Aloo Mooli Gajar Paratha(Radish, potato carrot parathas)

What beast?? If you start reading this post, thinking this is about some exotic meat dish......Nah..sorry to disappoint you. Well, I have been participating in so many events, challenging myself, and it got me to think that I had to confront my own challenges in the kitchen. Stuff that I never do, coss it most likely doesnt come out right. One such challenge for me has been Parathas, especially the kind which has a stuffing inside it. I know..I know, isn't that supposed to be in every Indian cooks repertoire?? Well, not mine.

You see...the problem is 'rolling dough'. That aspect has never been my strong points in the kitchen. I make chapatis, and get them to be fluffy and nice..but, I learnt that only after I got married. Well, I had a guinea pig that I could experiment on..and :) No really, the chapatis I make are soft, but not necessarily round - like a perfect circle. I remember how my brother makes fun of me, that every chapati I give him looks like a continent on the world map, that I start teaching him geography while I cook. He says..never try your hand at making chapatis like mom does, coss you never can.

Anyway, rolling dough to cook into a flatbread is one thing, stuffing it, and then have the stuffing, oozing out and getting it stuck to your board is a whole another beast. Something I was too terrified to even attempt. But, all these events were getting me riled up, and I was in high spirits..and so, it was time to tame the beast. Adorned in my apron, with my rolling pin and frying pan, I set out for the battle. :)

AMC Parathas (Aloo-Mooli-Carrot Parathas)Ingredients(dough)

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp oil

water to knead dough

For filling:

1 daikon radish

1 carrot

1 small potato boiled

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garam masala

2 tsp finely chopped cilantro

Finely grate the daikon radish and carrot. Mix them with a little salt and set over a sieve. Meanwhile, add the whole wheat flour, salt, oil and mix to combine. Squeeze the daikon, carrot mixture and it will give out a lot of water. Use that water and some additional warm water to make a soft dough. Let it rest for about 30 minutes.

Take the squeezed radish, carrot mixture and add turmeric powder and garam masala. Mix well to combine. Mash the potato and add it to the mixture along with the chopped cilantro. Make a homogenous mixture with it. Seperate it into 1 tsp measures and make itty bitty balls of the stuffing. Pinch a ball of dough and shape it into a disc, place the stuffing in the disc and draw the outer edges to cover the stuffing.

Roll gently to make a stuffed ball. Make similar stuffed balls with all the dough you have. I made 12 balls out of it.

Heat a pan over medium heat. Gently roll the dough to a thickish round(or a shape that is somewhat like a circle). Place on the pan, smear with a drop of oil on both sides and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove the paratha and wrap in foil to keep warm. Serve with curry of your choice.

Verdict: I would'nt say my first attempt was a grand success. Some of the parathas were great, and turned out perfect. Some had filling ooze out of them, as you can see in the picture. I had to scrape out the stuck filling out of the board a couple of times, before proceeding further. They tasted good though, warm and soft and sweet from the carrots. I guess this is something where practice would make perfect. I plan on continuing my journey towards Paratha Perfection. Until then, if anyone has suggestions to help me, please leave a comment.