As chilly winds and light mist fill the air, staying cosy and layered in woollens while enjoying hot beverages sets the tone for a typical wintery day. It gets even better when you enjoy piping hot parathas made with special seasonal produce, bridging palate and nutrition at a go. Winter veggies and leafy greens are found in plenty during the cold season like spinach, mustard greens (sarson ka saag), radish, cauliflower, etc. These seasonal gems bring a host of health benefits and nutrition requirements to the body.
Try out some of these lip-smacking, crispy parathas stuffed with the goodness of winter veggies and greens, recommended by Chef Kunal Kapoor for a hearty and flavourful meal.
Mooli Paratha
The humble Mooli or Radish packs several health benefits that can help in overcoming the challenges of winter. It can be enjoyed in piping-hot parathas.
Ingredients
• 2 cups of Whole wheat flour (Atta)
• A pinch of Salt (as per your taste)
• Water – as required
• A dash of Saffola Gold Oil
To create the stuffing
• 2 cups of grated White Radish (mooli)
• Small quantity or handful of chopped Radish leaves
• ½ teaspoon of Salt
• 2 teaspoons of chopped Green chillies
• 2 teaspoons of chopped Ginger
• ½ teaspoon of Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon of Carom seeds (Ajwain)
• 1 tablespoon of Whole wheat flour (Atta)
• Saffola Gold Oil or Ghee – as required
• Whole wheat flour (Atta) for dusting
Preparation time: 25 mins
Serves: 4
Steps to follow
• Begin by preparing dough for the paratha by mixing Whole wheat flour (atta), salt and water
• Knead the mix to form a stiff dough
• Smear a dash of Saffola Gold oil on top of the ready dough and allow it to rest for 10-15mins
• On the sideline, prepare the stuffing for the paratha. Peel the radishes and thickly grate them
• Add the chopped radish leaves, salt, chopped green chillies, ginger, chilli powder and carom seeds to the grated radishes
• Mix them all together and set it aside for 5 mins
• Squeeze out the grated radish mixture to remove the excess water [due to added salt, grated radish will release water]. It will help in stuffing and rolling the dough better.
• Discard the water. Add a tablespoon of atta and a pinch of salt (for seasoning) to the squeezed mooli mix. The atta will absorb any of the remaining moisture
• Back to the dough, knead it again and divide it into 4 balls
• Fill each of them with the grated mooli mix. Place the stuffed [dough] balls onto the wooden board, dust extra dry flour (atta) on it to shape them using the rolling pin, one by one
• Heat a pan or tawa, and cook the paratha, by flipping either side
• Apply Saffola Gold Oil or ghee across both sides of the paratha, and fry till it gets golden brown
• Remove the parathas and serve them hot with butter, curd and pickle
Palak Paneer Paratha
The ultimate combination that brings the goodness of Palak and Paneer for a sumptuous start to the day and drives the winter blues away
Ingredients
• ½ kg or a bunch of Spinach leaves
• A generous pinch of Salt
• A pinch of Sugar
• A bowl of Iced Water
• ½ cup of Mint leaves
• 1 cup of Fresh Coriander leaves
• 2 nos of Garlic cloves
• 1-2 nos of Green Chilli
• 2 tsp of Kasoori Methi
• Saffola Gold Oil – for cooking
For the Dough
• 1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour (Atta)
• 1 cup of All Purpose Flour (Maida)
• ½ tsp of Salt
• 1 tbsp of Ghee or Saffola Gold Oil
For Stuffing
• 2 cups of crushed Paneer (around 400 gms)
• 3 tbsp of chopped Onion chopped
• 1 tsp of Cumin
• 2 tsp of chopped Ginger
• 2 nos of chopped Green chillies
• ¾ tsp of Chilli powder
• 2 tsp of Coriander powder
• Handful of chopped Coriander leaves
• Salt – to taste
Preparation time: 40 mins
Serves: 4
Steps to follow
• Wash the spinach leaves and put them into boiling water. Add a pinch of salt and sugar to it
• Cook the spinach for 30-40 seconds and quickly strain them. Immerse them into a bowl of iced water, to help them retain their colour
• Remove the spinach from the iced water and squeeze gently to let out the remaining water
• Then add the spinach, mint leaves, coriander leaves, garlic cloves, green chillies, and kasoori methi in a mixer grinder jar. Grind them all into a fine puree
• Moving on to making the dough, take a flat bowl and add atta, maida, salt and ghee. Then add the spinach puree and knead it all together to form a soft dough
• Allow the dough to rest in the fridge for a few minutes. It will help tighten the dough
• In the meanwhile, prepare the stuffing by mixing together crushed paneer, onion, cumin, ginger, green chillies, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and finely chopped coriander leaves
• Take out the dough from the fridge and divide it into equal-sized balls. Place one of the dough balls on your hand and flatten it gently
• Place a spoonful of the prepared stuffing in the centre of the flattened dough. Gather its edges and bring them together to seal the filling
• Shape and flatten the filled dough ball with a rolling pin
• Heat a pan or tawa over medium heat. Place the rolled paratha on the hot tawa and cook for a minute
• Flip the paratha and spread a little ghee or Saffola Gold oil on both sides. Cook the paratha until both sides turn golden brown and serve it with some butter, curd and pickle
So go ahead and indulge in the wholesome practice of eating healthy by adding nutrient-rich green seasonal produce into your diet. Pick up a bunch of radishes and fresh spinach to rustle up these delicious parathas as you soak in the wintery sun and bring warmth to both – your household and your soul.