I learnt to make plain Paratha by watching lots of videos on YouTube. Although you can eat these Indian flatbread as they are, they go best with curry. As I was not going to make curry so early in the morning, I decided to add fillings to them, thus, my Cheesey and Spicy Paratha. I have added Mozzarella cheese, onions, coriander and chilies as my fillings. However, you may add garlic, green onions and what have you as yours. Making Paratha is easy and it took less time than baking bread. Thus, when you have nothing in the kitchen for breakfast, you can make them provided you have an important ingredient in your pantry - whole wheat flour (atta flour).
Ingredients:
- 125 g whole wheat Atta flour
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g salt
- 25 g corn oil
- 150 g water (+ / - 10 g)
- Filling:
- 100 g Mozzarella
- 15 g coriander
- 75 g red onion
- 5 pieces bird's eyes chilies
- 3 cloves garlic, optional
- 1 g salt
Method:
- Add whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt and corn oil to a mixing bowl.
- Add water to the bowl.
- Knead the flours in the bowl to form a soft dough ball. (If the dough is too dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time till you achieve a soft dough bowl.)
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes to let the gluten form.
- Meanwhile, prepare the fillings.
- Grate the Mozzarella cheese into a bowl.
- Chop the coriander and add them to the bowl with the grated Mozzarella cheese.
- Chop the red onion and add them to the bowl.
- Cut the chilies into tiny pieces and add them to the bowl.
- Mince the garlic and add them to the bowl.
- Mix up all these ingredients and set the bowl aside.
- Flour your counter-top well and transfer the dough onto it.
- Divide the dough into the number of pieces of Paratha that you want; if you prefer a large Paratha, then divide it into 6 pieces. And 8 pieces if you prefer smaller pieces.
- Roll each piece into smaller dough balls. Cover the dough balls to prevent them from drying out.
- Flour your rolling pin and counter-top.
- Take a dough ball and use the rolling pin to flatten it as thin as possible.
- Repeat this until all the dough balls have been flattened. Cover the flattened dough to prevent them from drying out.
- Take a piece of flattened dough. Spoon the cheese mixture onto the centre of the dough.
- Bring the edges together and seal them into a ball.
- Repeat these last 2 steps till all the dough have been filled.
- Again flour your rolling pin and counter-top.
- Use your rolling pin to gently flatten the dough ball with fillings (seamside down). You have to be gentle as you would not want to puncture the dough.
- Repeat this step until you have flattened all the dough with fillings.
- Heat up a non-stick pan and fry each piece till it is cooked on both sides.
- Serve.