Moong Dal Paratha

A blend of cooked moong bean, whole wheat flour, aromatic spices and herbs all put-together and rolled into one heck of a paratha (bread) and pan cooked with just a drizzle of oil and eaten hot. Now tell me that doesn’t sound good to you? Paratha’s are whole wheat Indian bread eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner in northern India especially in the Punjab region. The stuffing is endless from paneer, potato, moong, dal etc. Most of the days my mom would make paratha’s with different kinds of stuffings, roll them and pack for lunch in my lunch box with a side of plain yogurt or ketchup and each day it tasted different. Hmmm… I wish I were a kid again and living with my mom! But I continue her tradition by making it for my family often. It’s the meal I have grown up eating and brings a lot of wonderful memories and want to share a piece of it with you all.

Cooked moong bean with spices

Ingredients:
1 cup whole green moong bean
1 small onion finely chopped
A few sprigs of fresh cilantro chopped
1 tsp red chili powder or per taste
1 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 juice of lime or lemon or per taste
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt per taste
2 cups whole wheat flour
Oil for cooking

Rolled paratha with moong bean stuffing ready to be cooked

Directions:
Soak moong dal overnight. Drain excess water. In a non-stick pan, add 1 tsp oil, add cumnin seeds. Then add the moong bean, sauté, add 1/4 cup water, cover with a lid and let it cook until soft. Keep an eye if the water drains to prevent burning of moong bean. Once cooked and water has evaporated, add the chili powder, dhani powder, lime juice, turmeric powder, salt, mix well and turn off the heat; let it cool. The add finely chopped onions and cilantro.

Stuffed Moong Dal Paratha

Mix 1/2 tsp of salt with flour and slowly add some water to it until it forms a dough to be able to roll. Cover it with a plastic wrap and let is sit aside for at least 20 mins. Take a small piece of dough and place it between your palms, make a round ball. With a rolling pin,
roll the dough, sprinkle some wheat flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Roll to about 5 inches in diameter. Place a spoonful of moong bean in the center of the dough, pull the edges of the dough and cover the stuffing. Roll the dough further into a thin round shape about 10 inches in diameter. Heat a pan, place the rolled paratha. After about 1 minute on medium flame, flip it. After about 2 mins, drizzle < 1/2 tsp oil on top of the paratha then flip it again. Press it with a spatula all over to form a golden brown color. Flip it to cook on the other side and get golden brown. Take it off from heat and serve hot with a side of plain yogurt, lime or mango pickle or ketchup.