Green paratha

This is my own experimental paratha, so try it at your own risk :p I have used bottle gourd which is also known as dudhi bhopla in Marathi, lauki in Hindi and sorekai in Kannada along with spinach.

Ingredients:

1 cup of finely grated bottle gourd

2 cups of boiled spinach

2 cups of whole wheat flour (atta) and some more for dusting

1 tsp of ajwain (carom seeds)

1 tbsp of crushed garlic

red chili powder to taste

salt to taste

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

Oil for cooking

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients with 1/2 tbsp of oil in a mixing bowl

2. Using water as required, knead the above mixture into a silky dough. Smear some oil and keep aside for at least 10 min

3. Meanwhile place a griddle (tawa) on stove with low flame

4. Make a lemon sized ball from the dough and dust it with flour

5. Now gently roll the dough ball into a disc of 4 to 5 inch diameter. Do not make it too thin as it tends to harden on cooking.

Actually it is supposed to be a perfect circle :p

6. Grease the griddle with oil and place the paratha on it and cook each side on a high flame. Release oil from the sides occasionally. The cooked side turns light brown. Keep the paratha wrapped in a cotton cloth to secure its softness

7. Repeat the steps from 4 to 6 for the remaining dough

The above recipe yields 7-8 parathas. Serve them hot with your favorite pickle, curds or chutney!