Paratha and I have been the best of pals. Whether it is as an accompaniment with kebabs, Rogan josh, Murgh Do Pyaza, or vegetarian dishes like Paneer kofta, palak Paneer, or Kadhai Paneer, nothing can beat Paratha. For me it is the quintessential item to go with various curries.

India is a land of spices and you will find a number of spices here. Carom seed is one of them. As it is, carom seeds are an integral part of the Indian cuisine and are used in a wide range of dishes, basically to make ordinary food taste better. The following is a Paratha recipe, in which carom seeds have been used.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp carom seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
• Warm water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or ghee

Preparation

1. Add the flour, salt, carom seeds, turmeric and red chilly powders in a deep mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Now, add water to it and knead it continuously to form dough. Make sure that no lumps remain. So, keep kneading till there are no lumps. Add more water if required and if you have added more water than what is required, then add some flour to it. Always keep in mind that the more you knead, the smoother the dough becomes. Also, the flavor of the spices get mixed up in the dough, which makes the paratha tastier.
3. Once the dough is prepared, set it aside for 20 minutes.
4. Now, divide the dough into equal portions and roll between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.
5. After this, lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and flatten each ball into large circles. For convenience flatten out as many Parathas before hand. Stack them, ready to cook with a plastic film between each paratha, so that they do not stick together.
6. Now, heat a griddle and cook the Parathas one at a time on it. Keep cooking till you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. Now flip the paratha and grease a bit vegetable oil and ghee on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Now flip again after half a minute and grease this side with vegetable oil and ghee on this side as well. Repeat the process till both sides of the Paratha are crispy and golden brown.

Your paratha flavored with carom seeds is ready. You can serve it with Malai Curry, Kadhai Paneer, or simply yoghurt and pickle.

Tags: Ingredients, parathas flavored with carom seed, preparation