Mooli Parantha

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup water, or enough to make a pliable dough
2-3 white radishes (daikon), enough to make 3-4 cups when grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red chili seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon white cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon amchoor (dry mango powder)
1 1/2 tablesppons anaardana (pomagranate seeds)

Method

Stuffing:
1. Grate radish, using the large holes in a box grater, and spread out evenly on a baking sheet.
2. Sprinkle with salt, working it into the radishes with a fork or hands. Let sit for at least an hour on the baking sheet, slightly tilted, so that the radish juice flows to the lower end of the sheet.
3. Squeeze the juice out of the radishes. The drier the radishes, the easier it will be to stuff the paranthas.
4. Add spices to the radishes.

Tips for working with radishes:

Mooli (radish) juice can be strong and can sting your hands while cutting and squeezing. Before handling the Moolis, you may oil your hands very well to avoid stinging. Alternatively, just wash your hands thoroughly afterwards; the burning feeling will go away after 10-15 minutes. If the mooli stuffing is still soggy and rolling out the stuffed parantha is difficult, try sprinkling dry flour on it as and when required; but don’t over do it.

Paranthas:
1. Prepare dough by mixing the flour and water until pliable.
2. Take a small handful of dough and roll out in a circle with thin edges and a slightly thicker center.
3. Place 2 tablespoons of the radish mixture in the center of the dough. Fold one half of the circle over the filling, then fold the other half over in the opposite direction (like a burrito, or like an envelope). The dough should be in the form of a rectangle, with the longest sides closed and the shortest sides unsealed. Fold one unsealed edge over the top of the dough packet. Flip over, and repeat with the other unsealed side. (See video for a clearer explanation).
4. Roll the dough packet into a rectangle that is 1/4-inch thick or as thin as you like it.
5. Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium and cook parantha on one side until slightly brown. You may brush with olive oil or butter if you like.
6. Flip the parantha over and cook on the other side.
7. Flip again, for the third time.

Paranthas are typically eaten at breakfast. Stuffed paranthas are usually accompanied with plain yogurt, while plain paranthas are eaten with raita and sometimes scrambled eggs.

Daal

Ingredients

1 onion
1 small bulb garlic
2 cups daal (whole moong beans or whole massor/lentils)
6 cups water (2/3 additional cups hot water, as needed)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 heaping tablespoon ginger, diced

Method

1. Use the onions, garlic, and spices to make the onion-garlic paste, as detailed in a previous post.

2. When the paste is ready, add the daal, water, and spices. Cover and cook them on medium high heat until they come to a rolling boil. Adjust the heat to medium low so that the daal gets cooked slowly. Stir the daal once in a while so that it doesn’t burn or stick on the bottom of the pan.
3. Check the consistency of the daal. If it is too thick, add boiling water to thin the consistency but let it cook after adding. This makes the daal consistency more pasty.
4. Saute the reserved 1/2 onion, diced, and ginger in a little olive oil. When they are slightly darkish brown, put them in the cooked daal.

Serve hot with chapatti, boiled or fried rice.

Some useful tips:

Usually, you should not stir the whole Moong/ whole Masoor daal until it is partly cooked and broken. If you stir the daal while the seeds are still hard, some of them turn into stones (remain uncooked) no matter how much you cook later. Such stoned-seeds are unpalatable.

Daal is usually served as a complimentary dish along with other curries in a full Indian meal. However, daal and roti is a staple diet in North India and is popularly served as dinner.