veggie parata

This traditional Indian dish has bread and veggies in one go and makes for a nice finger food for the little ones. If you like, you can add cooked dhal, mince tofu or quorn or minced cooked chicken to it as well. The down side is it can take a while to make. The plus side is it makes for a nice meal with a curry of your choice for the entire family and can be frozen and reheated. If cooking for the family, increase the amount of ingredients below accordingly.

You will need:

1/2 cup finely chopped mixed vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, garden peas anything else you like)
1 small potato, boiled
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp oil/melted butter
1 tbsp yoghurt
Water to mix into a soft dough
Tava or a griddle pan



Cook mixed vegetables until tender and drain any excess water. Add the boiled potato and mash with salt and water. Add the flours and yoghurt and make into a soft dough. Leave to sit for 20 mins. Dust the work area with flour, take a big amount of the dough and roll it into an even circle about 1/4 inches thick (parathas should be slightly thicker than chapattis).
Heat tava to a medium heat and fry the paratha from both sides by slightly greasing both sides with oil/butter. You can use a cookie cutter to make the parathas into different shapes that your toddler likes. Ginger bread-men shape is very popular at my home at the moment.