Gahat Ke Parathe / Gahat Dal Paratha / Kulthi Ke Parathe / Spicy Horse Gram Parathas

I have been posting under 'Thaalis and Platters' theme this month. Every day kind of meals picked from four corners of India were posted the first week while I opted to go with various breakfast platters across India, the second week. I reserved the third week for Indian regional thaalis, full course meals I picked from various Indian states. The fourth starts from today and I am going to post six Indian flatbread recipes this week. I have posted so far the following thaalis / platters this month. 

Week 1 - Everyday Thaalis
Tamil Nadu thaali (From South)
Goan vegetarian meal (From West)
North Indian mini thaali (From North)
Bengali niramish thaali (From East)

Week 2 - Breakfast Platters
Banarasi kachori aur subzi
East Indian Breakfast Platter 
Dal Pakwan
West and Central Indian Breakfast Platter
Kerala Breakfast Platter
South Indian Breakfast Platter

Week 3 Regional Thaalis

Andhra 'Dasara' Thaali (From South)

Bihari Thaali (From East)

Assamese Thaali (From North East)

Uttarakhandi Thaali (From North) 

Andhra 'Taddinam' Vanta (From South)

Maharashtrian Festival Thaali (From West)

 

Gahat (horse gram), urad dal (black gram) and soy beans are three important legumes used in cooking in Uttarakhand, especially during winter months. Many varieties of dishes are made locally using these legumes. They induce warmth in the body which is very much needed during the harsh winter months in the pahadi / hilly regions of Himalayas. Parathas stuffed with a spicy horse gram filling called gahat ka paratha is a popular winter dish for the same reason. These parathas were a part of Uttarakhandi thaali I posted last week. 

Obviously, these parathas are healthy and nutritious because of the bean stuffing and are diabetic friendly. And they are delicious and very filling as well and one does not need to prepare any side dishes to go with it. These parathas are spicy on their own and actually a simple raita or yogurt will do. However as part of the thalli, I had a soybean dal, a spinach gravy called kaapa, Kumaoini raita, a potato curry called aloo thechauni and sesame - cilantro chutney which are all popular side dishes in the state cuisine. I had jhangore ki kheer, a millet kheer for the dessert which is again a common one in the region. 

The filling can be prepared in advance and can be refrigerated too. And the outer wheat flour dough can be prepared and refrigerated for about to two to three days given that it is properly covered and there are no power cuts in the area. Allow it come to room temperature before using it to make rotis. If in a hurry, cover the dough and warm in the microwave for few seconds, until it comes to room temperature. Check out this easier method if new to paratha making and is not able to roll a stuffed paratha.

Recipe Source: Here
Ingredients for parathas: (Yield - 6 to 7 parathas)
1 + 1/4 cup atta / wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Water (I used about 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp.)
1 tsp. oil
Oil to make rotis
Ingredients for stuffing:
1/2 cup horse gram, soaked overnight
1 tsp. grated ginger
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder
A handful of cilantro / coriander leaves, finely minced
1 tsp. garam masala
1 finely minced green chili

Directions to prepare the paratha dough:
* Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl or a wide plate. Add water to the dough and knead into a soft, pliable dough. Don't add all the water to the flour at once. Start with 1/2 cup and go on adding as needed. If accidentally more water was added then it can be fixed by just adding some extra flour and then kneading.

* Next knead the oil into dough for about a minute, cover the dough and leave it aside for a couple of hours. (I don't usually knead the dough as the resting period will allow the gluten to develop and yield soft rotis. One can knead the dough and make the rotis immediately as well but I prefer resting the dough.)

How to prepare the stuffing:
* Soak horse gram overnight. Drain and rinse them in the morning.

* Pressure cook the horse gram with a cup of water (or more) to 3 or 4 whistles. If the horse gram was not soaked, cook for more whistles. When the valve pressure is gone, transfer the cooked horse gram to a colander and drain all the water. Leave it aside so that there is no trace of water present. 

* Mash the cooked horse gram in a food processor or by using hand. (I think people traditionally ground it on the stone aka silvatta. Food processor does a quick and neat job.) The ground mixture would be crumbly but moist enough to bind it into a ball.

* Add the remaining ingredients mentioned under stuffing and mix to combine. 

* Divide the mixture into 6 or 7 portions and shape them into balls. (Divide them into same number of balls as the dough balls.)

Rolling the parathas:
* Divide the dough into about 6 or 7 portions and roll them smoothly between your palms to shape them into balls.
* Work with one dough ball at a time and keep the rest covered. 
* Roll a dough ball into 3 - 4 inch disc and place one stuffing portion at the center of the disc, leaving the edges free. 

* Bring the edges together so that there are no gaps and the stuffing is inside intact.
* Press it into a disc taking care that there are no gaps anywhere so that the stuffing wouldn't spill out while rolling. 

* Roll the disc carefully into a 5 to 6 inch thin circle, dusting with flour if necessary. 

* Take care not to break it or let the filling coming out. Repeat the steps of paratha making with the remaining dough. (If a newbie to paratha making, rolling out a few and then start frying them will be easier. Or one can roll and do the frying simultaneously.) 

Frying the parathas:

* Heat iron griddle or a shallow, non stick pan and place the rolled out paratha.

 * Toast the parathas, brushing generously with oil / ghee, until both sides are cooked well and brown spots appear.

* Repeat the steps of rolling and toasting the parathas with the remaining dough balls and the stuffing. 

* Serve them hot with yogurt and a spicy pickle. Ours parathas were very spicy and raita was enough.

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