Bathua Paratha is one of the most popular parathas (flat-breads) of Indian cuisine. I believe we all wait for winters to show as we get amazing choices of greens to include in our daily meals. Winters for a Punjabi-born like me mean parathas as breakfast: Stuffed Aloo/ Gobhi/ Mooli parathas or Methi, Palak Parathas. Due to an agricultural evolution, many vegetables are available throughout the year but I being a typical Desi Foodie, would eat fresh ones always. So, for me winters are really special. Made from scratch, each component of Bathua Paratha Recipe is fresh and oozing savory spicy flavors. Blanching bathua leaves, kneading them in whole wheat flour along with spices, green chilies is a simple recipe that gathers in no time. Trust me, they taste far better if they are fresh and not preserved. The whole process of sorting the leaves, washing them under tap thoroughly is like a therapy. Its a huge task but its rewarding at the end. You May Also like: Aloo Bathua Saag, Bathua Raita, Pumpkin Paratha and Ragi Paratha, Saag Paneer.
Why Would You Love This Recipe?
Amazingly rich in nutrition. Desi Ghee Crispy Wheat Paratha Easily convertible to Gluten free and Vegan Use of Fresh Bathua Leaves Kids Friendly The Best Bathua Paratha Recipe Ever!
Ingredients
Bathua Leaves: The essential ones are the fresh Bathua (Chenopodium Album) leaves. Bathua can be replaced by Methi (Fenugreek) leaves, Palak (Spinach) or Kale leaves. Wheat Flour: I am a big fan of wheat flour. We get wheat flour from a near by Chakki (Mill). I have kneaded the leaves with the wheat flour. One may fell free to stuff the leaves as well. Desi Ghee: I highly recommend making these flavor packed paraths in desi ghee. For a vegan swap, you may use olive oil or any vegetable oil of your choice. Salt & Spices: Use of green chilly (chopped) in the dough definitely adds the perfect heat. I add salt, Carom seeds, Red chilly powder, Garam Masala and Amchur/Lemon Juice also in the dough.
How To Make Bathua Paratha
Step 1 Sort and Boil Bathua Leaves
Sort Bathua leaves. Wash them thoroughly and boil them in water in an open pan. Make sure to soak leaves in water. It takes around 10 min for leaves to soften up and change to a dark green color. Sieve the boiled leaves and let it cool off.
Step 2 Knead Dough
Take a large parath (steel broad pan). Add wheat flour, boiled leaves, green chilies, red chili, salt, ajwain and knead a slight stiff dough.
Step 3 Roll Dough Balls to make Flatbread
Let dough rest for 15 min. Then take a small ball and make a flat bread (chapati) on rolling pin after dusting some flour. Place it on hot iron tawa and let it cook on simmer. It takes around 2-3 min to cook from one side. Flip and cook from other side. Apply desi ghee when flipped and if you wish to make a chapati instead of paratha (avoid ghee at this step)
Step 4 Serve It
The crispy and spicy bathua paratha are ready. Serve with your favorite achar and curd.
Expert Tips
Make sure to cool off the boiled leaves before adding them to wheat flour for kneading or else the dough would not be enough tight. Since the leafy veggies leave water, the dough should be made a bit tight and little water gradually or else dough would not be easy to roll. Make sure the Tawa is hot before placing rolled paratha on it. Simmer the flame and cook on slow flame for a crispy paratha. Iron tawa is the best. Its a myth that paratha would stick to it. You need to cook on slow or medium flame and not High flame for best results.
Variations
Bathua Raita: The boiled Bathua leaves can be used to make bathua raita, a popular curd recipe for winters to keep you warm. This savory curd is not just delicious but healthy too. When I boil Bathua, I store some of it for making raita too. Our Bathua Curd recipe is super amazing! Bathua Aloo Paratha: Dunk the boiled and mashed potatoes along with bathua leaves. Try another Green: Spinach, methi or kale can be used in place of Bathua and the same recipe works for them too. Make bathua saag is a very popular Indian dish and is teamed with Makki Roti or wheat paratha. Stuffed Bathua Paratha: For picky eaters, I have made this bathua paratha by kneading dough with bathua leaves. One may stuff the bathua leaves in wheat paratha too.
Stories From Kitchen
I had hated all winter greens most of my life and now I love them! Do you know what changed my feelings? Well Its a long story for and I would cut it short for you. It was this family recipe that was the reason of this flip-flop. The elegant way of eating greens in which you wont get leafy bites (which was a repelling enough for me) made the same bathua paratha delicious for me. If you have fussy eaters like me in your family, now you know the game changer trick! You may also like: More Winter Recipes:
Cucumber Radish Salad Amla Murabba Recipe- Indian Gooseberry Jam Makhana Chaat Recipe
Healthy Recipes:
Sweet Potato Chaat (Shakarkandi Chaat) Spiced Walnuts Recipe Paneer Tikka on Tawa
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