEAN & DAL PARATHAS

Ingredients

For the paratha dough:

1 cup atta

½ cup maida

Salt-1/4 tsp

Oil/ghee- 2 tsp for the dough + as needed for cooking the parathas.

Water as needed to make a firm hard dough- rest for 20 mins.

For the soy bean and dal stuffing

Oil/ghee-2 tsp

Jeera-1/2 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp

Green chilies- 1 tsp chopped

Soy keema-1/2 cup soaked in warm water for 10 mins

Green moong dal- ½ cup boiled-3/4^th cooked

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Red chili powder-1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander and mint- 2 tbsp. chopped

Aamchur powder- ½ tsp

Ajwain-1/2 tsp

Boiled mashed potatoes-1/2 cup

Method

Prepare the dough for the parathas and keep aside, divide into 4 portions and roll for the parathas.
Prepare the soy and moong dal stuffing by heating oil/ghee in a pan add in the jeera, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies and saute, add in the drained soy keema and partly cooked green moong dal and bhunao.
Add in salt and powdered spices and mix well, cook for 3-4 mins on a medium flame. Check for seasonings and adjust accordingly, add in the boiled mashed potatoes and combine it all well.
Allow the mixture to cool in a plate and then start stuffing the parathas with the filling, cook on a tava using oil or ghee until a nice crusty texture and light golden color is visible as the parathas cook, cut them into pieces and serve hot.

Celebrity Master Chef Dr Kaviraj Khialani is a Mumbai-based hotel-restaurant and food consultant. He is specialised in over 33 international cuisines and has quality experience with hotels and airlines as a part of his long journey of over two decades in his chosen field. Chef Kaviraj is a renowned author, academician, food designer, writer and has also been awarded several national awards and global recognitions for his talent & outstanding achievements. Besides having been featured on several food shows on ColorsTV and Star Plus he is a mentor, coach and guide to aspiring to be future chefs and hoteliers of tomorrow.

He can be contacted at twitter: @kaviraj_chef, Mobile: 91 9820939336. Mail: chefkaviraj249@gmail.com

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