Pumpkin Paratha
Come October, I get loads of requests for pumpkin based recipes. It is after all, pumpkin season! I’m happy to share the recipe of this mildly spiced Pumpkin Paratha – an Indian flat bread that’s easy to make, delicious and packed with nutrients.
My cousin shared this recipe a while back and initially I was skeptical about the taste. I thought that the inherent sweetness and the high water content of pumpkin will not be suited for making soft parathas. I was wrong, it tasted awesome and was instantly a big hit at home. I’m thankful to her for encouraging me to try this simple, yet tasty pumpkin paratha.
Unlike traditional aloo paratha or paneer paratha, pumpkin paratha is very lite on the stomach and suited for all age groups. Go ahead and try this, you’ll end up making it very often 🙂
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
Salt – 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
Sugar – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Red chilly powder – 1 tsp (or to taste)
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Dry mango powder/lemon juice – 1/2 tsp
Grated pumpkin – 1 1/2 cups
Green chillies (finely chopped ) – 1 tbsp
Fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp
Ghee/oil/butter – 3 tbsp
Water – as required
Yield
8 parathas
Prep time
10 mins to prep ingredients
10 mins to make the dough
45 mins dough resting time
Cook time
20 mins
Method
1) In a wide bowl, take all the ingredients except wheat flour, ghee and water. Squeeze and mix everything thoroughly. Squeezing and mixing helps to bind all the flavors together and also helps to release the moisture from the pumpkin. Cover and set aside for 15 mins.
2) After 15 mins add wheat flour to the pumpkin mixture and mix with your hand. (Mixing with hand helps to feel the amount of moisture that has been released from the pumpkin).
3) According to the moisture level in the flour-pumpkin mixture, add water little by little to make a soft (slightly stiff) dough. Grease the dough with half tsp of ghee, cover and set aside for 30 mins.
4) After 30 mins, make small lemon size balls from the dough. Dust the surface (where you are going to roll out the paratha) with wheat flour. Roll out the dough ball into a slightly thick (about 2 mm) paratha using a rolling pin.
5) Heat a flat pan/tawa, and grease the pan with a drop of ghee.
6) When the pan is medium hot, place the paratha on it and cook the first side. Cook until you see small bubbles on top of the paratha. Now flip the paratha using a flat spatula. Allow this side also to cook for nearly 30 secs. Again flip the paratha, smear some ghee over the surface and around the edges. Press the paratha gently on all sides with the spatula.
7) Flip the paratha again. You will see small golden colour dots/patches on both sides of the paratha. Remove from the pan and place it in a hot pack lined with a clean kitchen cloth (if you are not serving immediately). Cover the paratha with a cotton cloth.
8) Continue to cook all the parathas similarly. Serve pumpkin paratha with plain yoghurt/boondhi raitha/pickle/fruit preserve (refer our Mango Plum preserve)/dhal tadka, or just fried green chillies. Just pumpkin paratha without any accompaniment also tastes great, as it has almost all the basic flavours in itself. When paired with any yoghurt based dip or Indian dhal it becomes a wholesome meal.
Notes
- I recommend to rest the pumpkin mixture for 15 mins initially, before adding the wheat flour. During this time, moisture is released from the mixture because it has salt in it. If you skip this step, then the dough might become watery and you might have to add more flour to correct this and bring the dough to the desired consistency. This will in turn make the parathas hard and chewy.
- Add water little by little and bring the dough to a soft, stiff consistency. If the dough becomes loose and sticky, you will need more wheat flour on the rolling surface. This will also make the paratha hard.
- Cook the pumpkin paratha on medium heat constantly. If cooked on high heat, the paratha will darken quickly and the pumpkin inside won’t cook properly.
- Even though I’ve given alternatives for ghee, adding ghee gives great flavour to the parathas. A mix of ghee and oil/butter can also be used. Use at least half a tsp ghee for cooking each paratha so they stay soft for a long time.
