Cookery: Easy Peasy Green Moong Dal Parathas

I don't like plain parathas much. I love the stuffed ones the most but it takes a lot of time and effort and i am not willing to spend that much time on cooking often. So I found a simple middle path... jazz the basic paratha with different things at the dough stage itself.

When i am feeling super-lazy, I just add chili powder, cumin and salt to the dough. I have also tried parathas with grated carrots, chopped onions, grated bottle gourd and even beets. The moong dal variant is one of my favorites and also i guess, very nutritious.

{Recipe for 4 parathas}

Soak 1 cup moong dal (green gram - split or whole) overnight or for 6 hours at least. Pressure cook with a little water for 1 whistle. Drain the water and leave the dal in a colander / strainer for a few minutes so that all the water drains out completely and the dal cools down as well.

Now transfer the dal to your mixing bowl. Take a 1 inch square piece of ginger, finely grate it and add. Also add a lot of finely chopped coriander, 1 finely chopped green chili and salt to taste (you will need to add more than you usually add to your plain dough).

Add 1 cup whole wheat flour or multi grain flour to the dal and mix and knead the dough till it comes together. (You may need to add more flour, if you think the dough is still too sticky. But yes, this dough is much softer than the regular paratha dough you make). Add 1 tsp of oil and knead again.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Use lots of dry flour, roll the parathas and cook on a tava with as little oil / ghee or as much as you like :).

Serve hot with curd and pickle.