Aloo Paratha (Stuffed Indian Flat Bread)

For dough:

Ingredients:

2 cups Wheat flour

3/4 cup Water

2tsp Oil

1/4tsp Salt

How to:

• In a large bowl, mix in the flour and salt together, then add 1tsp oil, mix well, then pour the water and start kneading the dough with your hands. 

• Add the remaining oil over the dough and knead for couple of mins. (The resulting dough should not be neither sticky nor very hard.)

• Wrap the bowl and let the dough rest for 15-20 mins.

For stuffing:

Ingredients:

1 medium Potato (boiled)

2 green Chilli (finely minced)

1/2 Yellow onion (finely chopped)

2tsp Cilantro (chopped)

1 1/2tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

1/4tsp Chilli powder

1/2tsp Cumin powder

1/2tsp Chaat masala powder

1 1/2tsp Oil

Salt

How to:

• Grate or mash the boiled potato and keep it aside.

• Heat oil in a pan, add ginger-garlic paste and saute until raw smell disappears.

• Then add onions and green chilli along with salt and saute until onions are slightly brown.

• Add chilli powder, cumin powder and chaat masala powder, saute for a min, then add cilantro and cook for another min.

• Reduce the flame, add the mashed potato, mix well with the masala and cook for a min.

• Switch off, transfer the masala to a plate and let it cool.

How to roll:

• Divide the dough into equal pieces, roll each of'em in between your palms and make lemon-size balls out of it.
• Place the dough on a flat, flour-dusted surface and start flattening the dough around the edges.(Make sure its thick at the center and thin at the edges.)

• Now place 2tsp of  the filling at the center and start grabbing the sides, bringing it together, seal it and twist the excess dough off.

• Now, carefully flatten the masala filled dough with a rolling pin. Also make sure its rolled evenly.

• Remove the excess flour, place it on a hot griddle and cook for a couple of mins.

• Flip it, apply ghee or butter and cook until it browns evenly on both the sides. 

Transfer it to a plate and serve hot with any curry.

Naan (Indian bread)

Ingredients:

3 cups +2tbsp All purpose flour (Maida) (latter, for dusting)

1/4 cup warm Milk

1 cup warm Water

1tsp Fast rise Yeast

1tsp Sugar

3/4tsp Salt

1/2tsp + 2tsp Oil 

3-4 Garlic pods (minced)

How to:

• In a bowl with water, add salt, sugar, milk, 1/2tsp oil and yeast, give it a good stir and let stand for 6-8 mins.

• In a large bowl, measure the all purpose flour and slowly add the yeast mixture and start kneading.

• Then apply some oil in the palm(to avoid sticking), also drizzle the remaining on the dough and keep kneading until the dough is soft and smooth. 

• Wrap it up and let rest for 40 mins in a warm place for the dough to rise. (I kept it inside the oven.)

• Once the dough doubles in size, punch it with your fist and remove the air inside.
• Divide the dough into lemon-size balls and flatten it with a rolling pin on a flour-dusted surface. (Do not roll it thin. I made both plain and garlic naan.)

• Sprinkle the minced garlic on top of the dough and gently press it with the rolling pin.

• Heat the broil to high, with the rolled dough on a non-stick cookie sheet, place it on the top shelf.

• Let broil for 3 mins, flip it and broil for couple more mins or until brown spots appear.

• Remove it and drizzle ghee over the naan and place it in a container.

Serve hot with cauliflower/paneer/chicken curry. 

Ref recipe:

http://usmasala.blogspot.com/2010/06/naan_27.html

Phulka (Puffed Indian Bread)

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Wheat flour

1/2 cup Water

1/4tsp Salt

1tsp Oil

Wheat flour (for dusting)

Ghee 

Also needed:

Rolling Pin

Flat tawa/pan

Chapathi flopper

Instead of rolling pin & flat tawa, you can also use Electric Chapathi maker.

How to:

• Mix salt and oil with the flour, then, slowly add water and knead resulting a non-sticky dough. (No need to rest the dough.) Divide the dough into equal parts.

• Dust flour on a flat surface, place the dough and with a rolling pin, make flattened-round shapes. (Roll it thin.)
• Heat the tawa/flat-bottomed pan, place the rolled roti and cook for 30 secs on both sides or until small bubbles starts to appear.

• Remove the tawa and set the chapathi-flopper on the flame, now, place the roti on top and cook until it raises like a balloon.(just like poori).

• Flip it and cook until browns slightly on both sides.

• Remove the phulka, apply ghee and place it in a container that retains the heat.

Serve hot with cauliflower chops or mashed potato curry.

Poori (Puffed Indian bread)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Wheat flour

1/2 up All purpose flour (maida)

1/4tsp Salt

Water

Oil (for deep frying)

How to:

• In a bowl mix together the flours along with salt and knead slowly adding the water. (Careful not to add more water, resulting sticky dough.)

• Knead the dough for 2 mins and place it on a flat surface.
• Place the dough on a flat surface and start beating with the rolling pin, this way the poori will be soft and puffy. (Ofcourse, its a tension reliever and no strain for your palm and fingers.)

• Divide the dough into small lime-size balls and smoothen it.

• Place each dough ball on a flour dusted flat surface and flatten it with a rolling pin.

• Heat oil in deep pan and carefully slide the rolled-out dough and deep fry'em.

• When poori is puffed one side, flip it over and fry the other side.

• Transfer and place it on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve hot with mashed potato curry.

Tip:

You can also use 1 cup of either wheat flour or all purpose flour.