Palak Parathas (Indian Flatbread with Spicy Spinach Stuffing)

Now that I seemed to have found a recipe for roti that works for me, I think it is time to move on to the second stage of Indian bread cooking- Parathas! Parathas can be made one of two ways. The first way is stuffed, so the technique is slightly different. You would have two steps instead of one. First, you make the stuffing and then roll into golf balls. Second step would be to roll the dough, just like roti, except smaller. You place the ball in center of the mini roti, close it in to form another ball and roll again. It's a little more complicated, but tastes really great.

I am making these spinach parathas the second way. In this technique, you just add all the spices into the flour and then form a dough. It's a lot simpler and saves time. Here goes:

1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 onion, chopped
Pinch of asafoetida powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp yogurt*
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp oil
Lukewarm water (if necessary)

Step 1:
1. Wash spinach leaves. Chop them finely.
2. Process the chopped spinach.
3. Heat oil in pan. Add the cumin seeds and then the asafoetida powder. Add onions and sautee for a few minutes.
4. Now add the spinach, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
5. Sautee spinach for a few minutes to release all of the water. It will take about 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove from flame and let spinach mixture cool down.

Step 2:
1. Sieve the whole wheat flour with oil so that no lumps form.
2. Add the cooled spinach mixture to flour. Also add the yogurt and mix together.
3. Keep mixing until you can form a dough of medium firm consistency. Add just a bit of lukewarm water, if necessary.
4. Let dough rest for 15-20 minutes.

Step 3.
1. Heat up a griddle on medium heat before you get started. While it is heating up, you can begin to knead the dough one last time. Then, form equal number of golf sized balls out of dough.
2. Using maida or whole wheat flour, roll out the dough one by one until you have a nice round paratha.
3. Place the paratha on the hot griddle. When bubbles begin to form, then it is time to flip it over. [The great thing is that you can multi task. While this paratha is cooking, begin rolling out another paratha.]
4. Lightly spread a few drops of oil on the upside of the paratha. Press down so that bottom side cooks. Wait about 30 seconds and flip over again.
5. Repeat step 4 so that topside gets cooked again for another 30 seconds.
6. Do one final flip and then remove from flame. Keep the parathas in a closed container to maximize freshness.
7. Repeat steps for remaining parathas.
8. Serve hot with any curry, yogurt, or pickle of your choice. These parathas also taste good alone. Third, they can be eaten any time of day - breakfast, lunch, dinner or light snack. They are pretty awesome!

The one thing I would revise about this recipe is Step 1. I could have skipped cooking the spinach all together and just blended the chopped spinach with the spices. There was no need to cook it! I just was not sure how the spinach would turn out - if uncooked, whether it would make the parathas taste bitter. Oh well, there is always next time.

There are so many different stuffings for parathas as well- potato, mixed vegetable, zucchini, moong dal, paneer, methi (fenugreek leaves), cauliflower, the list goes on. I want to try out Tarla Dalal's recipe for a Double Decker Paratha- Sounds really yummy! Maybe this weekend, I will make the same. I think I am getting really excited about making parathas. I haven't gotten this excited since I made the kidney bean burger!!