MOONG DAL PARATHA
Paratha is most popular unleavened flatbread from Indian subcontinent. It is made with whole wheat flour, salt, ghee and water. Parathas make an excellent choice for breakfast in most of the households in Northern part of India.
There are various kind of parathas, some are plain while others are stuffed. The stuffing too varies from potatoes, cauliflower, paneer , dals , onion and so on.
This Moong dal paratha recipe has a spicy stuffing of split yellow moong dal. To begin with the washed moong dal is first pressure cooked with little water , salt and turmeric powder up to a whistle and then pressure is released manually to prevent the dal from being mushy. To be on safer side and get the rightly cooked dal , I boil the dal in open vessel along with salt and turmeric powder. Drain the excess water and let the dal cool completely. Saute the dal with basic spices and aromatics like cumin seeds, green chili, red chili powder, garam masala etc. Sauteing the dal with spices not only enhances the taste of this dal but also helps to remove the extra moisture from it. If there is some moisture left in the stuffing it becomes difficult to roll out the paratha so make sure the stuffing is dry.
Stuff the rolled out flatbread with the spicy moong dal filling, seal it by bringing all the edges together on the top, flatten a little with hands and roll out again. Roast it on hot tava, smearing ghee, over medium flame till golden and crisp from both the sides.
Serve the hot paratha with yogurt, pickle and papad. It tastes amazing when paired with Raw Mango Launji.
Drizzle some tomato ketchup, roll it up and it makes a mess free tiffin / lunch box recipe. It makes a great travel and picnic food with mango pickle.
Cuisine : Indian
Course : Breakfast/Breads
Prep time : 30 minutes
Cook time : 20 -25 minutes
Servings : 6
Ingredients
For dough
2 Cups atta ( whole wheat flour )
1 Tbsp ghee
1/2 Tsp ajwain ( carom seeds )
1 Tsp salt
Water as needed
For moong dal filling
1/2 Cup yellow moong dal
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Green chili chopped
1/2 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Tsp red chili powder / flakes
1 Tsp garam masala
1/2 Tsp coriander powder
2 Tbsp fresh coriander leaves
1 Tsp raw mango powder (amchur )
Instructions
To prepare the dough
1. Take a deep and large bowl , to it add add atta (whole wheat flour), salt, ghee and carom seeds. Mix it well with your hands.
2. Start adding water, little by little to knead the dough.
3. Knead to a soft and smooth dough.
4. Apply some ghee on top and keep it covered for around 20 minutes.
To prepare moong dal filling
5. Wash and then soak the moong dal for 30 minutes.
6. After soaking the dal for 30 minutes , rinse it again in fresh water.
7. Now, in a vessel keep water for boiling. Once the water starts boiling add the soaked and rinsed dal along with salt and turmeric powder.
8. As the dal simmers on medium flame you will see yellowish foam gathering on the sides of the vessel in which dal is simmering. Skim off this foam with a perforated ladle till the water is almost clear.
9. Keep stirring in between till the dal is cooked but not mushy and still holds its shape.
10. Once cooked , drain the water and let the dal cool off completely in the strainer itself, which also allows the excess water to drain off.
11. In a separate pan heat the oil and add cumin seeds and chopped green chilies.
12. Saute cumin seeds and green chili for a minute and then add cooked moong dal and all the dry masala like coriander powder, chili flakes, raw mango powder and garam masala.
13. Saute the moong dal along with all masalas for around 5 minutes on low flame till all is well combined.
14. Switch off the flame , add fresh coriander leaves and empty the filling in a bowl.
Stuffing, rolling and roasting the paratha
15. Once the dough has rested, divide it into 6 equal sized balls. Roll each ball between your hands to make it smooth.
16. Now, take one of the dough ball, dust it with whole wheat flour and press it down with your hands. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle of around 4 inch diameter. Apply around 1/4 teaspoon ghee on the rolled dough.
17. Add the filling, around 1-2 tablespoons.
18. Bring the edges of the rolled paratha together on the top and seal them.
19. Then press the sealed edges of the dough down with your fingers and make it little smooth.
20. Then roll the dough again using a rolling pin, into a thick circle of 7 to 8 inch diameter.
21. Now, place the rolled paratha onto the heated tawa. Cook the side for a minute or two, apply little ghee and then flip over.
22. Apply ghee on the half-cooked side and then flip again.
23. Now apply ghee on the other side as well. Press with a spatula and cook the paratha until both sides have golden brown spots on them.
24. Similarly make all the parathas and serve hot with yogurt, pickle and papad.
APT FOR BREAKFAST , GOOD FOR LUNCH TOO.......
Try out this delicious Moong Dal Paratha recipe and let me know it turns out in the comment section !!!
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