Matar ka Paratha | Green Peas stuffed Flatbread

Sunday mornings are booked in for Parathas. End of! No other item on the menu can beat the ritual for S, unless its Kachori or litti Chokha which tickle his childhood memories. He is very particular about having an elaborated Sunday brunch. I can feed him whatsoever during all week, but he does need a good weekend Brunch of his choice. Usually on Saturdays, I prepare something lighter like upma, Kanda poha or Sabudana khichdi etc. And during the week it’s the same Eggs-banana combo every day. But Sundays.. phew! Booked, totally! 

Since both of us love Parathas so much, I have to think new and innovative ideas for the stuffing to go inside the Parathas. So I have tried Chana Dal Paratha, Egg stuffed Paratha, Mix veg Paratha etc. But the all-time favourites are of course – Aalu Paratha and Green peas Paratha. Whenever I run out of ideas, I stick to these two good ‘ol options and we are good then. 

More Parathas – Paalak aalu Paratha | Paalak Paneer Paratha | Paneer Dhaniya Paratha | Mooli ka Paratha 

This recipe is from the states of U.P. and Bihar, mostly the eastern regions. The use of panchphoran in the stuffing makes it so fragrant and of course easy to digest, since you tend to beat your appetite with this. the recipe is very simple and uses very less ingredients. 

More recipes with Panchphoran – Methi Matar Pulao | Choorha matar 

Green peas a.k.a Matar/Mutar/Chimmi are a whole power house of nutrients and taste wonderful. They are quite versatile and are used in a variety of cuisines and courses be it dessert, snack or main course. These sweet tender balls are low in calorie, yet high in protein and mineral value. They are also a good source of Vitamin K, C and Beta Carotene. 

Some more recipes using green peas – Soya Matar Masala |  Restaurant style Matar Paneer 

What you need? 

For the dough-

• 4 cups of whole wheat flour
• A pinch of salt
• Warm water for kneading 

For the stuffing-

• 2 cups shelled green peas (thaw if using frozen)
• A handful of cilantro (coriander leaves)
• 1-2 green chillies, chopped very small
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste  (optional)
• 2 tsp Panchphoran Masala ( See the recipe here )
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped small
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• 1 tbsp oil + more for roasting Parathas
• Salt to taste 

How to make?

• Knead the dough and keep aside for 20 min. Knead again gently before using, it should be pliable and not too firm or tight to knead.
• Prepare stuffing in the meanwhile –
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan, fry chopped onion. Add in ginger-garlic paste and green chilies. Fry for 10-15 seconds.
• Add in all the spices including pancphoran and mix well.
• Add in the green peas, fold in together and cook covered till the peas gets soft and mushy. If you are using the frozen variety, then it would only take a few minutes.
• Once its all cooked properly, add chopped cilantro. Take it off the flame and let it cool. It should be cold enough to be handled by bare hands. If there is any steam/moisture remaining in the stuffing the Parathas will split open and you wont be able to roast them properly.
• When ready, prepare Parathas by pinching some dough, stuff the mixture inside, roll it back and then roast it on the hot griddle with some oil. If any doubts, see the complete procedure step by step HERE.
• Serve hot with a dollop of butter on top. Yummy! 

Accomplishments – Raita, chutney, plain yogurt, sour cream, any mayo based dip. 

Recipes for Raita – Roasted garlic raita | Okra raita | Eggplant raita | Spinach raita | Mint raita

Notes:

• Panchphoran is the spice mix that brings in flavour in this recipe. But if you don’t have it, try mixing some of its ingredients together if not all to get similar taste.
• You may also use ghee while kneading the dough. It really enhances the flavour of peas Paratha many folds.
• Peas are naturally sweet in taste so keep a check on the spice level before stuffing it in parantha.
• I use a lot of onion in stuffed paranthas. It gives a sweet-ish kind of taste to the stuffings specially with Aalu parantha and peas parantha..
• You may also add 1-2 boiled potatoes in the same mixture to prepare alu matar Paratha. 

Another one of my favourite Paratha from U.P./ Bihar is this 

Sattu Ka Paratha

which is also known as Makuni in the region.