Sunday, February 28, 2016

Posted by Mala at 1:00:00 AM 3 comments
Tring..tring...tring..tring.....please open the door...Post Woman Malpat is there at your door step!!! She has brought some special Green  Envelopes which contain valuable stuff......Emeralds (green bell pepper), Rubies (red bell pepper), Cats eye (yellow bell pepper)...all set in Platinum  (Paneer/Cottage cheese)...........and this is a very Special Post too!!!
Those days, we all used to wait for post man / woman for the precious, invaluable  hand written letters....When my fledglings flew out of my  warm, cozy  nest....., everyday, whenever it was time for the post man to come,in the mornings, afternoons and evenings...... I used to stand in the balcony and eagerly await their letters!!! Gone are those days.....   The present   "E" world,  E- mails and live video chats definitely were quite exciting in the initial days....of course, we stay connected where ever we are....but still............nothing to beat those old fashioned hand written letters, which definitely used to carry  the scent of the person who wrote it!!!
Tarla Dalal has made these Lifafa Parathas with All Purpose flour, and she has stuffed palak and paneer . I wanted to make with whole wheat, also, slightly modified the recipe.
It goes without saying, how nutritious  these Parathas are.....soft inside and slightly crunchy outside ..everybody will surely love them..they prove to be ideal for the kids' lunch box too.

                                               Here is the special Green Envelope for you....




So, tear open the "Lifafa"(in Hindi, it means an envelope) and see for yourselves, what this special post has in store for you!!!!






Ingredients

For the Dough
Palak / Spinach - 1 bunch, chopped roughly, washed well and pressure cooked for 1 whistle.
Ginger - 1 small piece
Green chillies - 1
Whole wheat flour - 1 1/2 cups
Ajwain /carom seeds - 1/2 tsp
Gingely oil - 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Cooking oil + ghee as required, to make the parathas

For the stuffing
 Paneer - 1 cup, home made from 4 1/2 cups of milk  & crumbled
Ginger-garlic paste - 3/4 tsp
Pearl onions - 6, finely chopped
Green bell pepper - 1/8 cup, finely chopped
Red bell pepper - 1/8 cup, finely chopped
Yellow bell pepper - 1/8 cup, finely chopped
Green chillies - 2 - 3 very finely chopped, after deseeding  or we can add ground green chillies too
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Kasoori methi - 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Cooking oil - 2 tsps
Jeera - 1 tsp

Recipe Cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch/Dinner
Prep time: 15 mts; Cooking time: 20-25 mts

Yields 6 parathas

The picture below shows the
 1. cooked spinach,
 2. loaded in the blender jar along with ginger and green chillies,
 3. pureed palak 
4. whole wheat flour, salt ,  ajwain/carom seeds and gingely oil added 
 5. kneaded to a soft, pliable dough,
 Allow it to rest for 1-2 hours. The cooked palak, before blending, should completely cool down, otherwise, you won't get this beautiful green colour.




Paneer, crumbled well, all vegetables chopped finely.


Picture below shows:
1.  jeera seasoned in 2 tsps oil, ginger-garlic paste, onions and green chillied added 
2.Then go in the bell peppers, 
 3.coriander powder, kasoori methi and salt and sauteed well.
4. Paneer added with salt to taste
5. Mixed well, and  set aside to cool down.



Roll out a chapathi, smear some oil,  dust with flour, and keep 2 tbsps of the paneer filling in the center.


Fold the bottom portion like this, while closing, gently tuck in, with your fingers,  the filling inside tightly.


Now, the right side to be folded in


Now the left ....


And now, lastly the top side, making this into a beautiful small envelope. Press the edges slightly.


Flatten it gently, keeping the folded portion at the top, roll slightly, then turn to the other side. Dust with some flour, if needed


and roll into parathas...some become  square; some become  rectangle.


Heat a non stick tava, first dry roast on both sides...flames always on the lowest.


then flip over, drizzle 1/2 tsp of  the mixed cooking oil and ghee , and cook to a beautiful golden colour.


Keep aside on a plate..




This golden colour is retained, may be, for 5 minutes...



After a little while, the parathas turn a bit darker like this!!!

Serve the rich, healthy iron  rich Palak Parathas, stuffed with the paneer and bell peppers, just with a bowl of fresh curds!!! 


This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes
*These parathas can be rolled & stuffed in advance(2-3 hours earlier)  and can be refrigerated, placing a butter paper in between each paratha, and also, tightly cling wrapping the whole plate, and just before eating, can be cooked on tava.
*Store bought paneer can also be used.
*Frozen spinach can be used. 
*Paneer can be substituted with tofu.
*If you want it spicier, sprinkle some red pepper flakes before folding the paratha sides.

I would really really love to hear your comments/praises/criticisms....whatever they may be. Hope you all enjoyed my 200th POST!





















3 comments:

  1. Dear Amma, best wishes on your 200th post and for posting such a delicious and unique recipe. Wishing you many many more years of blogging and posting such mouthwatering recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Mali,

    This is Yash. I like this food. Pls make for me next time.

    love Yash

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats on your 200th post. Amazing creativity. And Mala Akka I love the poem too. You are always welcome to our home but we are lucky if you bring this package. As always amazing recipe. Looks nutritious too. Kalpana Anand

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