Methi Paratha

I came to know about methi leaves (Vendhaya keerai in Tamil) only after coming to US:-) As we get a very few varieties of spinach from India, I don’t hesitate to buy this leaves every time if it is fresh. Also it has very good medicinal properties.
We used to visit a Gujarati Restaurant named Rajhot when we were in California. They were serving different varieties of parathas which impressed me. One among that is Methi that I felt so healthy and tasty too.Then I found this wonderful recipe from Manjulas kitchen and adopted it to my own style. It came so successful. I have seen people used either a dried leaves(kasturi methi) or the leaves fried in oil to reduce the bitterness. Believe me, I have always tried with the fresh leaves and I never noticed any bitter taste.

Also mentioned down the raita preparation for this paratha.

Cook Time : 30 mins. Serves : 3

Ingredients :
1 bunch fresh Methi leaves
5 cups wheat flour
1 cup gram flour
1 cup yogurt
1/4 teaspoon of hing (asafoetida)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Chili powder
3 table spoon of oil
Salt to taste

Method :
1. Separate the methi leaves from the stem. grind them in a food processor by sprinkling little water.
2. In a large bowl, Add all the dry ingredients and mix well (Wheat flour, Besan flour, hing, cumin powder,turmeric powder and chili powder)
3. Add the ground methi leaves, yogurt and 1/4 cup of water.Increase the water if needed to make a dough. Add one table spoon of oil and knead the dough for 2 to 3 mins in order to make it smooth.
4. close the bowl and let the dough rest for some 10 mins.
5. Divide the dough into small balls (little bigger than the lemon size). Roll each one into a smooth ball and make it flat.
6. Take each dough and press it in the wheat flour on both sides. Roll them into a 5 to 6” diameter circle. If dough starts sticking, dust it with some more flour. But, do not use any dry flour towards the end of the rolling as it makes the paratha dry.
7. Heat the dosa tawa on a medium high.To see if the the tawa is ready, pour in a few drops of water and it should  sizzle immediately.
8. Place the rolled out dough over the tawa. keep it for few seconds and turn it over. You should see golden-brown spots on the semi-cooked side, Now pour 1/2 teaspoon of oil onto the paratha and spread it with a spatula and again turn it over to ensure both sides are cooked well.
9. Using your spatula, lightly press the entire paratha. This will make it puffy in some areas.
10. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Raita Preparation Method :

Mix all the below ingredients together.

1 cup curd
1 pinch of cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt

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