Recipe: PANEER MASOOR PARATHA

Paratha envelopes filled with lentils and cottage cheese.

Cooking Time : 45 mins.
Preparation Time : 15 mins.
Makes 4 parathas.

For the dough:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

For the filling:

1/2 cup paneer (cottage cheese), crumbled
2 tablespoons whole masoor (whole red lentils), cooked
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

Other Ingredients:

oil for cooking

For the dough:

1. Combine all the ingredients and knead into a soft dough using enough water.
2. Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

For the filling:

1. Heat the oil and saute the onion till it turns translucent.
2. Add the paneer, masoor, ginger, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, coriander and salt and mix well.
3. Cool, divide into 4 parts and keep aside.

How to proceed:

1. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll out each portion very thinly into circiles of 250 mm. (10") diameter.
2. Put one portion of the stuffing in the centre of each paratha and fold all the sides in such a way so as to form a rectangle.
3. Make a paste using a little flour and water and use this to seal the edges of the paratha.
4. Place the paratha on a tava (griddle) with the open edge at the bottom. Cook for a few minutes, turn over on the other side and cook again till crispy, using a little oil.
5. Repeat for the remaining dough and filling to make 3 more parathas.
6. Serve hot with curds.