Recipe- Paneer Paratha (Paneer ke parathe)

(Cottage cheese stuffed flat Indian bread)

Summary:

Cottage cheese/ Paneer stuffed parathas can be served as a meal with yogurt and some sweet/spicy pickle. When I came to US, I did not know how to make paratha's. One of my Punjabi friend thought me to make parathas. I had to get the hang of it and measurements are my contirbution for those who are learning to cook.

Paratas are generally served as breakfast/snack/dinner in Northern India. I generally make paratas for lunch or dinner. I try and make low fat paneer with skim milk, for mental satisfaction :-)

Ingredients:

Ready to roll roti dough - 1 cup (knead 2 cups of wheat flour,salt and water)
Cottage cheese ( Paneer) - 2 cups
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 tablespoon (grated)
Coriander powder (dhania powder)- 1heaping tablespoon
Dry mango powder (amchoor powder) - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 4 - 5 small (chopped)
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)

Preparation for stuffing:

Add all the above ingredients (except salt) to the grated cauliflower. Adding salt to the mixture makes the paneer mixture loose and with lot of moisture, rolling the paratha gets difficult if you are just starting to learn.

Preparation for roti:

Dough preparation - Add 1 cup of water (approximate) to 2 heaping cup of wheat flour with a large pinch of salt and knead to stiff dough. Cover and keep aside for 20minutes for best results.

Method to roll paneer partha:

Get the tools ready - Tawa on the stove with medium high temperature. Rolling pin to make/roll rotis/parathas. All purpose flour in a 3/4 plate to lightly flour the dough in between during rolling the paratha dough. Have the roti dough ready to roll the paratha's. Make one lemon size ball out of the dough. Slightly flatten one ball sized dough and dip the flatten ball in the all purpose flour plate which is placed in the side. Place it on the lightly floured/clean surface and slowly roll the dough in a circular motion from the center.

To prevent sticking of the paratha dough when rolling, you can continuously rotate the dough on the surface, and set it aside and start rolling the second ball sized dough the same way.
(lift it up and throw it back down just like a frisbee). Place one tablespoon or little more of paneer mixture stuffing on the half rolled paratha and sprinkle one or two pinches of salt (according to taste).

Slightly press/seal the ends of the roti together like a ball covering all mixture and gently roll the paratha.

Continue rolling and lightly dust the paratha with flour if the paratha is sticking to the surface. Too much dusting may spoil the taste of the paratha. It is important to roll the dough on one side only. Make sure not to apply too much pressure while rolling. Try not to roll the paratha too thin (if you're a beginner at this). Soon you will see the small ball of dough expand to 3 inches in diameter (just like a disc)

Method to cook paneer paratha:

Preheat the tawa/cast iron pan on medium high. Transfer the ready paratha on to the pan and wait for 20 seconds.

Flip the paratha on to the other side and wait for 15-20 seconds.

Flip the paratha again on the cooked side and apply clarified butter (ghee) or oil and make sure the paratha is cooked well on both sides.

Do not leave the paratha too long on the tawa or else it will burn. Transfer the paratha into a plate and brush it with ghee. Parathas taste good when served hot.