No Fancy Ingredients! Make This Crispy Vegetable Paratha

There are some days when I open the fridge and find a little bit of everything, but not enough of anything to make a proper meal. That’s exactly when vegetable paratha comes to the rescue.

I had some carrot, capsicum, onion, and coriander sitting in the kitchen, along with some atta. Instead of letting those vegetables sit around, I mixed them straight into the dough and made a hot, filling paratha.

It turned out crispy around the edges, soft in the middle, and full of flavour. And since this recipe makes one large paratha, it is perfect when you are cooking just for yourself.

 

Recipe

1. Wash and prepare the vegetables

Before cutting anything, wash the carrot, capsicum, onion, coriander, and green chilli thoroughly under running water.

Grate the carrot and finely chop the capsicum, onion, coriander, and green chilli.

Since we are making only one paratha, chop the vegetables quite finely. This makes the dough easier to roll and helps the vegetables cook properly.

2. Mix the dry ingredients

Add the whole wheat flour to a large bowl.

Add the cumin seeds, red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt.

Mix everything together so the spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour.

3. Add the vegetables

Add the grated carrot, chopped capsicum, onion, coriander, and green chilli to the flour mixture.

Mix everything with your fingers.

At this stage, the vegetables will release a little moisture, so don’t add all the water at once.

4. Knead the dough

Start adding water little by little while mixing.

Knead everything together until you have a soft and smooth dough. You may need slightly more or less water depending on how moist your vegetables are.

The dough should be soft enough to roll but not sticky.

Once kneaded, cover the dough and let it rest for 10–15 minutes.

This gives the flour time to absorb the moisture and makes the paratha easier to roll.

5. Roll the paratha

After resting the dough, knead it once again for a few seconds.

Shape it into a smooth ball and lightly dust your rolling surface with atta.

Flatten the dough and roll it gently into a round paratha.

Don’t press too hard while rolling because the vegetables can come out of the dough. If it starts sticking, dust it lightly with flour.

Aim for a medium-thick paratha rather than making it extremely thin.

6. Heat the tawa

Place a tawa or flat pan over medium heat.

Allow it to become properly hot before placing the paratha on it.

Put the rolled paratha on the hot tawa and cook for around 30–45 seconds, or until you start seeing small bubbles on the surface.

7. Cook with oil

Flip the paratha.

Spread about 1 tsp oil or ghee over the surface and cook for another 30–45 seconds.

Flip it again and apply the remaining oil or ghee.

Cook both sides until you see golden-brown spots and the vegetables are properly cooked.

Press the edges and centre gently with a spatula while cooking. This helps the paratha cook evenly and gives it a slightly crisp exterior.

8. Serve hot

Take the vegetable paratha off the tawa and serve it immediately.

You can enjoy it with plain curd, pickle, raita, or even a simple cup of tea.

For a more filling meal, serve it with a bowl of curd.