Mixed Vegetable Paratha Recipe

"Paratha" is a type of Indian flatbread. The name comes from a combination of the words "parat," which means "layer" in Indian — as in thin, buttery layers within the flatbread, and "atta," which is an Indian word for "flour," according to Taste Atlas. As much as that might sound like a flatbread version of a croissant, a paratha need not be unhealthy. And this recipe for mixed vegetable paratha, which comes to us from registered dietitian and recipe developer Kristen Carli, is quite the opposite. 

Whereas classic Indian paratha is made with little more than flour, salt, oil, and butter, Carli's version, which she says is "essentially a veggie flatbread," incorporates shredded and diced vegetables into the dough. "As a dietitian, I love the idea of putting veggies in my carbs," she told Mashed. And this mixed-veggie paratha is particularly good for scooping up still more plant-based goodness such as hummus and dal. 

For registered dietitian Kristen Carli's recipe for mixed vegetable paratha, you're probably going to need to pay a visit to your grocery store because many of the ingredients come from the produce section. You're going to need shredded cabbage (a half cup, and Carli recommends that you purchase it pre-shredded in the thinnest shreds possible), shredded carrots (a quarter cup, which you can shred yourself or purchase pre-shredded), diced bell pepper, yellow onion, minced garlic, crushed fresh ginger, and chopped fresh cilantro. 

You may also need to pop over to the spice section because you're going to need a half teaspoon of ground turmeric, a half teaspoon of chili powder, and a teaspoon of ground coriander. You'll also need about a quarter cup of olive oil, a cup of flour, and a quarter teaspoon of salt, all of which you probably already have in your kitchen.

Grab a medium-sized skillet, and heat it over a medium flame with a tablespoon of the olive oil. Enameled cast iron — like the skillet pictured here — is a nice choice if you have it, but you can also feel free to use regular cast iron or any other skillet big enough to hold all the vegetables without too much crowding. Add the shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, diced bell pepper, chopped onion, minced garlic, and crushed ginger, and sauté over medium heat until the onion has become translucent, which should take about five minutes. 

Remove from heat, and set aside while you mix the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cilantro, turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander, and salt. Then add your cooked vegetables, and stir to combine. Add three tablespoons of water to create a sticky dough. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel, and allow it to rest for 50 minutes. Give yourself a rest too, if you wish. But whatever you do, don't disturb the dough until it's had 50 minutes of rest time because this dough, although it contains no yeast, baking powder, or baking soda, actually does rise slightly while it's resting. And you'll be glad for that when you sink your teeth into it later.  

Has it been 50 minutes already? Seriously, if it hasn't been 50 minutes yet, just do your best to wait it out. You'll be rewarded for your patience, we promise. Once those 50 minutes have finally gone by, remove the dough from the bowl, and divide into eight portions. Using a little extra flour on your hands to keep the dough from sticking, roll each portion to form a small ball that fits in the palm of your hand. With a little more flour for dusting, roll out each dough ball to about a quarter of an inch thick. You should now have eight roughly five-inch "rounds."

Ideally, to cook your mixed vegetable paratha, you would have a griddle because a griddle has very shallow sides, which makes them easier to work with when flipping over a flatbread. But a skillet works perfectly well. Just be sure that whatever you use is big enough to accommodate a five-inch flatbread and still have a bit of space left over. Whatever you decide to use, heat it over medium heat, add one round, and allow to cook for three minutes. Brush with olive oil, flip over, and allow to cook for 30 seconds while you brush the now-exposed side with olive oil. Flip again, and cook for 10 seconds. 

Repeat for each of the rounds. Rounds that have been cooked can be placed into your oven — set to warm — or on an oven-proof plate while you finish up the rest. Serve immediately alongside chicken tikka masala or the vindaloo of your choice, or use it as a scoop for hummus or dal, as recipe developer Carli likes to do.