Green Parathas :Comforting food for the Soul



Flat Bread also known as Roti, Paratha or Chapati are the common breakfast and staple food in Indian sub continent. Parathas with curry on side is my comfort food. Cynthia describes about comfort foods in her interesting article here. Parathas\Roti brings back my childhood memories of family breakfast. Ammi(mom) used to make fresh parathas for nashta(breakfast) almost every day. Making Parathas was a tradition in my family, Ammi mixed the dough, Pappa kneaded it to softer consistency. Dough was allowed to rest for at least 20 minutes. Ammi rolled it and my elder sister roasted it. We(Dad,big sis,big bro and me) took turns to eat as the Parathas were cooked garam garam(hot). Ammi used to eat her breakfast after sending us off to school. I certainly miss my
family:(.Thankfully I can still cherish the sweet memories with parathas in my everyday diet.

Making Parathas is skill which can be achieved only through practice.Years(6yrs precisely) of practice, my parathas are still need some working for rounder curves. Parathas are part of our two meals every day ,its low-carb compared to Rice( 22grams per serving for whole wheat to 35grams per serving for white rice).Also with Rice prices tripled , parathas are comforting even to the wallet.

Mixing some toasted wheat germ in wheat flour adds more nutrients to the recipe.The blanched greens like spinach(Palak) and fenugreek leaves(Methi)makes parathas nutrition complete.
Lets shed some light on the herb called Methi(fenugreek) common in Indian curries.Its one of the healing herbs for good reasons ,its a cholesterol lowering,anti-cancer and anti-diabetic agent. Recommended in nursing moms diet to increase supply of milk. The seeds soaked in water and ground to paste is a good hair conditioner(make a note of that ladies:)).

Green Flat Bread
Ingredients
2 cups Whole wheat flour
2 tablespoon toasted Wheat Germ
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil(EVOO)
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 cup fenugreek leaves(methi)[fresh or frozen],chopped
1/2 Cup Spinach,fresh chopped
1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon chilly powder


To make Parathas
Step 1 Blanch the leaves

Blanch the greens by simmering them in hot water for a minute. drain and keep aside.
Step 2 prepare the dough
Take a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients mix them. Make a well in the middle of dry mixture pour in the water and oil. Mix until the dough is of right smooth consistency. knead for couple of minutes and let rest for about 10minutes before rolling in to parathas.
Step 3 Rolling the Paratha
This may be the toughest part if you are making it for the first time. Watch someone skillful do it before trying it yourself, like the lovely ladies here in this video .Divide the dough in to about 12 portions and roll in to balls. Sprinkle a little flour(I prefer All purpose flour) on the rolling surface. Use a rolling pin to roll them in to round parathas.
Step 4 Roast the Parathas
Preheat an iron pan(Tava) or non stick pan at medium high flame. Roast the parathas flip once and spread some oil and flip again after few seconds. For softer parathas use a spatula or a kitchen towel to lightly press and roll them around the pan. Parathas are ready to serve when slightly brown on both sides. A tangy tomato chutney is a perfect side with these green parathas.

Green Parathas with Fenugreek and Spinach are my entry for Kalyn'sWeekend Herb Blogging.Hosted this week by Amy and Jonny from We Are Never Full



Tangy Tomato Chutney Recipe

See Recipe...

Ingredients
2 Plum red Tomatoes finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon each of mustard seeds(Rai) and cumin seeds(Zeera)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon onion seeds(Kalonji)
Salt to season
few curry leaves
1 or more green chillies or dry red chillies
1 table spoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO)

To make the chutney
Heat EVOO in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds,kalonji and cumin seeds. Wait till you hear spluttering of mustard seeds. Add crushed garlic cloves, chillies and saute for a few seconds. Add rest of the spices and tomatoes. Cover and cook until tender. Serve with Khichdi or Parathas.


Other Parathas Varieties
Avocado Parathas

Cumin Parathas

Layered Paratha

Flaky Paratha
Cauliflower Paratha


Comments

Anjum said…
Asak yasmeen,paratas are mouthwatering..im not that good at parathas...stll trying to make perfect round ones.,Aap ne mom ki yaad diladi
maimoona said…
Ask !Hope u r doing good.
Green Parathas is a nice idea, I love parathas in any form.
Iam trying my best to make parathas as good as my mom but I think it will take time...I have question.
Can we use fresh big methi or dried kasuri methi leaves for this?
Anonymous said…
Asak, Parathas looks awesome, nice and healthy.
Yasmeen said…
Thanks anjum,maimoona and lubna.
Maimoona, you could methi of any kind ,tender or fully grown ,fresh or frozen anything in season.But dried kasuri methi doesn't the same nutritive value.
Zee said…
A wonderful collection of parathas here! As you said one needs a lot of practice to make parathas/chappatis. I do not have a problem rolling them, but at times I end up making 'em very dry and hard. I guess I need to improvise on the roasting part. The tomato chutney recipe is so easy to make and looks delicious.
Prudy said…
That looks and sounds amazing. Especially thanks for all the great health benefits that you included.
Jaishree Iyer said…
I love parathas in any form.A wonderful collection of parathas here!Parathas looks awesomeand sounds amazing.
Adam said…
I'm now thinking paratha with spinach would be a great addition to my diet. Can I call it a Popeye paratha? :) I've had roti before in some restaurants, and it was quite good.
Sum Raj said…
my fav is green parathas...urlookng delicious..
Indian Khana said…
Yasmeen, paratha looking yummy..thats a lovely colour..and healthy sort...gud one dear
Andhra Flavors said…
Parathas looks awesome, healthy one.
Dori said…
Look at all those parathas! My mouth is watering!!!
Kalyn Denny said…
Very interesting post. I've only had these in restaurants, and I'm betting they're not as good as yours!
Anonymous said…
I like breads made like this with colors.. So healthy and delicious.
Wow!! you have a wonderful blog here! so many recipes! Yum! sply variety of parathas are really superb!
Unknown said…
Dear Yasmeen Health Nut, this green parathas made me say "Wild Thing", you make my heart sing! Loved and saved this recipe. I shall revisit you soon. Thank you for sharing.
Cheers, Gaby
You can always visit me at http://ptsaldari.posterous.com.

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