I love stuffed parathas(flatbreads) because, they are the easiest way to my little one’s tummy. You would love this recipe if you find it hard to eat or feed broccoli. Broccoli is very rich in calcium, vitamin C, antioxidants and fiber. Bone strength, cancer prevention, anti-aging are just some of the benefits of this green vegetable. So, in a attempt to feed this veggie to my family, I discovered this recipe for Broccoli Parathas. I customized it to my taste and availability of the ingredients.

Grated broccoli is sauteed with some spices, parsley and curry leaves. Both the herbs add nice grassy flavor to broccoli. I added some mozzarella and cottage cheese but these are optional. They help in giving body to the stuffing. I always love to pair stuffed parathas with flavored raitas (yogurt salad). I made raita with parsley, grated cucumber, ginger, green chili and roasted cumin. We all loved this combination and so I am putting this up on the blog. Give this recipe a try to make weekday meals more tasty and let me know how you liked it.

Broccoli Cheese Parathas (Stuffed Flatbreads with Broccoli & Cheese)

Servings: 6

Ingredients for the dough:

Whole Wheat Flour: 2 cups

Olive Oil: 2 tbsp & more for frying

Salt: 1/2 tsp (As per taste)

Water: As required

Ingredients for the stuffing:

Broccoli: 1.5 cups, grated (or pulse it in the food processor or mixer)

Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder: 1/2 tsp

Aamchoor Powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt: 1 tsp

Cottage Cheese (Paneer): 1/4 cup, grated

Mozzarella Cheese: 1/4 cup, grated

Parsley: 2 tbsp, chopped

Curry leaves: 1 tbsp, chopped

Procedure:

1. For the filling, heat a non-stick pan on medium-high flame and add oil. Add broccoli and all the spices except salt. Let saute for one minute.
2. Add chopped curry leaves and parsley and saute for another minute. Switch off the flame. Do not overcook as it will be cooked again while frying parathas.  Transfer the mixture to bowl and refrigerate to cool quickly.
3. Add mozzarella, cottage cheese and salt to the cooled mixture. If you add these ingredients before cooling, the mixture releases water. Set this aside.
4. For the dough, take a wide vessel and add flour, salt and olive oil, and mix well. Now add water little by little and prepare a stiff dough. Knead it for two minutes and set aside for 10 minutes.
5. To roll the bread, take medium lemon size balls and start rolling to 4 inch diameter circles with edges thinner than the center. Add 2 tablespoon of broccoli mixture and pinch the edges together and take off the excess dough on the top.
6. Dust the stuffed dough with flour and roll to thin circles of 7-8 inch diameter. Similarly, make 6 flatbreads and set aside.
7. To fry the parathas, heat a griddle or tawa to high heat. Cook the rolled paratha each side until light spots form on the surface. Now brush with oil or ghee and fry each side again until dark spots form on the surface as shown in the picture.
8. Serve hot with cool raita and spicy pickle.

Cucumber Parsley Raita (Yogurt Salad)

Ingredients:

Thick Yogurt: 1 cup, beaten until smooth

Cucumber: 1 medium size, skinned and grated

Parsley: 1/2 cup, with stems

Ginger: 1/2 inch

Green Chilies: 2, As required

Roasted Cumin: 1/2 tbsp

Lemon Juice: 1 tbsp

Salt: 1/2 tsp, As required

Procedure:

1. Squeeze the excess water out of grated cucumber by gently pressing with hand and add to the yogurt. Mix well.
2. In a blender, puree parsley, ginger, green chili, roasted cumin, lemon juice by adding very little water.
3. Add this puree to yogurt. Add salt and mix well. Raita is ready.