Rosemary Scallion Paratha

Do you remember the picture of the rosemary branch in my Foccacia Bread post? Those rosemary branches are still alive and well...and thriving... (In other words..read: I didn't kill it :) )

Yep, I have discovered the easiest way to propagate rosemary. Set it in a vase filled with water, and keep changing the water every 2-3 days. In a few days, you should see the rosemary branch sprout roots, a lotta roots. I had 3 branches in the vase, 2 of them are now planted in my garden and are doing pretty well. The third one is still sitting on my window sill, spreading its aroma. So, if you have a neighbor with a rosemary plant, snip a branch and get your own rosemary...for free :) Or, if you spot someone with a rosemary bush in your neighborhood, befriend them. :)

This all goes to say, I have this abundance of rosemary..sitting literally at an arm's reach away..and the only use for it I could imagine was in the rosemary foccacia. I didn't even think of using it in an Indian bread such as chapati, until I saw the recipe for it in Neelam Batra's book: 'Chilis to Chutneys'. I can't say enough about her recipes, all the recipes I have tried so far turned out to be awesome.

Rosemary is a completely foreign herb to the Indian Kitchen, so I was kind of skeptical about trying it. But, since I loved the smell of it while making the foccacia, I figured I would give it a try and I am glad I did. The mild oniony flavor from the scalliions and the rosemary when cooked and brushed with a thin film of ghee....had a heavenly aroma...Upon reading about rosemary, I discovered that it belongs to the same family as mint. Mint is used so abundantly in Indian cuisine, so why not its relative - rosemary?

I am sending this new herb discovery of mine in the form of these lovely paratha as my first entry to the 'Weekend Herb Blogging' event. This event is now four years old...Can you believe that? This week, week #239, is being hosted at Mele Cotte.. I am so glad that I am participating in this event. :)

Place the flour in the food processor and add the rest of the ingredients, except the water and oil. Pulse to combine and until the scallions and rosemary leaves are chopped and appear mealy. Add the warm water through the feed tube and pulse until the dough gathers into a ball. Remove, knead and apply the oil. Let the dough rest from 1-4 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate for longer.

Make equal sized balls of the dough. Roll out the dough into a thin disc, using dry all purpose flour for dusting. Cook on a griddle over medium high heat until brown spots appear on both sides. Brush with the ghee and stack covered with foil. Serve hot with curry of choice.

Verdict: The scallion and the rosemary added a mild spice to the paratha itself, and it looked as good as it tasted: flecked with dark and light green from the rosemary and scallion and spotted with the cracked black pepper. Spicy and delicious!

I am sending this paratha to 'Global Kadai: Flat Breads' event, hosted by Sandhya and originally started by Cilantro.