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I’m pretty sure that I was Punjabi in a previous life, the food from Punjab strikes me in the heart chakra before it even arrives in my stomach. The aroma of fresh ground wheat chapatti as it heats on the pan, the tang of pickle, the fresh sour taste of curd (yoghurt)…….a good Punjabi breakfast is total soul food for me.
When I lived in Delhi with a Nepali house man, he took one look at my Kiwi proportions and decided to feed me like he would a Punjabi matron. So paratha for breakfast was the order of most office days and even though I grew tired of them, it’s just not in my DNA to refuse a good paratha.
So make up a dough with
I cup of wheat flour, salt and half a cup of water. You really have to work the dough, the more you fling it around and fold and turn and punch and fold and turn, the more you break down the gluten in the flour and the lighter your bread. A good fifteen minutes of kneading bread is good for body and soul and is also a nice meditation.
Let it rest for 15 minutes while you make the filling
For the Filling
2 potato
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
salt as required
1 tablespoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 tablespoon onion
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
Boil a couple of extra spuds the night before and mash them. Take them out from the fridge and add chopped onions, coriander leaves, salt, garam masala powder and red chilli powder. Mix well so that no lumps remain. Ensure that you have finely chopped the onions or the filling will fall out.
Make small-medium balls of the dough and roll them out into 3 to 4-inch circles. Add a spoonful of potato filling in the centre.
Gradually press the rolling pin on all sides while making the parathas. Be very careful to apply pressure evenly.
Now, roll them with a rolling pin into round parathas. Apply the pressure very evenly and gently on all sides. Press very lightly so that the mixture does not come out.
Heat an iron pan and roast the parathas, cooking them on both sides with a spoonful of ghee.
If you want to use less ghee on the parathas, first roast them on both sides on low flame and when they are slightly crispy, apply ghee with a kitchen brush on both sides.
It’s all about keeping the pan at optimum heat. Once you have heated the pan, turn the flame down and keep it at a lower than medium heat.
