Methi / Fenugreek Parathas

 

Ever since I came back from India having been thoroughly brain washed by my Doctor and health freak sister, Sony, I’ve been working hard to reduce the waist lines of my family – husband, son and yours truly. We’ve completely moved away from our most favorite, slurp slurp rice (sorry I can’t say it without doing that a couple of times) to whole wheat rotis for dinner.  The transition hasn’t been difficult like I expected though. On the contrary, I’ve been plotting on bringing the same change to lunch as well. Here’s why- When it comes to rice (slurp slurp), I usually have to make at least 3 dishes to go with it. A dal or the like that has some sort of gravy to wash the rice down, a side of sautéed vegetables(you can’t do without vegetables right?) and a piece of fish or meat to satiate the mallu carnivores in us. But with rotis surprisingly, just one dish does it for us!!! It has been saving me a hell lot of time and the lazy me couldn’t be more happy.

If rotis had me making just one side, imagine my joy when parathas asked for none ;)!!!!  Now you know what my boys have been eating a lot of lately!! All I need to do now is figure out an attractive way to talk about the change in menu for their lunches as well ;)!

 

Methi parathas which according to me are the healthiest of all parathas because of all the greens that go into them, are also (according to me) the tastiest of the lot. Many like to make a masala of the methi by cooking them with onions and spices before rolling them into parathas. But I don’t. I seriously think it is sinful to overpower the taste of these fine leaves with the spices and kill their nutrition with all the cooking.  People – it is JUST my opinion. Please aim your shadoobies else where. …I simply knead my methi in their immaculate form, directly into the dough with a little bit of amchoor (for the tang) and what I get out of them – I totally totally  LOVE!

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup besan/gram flour (Optional. I don’t add this, cause I don’t like it. My mother does though. Replace with ½ cup wheat flour if you don’t do besan like me)
2 cups fenugreek leaves chopped fine 
1 tbsp refined vegetable oil
½ tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp amchoor/dry mango powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and knead it into into a soft smooth dough adding water, a little at a time.

Set aside covered for an hour.

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts each and make smooth balls out of them

Pat the stuffed balls with dry flour before beginning to roll them out

Roll out the balls into circles using a rolling pin and  to the thickness you desire. I like mine very thin..

Heat a skillet on high.

Place the paratha over the skillet.

When the paratha begins to puff up on the edges turn it over.

Repeat.

Apply 1/2 – 1 tsp of ghee to the surface when you notice brown spots and turn over.

Press down using a spatula and apply ghee similarly on this side too.

Take off the flame when cooked thoroughly on both sides.

Serve hot with, curd, pickles or butter.