Moong Dal ki Puri

I do not think Puri/Poori needs any introduction from my side 🙂 ; nonetheless, for all my global friends, Puri is a deep fried Indian bread made up of whole wheat flour. Puri is almost an essential part of every special Indian occasion. We Indians irrespective of our states, regions, religion, shape and size love to devour these Indian breads in many combinations – Chhole-Puri, Chana-Puri, Halwa-Puri, Puri-Aloo ki Subzi, and the list can simply go on 🙂 However I am not covering any of these today but sharing something unique  – Moong Dal Puri, which as the name suggests is Puri made from Moong daal (yellow split lentil). I recently prepared it for the first time on Shitla Astami (a day marked in respect to goddess Shitla Mata), and it was an instant superhit.  The credit for the recipe goes to my darling Mumma as she introduced it to me recently. Moong Dal Puri is a crispy and spicy puri which can be enjoyed equally as a main bread item or as a standalone snack.

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Broccoli Stem Parantha

Broccoli is a very nutritional vegetables, full of many essential vitamins, minerals and low in calories. However today I have used the stems (Danthal in hindi) of Broccoli, which generally goes in the bin, to make Broccoli Stem Parantha.  I am sure my previous dishes using Broccoli (Broccoli Parantha, and Broccoli Kofta Curry) would have at least made clear its rich nutritional value. Apart from these 2 recipes, I also make a Broccoli dry curry on a regular basis in my home ( I will post the recipe soon 🙂 )

Avocado Parantha

The super-food Avocado is mostly eaten plain, in salads, as a dip (most famous one is Guacamole) or in the form of shakes. But today I have given this amazing fruit an Indian twist – I have made Avocado Parantha😊. Obviously it is super-healthy, one that satisfies the Indian palate, and defintely a great way to add avocado in our meals. You can even give this as a lunchbox to the kids as the Parantha remains soft and good nutrients will get consumed without any significant effort.

Spinach/Palak Thepla (Spinach thin Indian flat bread)

Its breakfast time again 🙂 and I present another healthy Indian flat bread made with Spinach. This flat bread is called “thepla” (in the local dialect of the Western Indiuan state of Gujarat) and is a very healthy option for all times – breakfast, lunch or dinner. Thepla originates from the state of Gujarat, and can be termed similar to Paranthas. The main difference is that thepla is thin, with its dough kneaded with spices and yogurt while Parantha is comparatively thicker and its dough is kneaded with water without any spices.

Naan (Leavened oven-baked flat bread)

As is the case with lentils (being the core in an Indian staple diet), Bread(s) also enjoy the same status. Indians enjoy a variety of bread as part of their daily routine, most of the usual ones being – Roti/Chapati, Tandoori Roti, Naan, and Parantha. My previous posts have covered couple of Paranthas (Aloo Parantha, Spinach Parantha, Broccoli Parantha). Today I am covering Naan in this post. Naan is also a very popular leavened oven-baked flat bread with origins in Persia (Iran) but extremely popular in the Indian cuisine.

Spinach Flat Bread (Palak Parantha)

Yes, I understand that even though I go on saying healthy eating/lifestyle, I tend to come back with Indian dishes which are more of carbohydrates 🙂 In my defence, I would say that the mantra to a healthy lifestyle is eating a balanced diet, of which carbohydrates are an essential building block!!

Potato Parantha (Indian Flat bread stuffed with spicy potato filling)

Now, this is another form of carbohydrates that we Indians just love to have. One can safely assume that Parantha is prepared/eaten in every Indian household. Aloo Parantha is one such variation to the simple Parantha, and comes with a spiced-up potato filling. For all my friends/readers, Aloo is the Hindi term for Potato. North of India is famous for churning out a lot of such variations of Parantha – Aloo Parantha, Gobhi (Cauliflower) Parantha, Palak (Spinach) Parantha, Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Parantha, Muli (Radish) Parantha, and so on.

Stuffed Broccoli Parantha (Indian Flat bread with stuffed broccoli)

Broccoli is a very healthy vegetable and one that is full of nutrition. But broccoli is still trying to find its place in Indian kitchen due to its different taste and a slightly pungent smell. Most of us (Indians) seem to be oblivious to the place of Broccoli in our modern diet. Broccoli is rich in many essential vitamins and minerals, and is also very low in calories. It is a great source of vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6), Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc in addition to fiber, folate, and lutein.

Whole Wheat Kulcha

Me and my hubby are health conscious (well, try to be) so we generally avoid eating maida / all-purpose flour; and then it struck me  – to make wholewheat Kulcha instead of the regular (maida) Kulcha. Generally kulcha is made in the clay oven (Tandoor) but I made it on a skillet (tawa), and it was very soft n tasty ! It was my first attempt at making whole wheat Kulcha and, it got great response from my friends and family. Hope you guys also like this recipe.

Whole Wheat Laccha Parantha

Lachha Paratha is a multi-layered Indian flat bread/paratha of Punjabi origin, which is traditionally prepared in a Tandoor (a cylindrical clay or metal oven) using ghee/ clarified butter. However it can also be prepared using oil on a tawa/skillet.