Figure Friendly and Nutritious Dal Methi Paratha

Makes 10 parathas

   Remember I talked about losing those extra pounds?  Well those turned into extra, extra pounds to lose, after last week’s  trip out of town. Weekends and trips out of town just melt my resolve to exercise portion control and eat healthy.

So I am doubly motivated to eat healthy this week. This paratha is a soft and luscious, ‘ meal in one’ that I urge you to try. It is a nutritious, satisfying, yummy and figure friendly meal. The leftovers taste fabulous for lunch the next day, so it is well worth the effort!

Dal is a major source of protein in the vegetarian diet. I used masoor dal (red lentils) for this recipe for two reasons. It cooks quicker than other dals and it tastes delicious. I used fresh methi  leaves, which are leaves of the fenugreek plant. Fenugreek is  commonly used in Indian cooking because of its many health benefits, especially according to Ayurveda.  Controlling glucose levels in our body, is one of them. In India, fresh methi leaves are one of the bitter greens that are cooked regularly in many households. Usually whole wheat flour alone is used for parathas, but I added besan(chick pea flour) for its flavor and to boost the  protein content. We all know the health benefits of flax seeds, turmeric, garlic and onion. Hot chili peppers are said to help with metabolism. So it is a bunch of healthy ingredients coming together for one delectable paratha.

I simply served this Dal Methi Paratha with fresh beets and avocado raita and store bought sweet and tangy chunda pickle. The soft and luscious parathas have won us over and are sure to be on the regular menu in our house.

Ingredients

To cook the dal-

• ½ cup masoor dal,(red lentils) washed and drained
• 2 cups water
• r½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• ½ small red onion, grated
• 1 green chili pepper, slit lengthwise
• salt to taste

Other ingredients-

• 1 cup chopped methi leaves. I wash and spin the leaves in a salad spinner before chopping.
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup besan (chick pea flour)
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground flax seed
• all purpose flour for dusting/rolling.

To make the Dal Methi Parathas-

1. Cook the dal with the water, turmeric powder, garlic, onion, chili and salt. When the water comes to a boil, reduce heat and let the dal cook, covered, on low heat, about 12 to 14 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Remove the chili pepper and let the dal cool. Blend it well with a whisk.
2. Add the chopped methi leaves and brown sugar. Combine well and add the flours and the flax seed meal and knead the dough. I did not need any more liquid or flour to make the dough. Also the salt content was just right for us. But the flours and liquid content of dal may vary so adjust accordingly and also check for salt.
3. Set the dough aside for 25 to 30 minutes, so the flavors come together well and also the consistency of the dough is better for rolling.
4. Divide the dough into 10 parts.

   

   Roll each one on a flour dusted surface

   

   and roast on a griddle on medium high heat. Turn and roast on the other side  until the paratha is cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

5. Remove from heat and brush with a little melted ghee or extra virgin olive oil (optional)
6. Serve with a raita like the beet and avocado raita , the festive corn raita, the piquant pineapple raita or the creamy cool onion raita.

Hope you enjoy this ‘guilt free’ meal as much as I did!

Love,

Sandhya