Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Gobi Paratha (Cauliflower stuffed flatbread)

Stuffed Parathas = YUM!
Gobi paratha is one of my all time favorites. My mom made the yummiest parathas and gobi was undoubtedly one of my faves. My lunch box would have a large stack of stuffed parathas as I'd need enough to share with all my friends(who were equally in awe of the yummy parathas!)

I know there are several different ways of making gobi paratha. Some stuff in raw cauliflower, some pan fry it and so on. My mom would use the microwave to pre cook the cauliflower, and so do I. I find that this method saves a lot of time and the stuffing comes out dry and perfect to easily stuff and make the parathas. The key to easy paratha making is to have a stuffing that is dry and sans moisture. Moisture would cause the stuffing to leak out/parathas to break.

Gobi paratha fresh on the griddle
Note: The thing with parathas is I can never go by a set quantity of ingredients. Just mix some amount of basic ingredient (vegetables, cauliflower in this case) adjust seasonings as per taste. Ended up making more stuffing, great! Reuse it to make grilled sandwiches with cheese. :) Less stuffing = plain chapatis. :) So, there are estimates specified in the ingredient list.
Other stuffed paratha ideas : Broccoli tofu stuffed paratha

What you need:
Cauliflower(I used one small head)
Ginger(About 1/2 an inch)
Green chilles - 4-5
Finely chopped cilantro - 3 tbsp or more. I love to add lots of fresh cilantro.

Seasonings used:
Red chilly powder - adjust as per taste
Coriander cumin powder (Dhaniya jeera powder) - 1 to 2 tsp
Dry mango powder(Amchur powder) - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Kasoori methi - 1 tsp

Dough:
Whole wheat flour
Water
Oil

Method:
1. Make a soft dough by mixing flour and water. Almost double the amount of water to flour. You could add other ingredients to the flour like salt, oil, seasoning. But I just used flour and water.
2. Knead the dough well. Apply about a teaspoon of oil to the dough and keep it covered for about 15-30 mins. Knead again and your dough is ready.

To make stuffing:
Cauliflower stuffing ready!
1. Pulse the cauliflower florets with ginger and green chillies in a food processor. I use my Ninja food processor and it takes me less than a minute ;) Alternatively, you could grate the cauliflower and mix in green chilly+ginger paste.
2. Add the seasonings to cauliflower mince and mix well. Reserve the cilantro for the end.
3. Microwave this mixture for 6-8 minutes, mixing well once every 2 minutes.
4. The stuffing is done when : There is no raw smell and the mixture is dry. If you squeeze a pinch between your fingers it should not release any water. Slight moisture is ok.

To make stuffed parathas:
1. Take a small ball of the dough, roll it out a bit. Place stuffing into the dough, seal the edges and roll it out gently without applying much pressure.
I could not take step by step pictures, wikihow has some good pics on the procedure here
 2. Roast on a hot griddle with a few drops of oil or ghee.
Paratha rolled out and ready to be cooked

Serve hot with some curd or pickle! :)