I love Carrot-Cucumber parathas as they are easy to make, pack a lot of punch (Read : whole wheat, carrots, cucumbers, low fat), and they can be served just by themselves! Parathas, in general, are very versatile. There are so many varieties of parathas like Gobi (Cauliflower), Aloo (Potato), Mooli (Radish) and there is always an opportunity to mix and match the ingredients. I make my parathas without much oil or fat. But according to the original recipe, they are to be dunked in butter (ghee) or oil. It just depends on your preference. Either way, these are scrumptious.
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour or Atta - 2 cups
Seedless Cucumber (preferred, or with seeds would also work) - 1 large
Carrot - 1
Salt - 3 tsp (divided)
Ajwain or Carom Seeds - 0.5 tsp (Optional)
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Haldi or Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Procedure
1) Remove the skin of the cucumber. Grate it and add 1 tsp salt. Let it sit in a for about 10 mins so that all the water has oozed out. If your cucumber was not seedless, pick and toss out all the seeds.
2) In the meanwhile, de-skin and grate the carrot. There should not be much water to get rid of, so you can leave it as it is.
3) To get your dough going, mix together the flour, 2 tsp salt, tumeric powder, ajwain, and red chilly powder.
4) Using your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible out of the grated cucumber and reserve the water.
5) Add grated carrot and cucumber to the flour mixture and start kneading.
Add very little reserved cucumber juice at a time to make a soft pliable dough. It is important to add water very little at a time as the cucumber has tendency to give out water and dough becomes very sticky if not careful. If it does, just add some more flour but avoid adding too much as it will throw off the balance of the ingredients.
6) Add oil and continue kneading for a minute or two.
7) Cover the dough with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.
8) Heat a griddle and make golf size balls of the dough. Roll the parathas taking care that they are not too thin. Use some flour to prevent the paratha from sticking to the rolling surf.ace.
9) Put the paratha on the griddle and let it cook until small bubbles appear on the surface. Flip it and let it cook until it has brown spots all over the surface. Flip it again and let it cook similarly on the other side. At this point you may choose to apply some oil or butter (ghee) on either or both sides of the paratha.
10) Continue the process for other parathas.
These parathas are great served just with yogurt and pickle, or can be served with the curry of your choice. I love tomato curry prepared in Gujrati style to go with these parathas. This is a great wholesome option when you want to have a quick dinner and have limited ingredients at hand! You could also skip the cucumber and increase the quantity of carrots to make just carrot parathas, but the flavor that cucumber imparts to this parathas is refreshing to the palate. Give it a try!
