Authors: Neelam Batra

1,000 Indian Recipes (300 page)

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 teaspoon coarsely ground fennel seeds

¹⁄
₂teaspoon kalonji seeds

¹⁄
₂teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds

¹⁄
₂teaspoon salt, or to taste

²⁄
₃cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1.
Place the flour and oil (or ghee or butter) in a bowl and rub with clean fingers to mix. Then add all the remaining ingredients, except the yogurt, and again, mix well with your fingers. Add the yogurt and mix again with your fingers in round circular motions until it starts to gather into a dough. (Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more flour if the dough seems sticky, or some more yogurt if it seems too firm.)

2.
Knead about a minute, pressing your knuckles lightly into the dough, spreading the dough outward, then gathering the ends together toward the center with your fingers. Repeat pressing and gathering a few times until you have a soft and pliable dough that does not stick to your fingers. (If, while kneading, the dough sticks to your hands, put a little oil or water on them.)

3.
Cover with plastic wrap or the lid of the bowl and set aside at least 1 and up to 4 hours. (This allows the wheat gluten to develop.) If keeping for a longer period, refrigerate the dough.

4.
To roll and cook the paranthas, proceed as per directions for
Basic Griddle-Fried Breads
, from Step 3.

Griddle-Fried Mughlai Breads with Almonds and Poppy Seeds

Khastae Mughlai Paranthae

Makes 10 to 12 breads

These
paranthas
are generally made with all-purpose flour, but I always sneak in some durum whole-wheat flour, and no one is the wiser. Also, generally it is the white poppy seeds that go into this
parantha
, but I find that the black ones look prettier and are easier to find, so those are what I use.

25 to 30 raw almonds, shelled

1
¹⁄
₂cups all-purpose flour

¹⁄
₂cup stone-ground durum whole-wheat flour

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

3 tablespoons black poppy seeds

2 teaspoons ground dried fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, or to taste

¹⁄
₂teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

About
³⁄
₄cup water

1.
Soak the almonds in water to cover overnight. Then, with clean hands, peel the softened brown skin off the almonds. In a food processor, add all the ingredients except the water and process until everything is smooth. Then, with the motor running, add the water in a slow, steady stream until the dough gathers into a smooth ball and cleans the sides of the work bowl. (Add more flour if the dough seems sticky and more water if it seems too dry.)

2.
Lightly oil your hands and transfer the dough to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or the lid of the bowl and let it rest for 1 to 4 hours. (This allows the gluten to develop.) If keeping for a longer period, refrigerate the dough.

3.
To roll and cook the paranthas, proceed as per the directions for
Basic Griddle-Fried Breads
, from Step 3.

Stuffed Griddle-Fried Flatbreads

Basic Stuffed Griddle-Fried Breads

Bharae Huae Paranthae

Makes 10 to 12 breads

Although these are fried in the same way as basic
paranthas
, their filling technique is a new addition.

1 recipe
stuffing
of your choice

1 pound (1 recipe)
Basic Whole-Wheat Dough

1 cup whole-wheat flour in a medium bowl or pie dish, for coating and dusting

¹⁄
₄cup vegetable oil, or melted butter or ghee, for basting

1.
Prepare the stuffing. Prepare the dough. Heat the tava or griddle over medium-high heat until a sprinkling of flour immediately turns dark brown. Wipe off the flour and proceed. While the tava is heating, with lightly oiled clean hands, divide the dough equally into 10 to 12 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying. Divide it into 10 to 12 portions, about 3 to 4 tablespoons each.

2.
Working with each ball of dough separately, transfer to the bowl with the dry flour, press lightly to form a disc, coat generously with dry flour, and roll into a 4- to 5-inch circle. Place the stuffing in the center. Bring the edges together, pinch to seal, then shape into a ball once again.

3.
Flatten and coat this stuffed ball with flour and roll it into a 7- to 8-inch circle of even thickness. As you roll, keep turning and dusting the dough with flour or it may stick to the rolling surface. If the stuffing has excess moisture, the paranthas may develop tiny (or large) holes as they stretch while rolling. If that happens, seal the holes by putting a little dry flour over them (or by pinching them together).

4.
Place the rolled parantha on the hot tava. Turn it over when it is slightly cooked and dotted with tiny golden spots on the bottom, about 1 minute. When the other side is covered with larger brown dots, turn it over and brush lightly with oil. Flip it over again and fry the oiled side about 30 seconds. Similarly, baste and fry the other side another 30 seconds. There should be a total of 4 turns. Remove from the griddle and serve.

Stuffings for Parantha Breads

Paranthas
can essentially be stuffed with any and every moisture-free, dry-cooked potato, lentil,
paneer
cheese, or meat dish. Any moisture will make it harder to stuff and roll the
paranthas
. As you roll them, the dough shell will absorb the moisture and split in various places, so be sure your filling is dry.

In spite of this, some juicy vegetables, such as cauliflower and daikon radishes, are very popular as stuffings. When using them, keep in mind that salt draws out natural juices, so add salt to individual
paranthas
as you roll them, or first salt the grated vegetable before cooking, allowing the vegetable to sweat. Then squeeze out the juices, and if they are still moist, mix in some dry flour.

Here, then, are some popular
parantha
stuffings. These stuffings can also be used in all types of stuffed breads mentioned in this chapter (such as deep-fried
poories
, baked
kulchas
, and grilled
naans
), and also in Indian snacks such as
samosas
(stuffed triangular pastries).