Tips to freeze parathas ( Step by step instructions and pictures )

........  How to make Indian food in bulk and freeze?
......... How to freeze parathas for parties?

This space took a back seat because of my travel, many unplanned events and mostly my laziness. However, I am still active in my facebook page.and Instagram . If you want updates about my life, you are free to like me there. Now, hopefully I'm back here too....

Before leaving to India, I had to cook food for three weeks for my kiddo and hubby. So, I started experimenting with freezing the food that I cooked. Not that I didn't do it before, but I did try freezing idlis, dals too. So, I thought I'll share with you some of the tips about freezing the parathas. Parathas can be easily freezed for upto a month.

Here are some paratha recipes that you can cook and freeze.

• Spinach Cabbage Paratha
• Stuffed Vegetable Paratha
• Aloo Paratha
• Broccoli Paratha

All you need is....
Some freshly rolled parathas

Wax paper sheets(cut into a 5" square)

Ziplock bag

Instructions: 
Roll about 10 parathas. Heat the skillet on a medium-high heat.
When the skillet is hot, drizzle about 1/4 tsp of oil to the skillet. Dust the parathas and warm both the sides of the paratha for 20 secs only. Very few brown spots should be formed on both the sides of the paratha.
Remove it from the griddle and repeat the same procedure for the remaining parathas.

Allow the paratha to cool completely. Dont stack them. Spread them on a big plate.
Once completely cool, place the wax paper sheets in between each paratha and pop them in the ziplock bag.

Label them and freeze until further use.

This is how the zip-lock looks after being  freezed for 6 hours.

Notes:
Do not thaw the parathas. Just remove one at a time from the freezer and roast/cook on a hot skillet. (The same way you cook the freshly rolled parathas). 

Spinach Cabbage Paratha | Gobhi Palak ke parathe

Parathas are pan fried flat breads. Parathas are usually stuffed with boiled or sauteed vegetables and are eaten with plain yogurt, pickle or a dal (cooked lentils). Here are some of the paratha recipes.

Aloo Paratha
Mixed vegetable paratha
Broccoli Paratha
Rice Dumpling Paratha

My son's latest craze are the parathas. He wants paratha every other day. He says he likes dosas only in summer & when it is fall, it is paratha time for him.To make my son happy, I try to give him paratha atleast once a week. I do not like to stuff the parathas every other day, hence I add the vegetables to the dough itself & make parathas. Cabbage & spinach is one such. It is very easy to make & is quite healthy.

Preparation Time: 20-25 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3-4 (makes about 8-9 parathas)

Ingredients:
For the dough:
Whole wheat flour | atta | godhi hittu: 2 cups
Finely shredded cabbage: 1 cup
Finely chopped spinach: 1/2 cup, tightly packed
Carom seeds | Ajwain | Om kalu: 1/2 tsp
Salt: As needed
Oil: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp, optional
Water: As needed

Other ingredients:
whole wheat flour : For rolling the parathas
Oil: For pan frying the parathas

Method:
Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the dough(except water) in a bowl. Mix it well & leave it aside for 10 mins (Do not add any water yet!). Cabbage would have oozed out some water.
Slowly add couple of tbsps of water at a time & make a stiff dough. Don't get tempted to add more water. Remember the cabbage will ooze out water.
Let the dough rest for 5-10 mins.

Make lemon sized balls out of the dough.
Roll these balls using a rolling pin. You could make them thin or keep it thick. I generally make my parathas thin & hence roll it thin.

Meantime, heat the griddle on a med-high heat.
Finish rolling all the dough balls.
When the griddle is hot, place the rolled paratha on the griddle. Add few drops of oil to the sides & onto the center of the paratha. Pan fry it until golden brown spots appear.

Flip it & cook it on the other side too. Remember to add few drops of oil on the flipped side too.
Remove the cooked paratha from the griddle. Repeat until all the parathas are pan fried.
Serve these parathas hot with a dal or yogurt or a pickle.

Notes:
I am repeating again. Cabbage will ooze out water & hence be extra careful while adding the water to make the dough.
DO NOT REST THE DOUGH FOR A LONG TIME. The dough will become sticky.
Pan fried parathas remain soft for a long time. Hence, you could roll, cook & then store them for the rest of the day.
You could store the cooked paratha in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Parathas need more oil to cook. Hence, don't be very stingy in adding oil. You could replace oil with butter or ghee (clarified butter). 

Pakode ki kadhi | Punjabi Kadhi Pakora Recipe

Did I mention before that I injured my ankle & I was on walking boots for six weeks? Yes.., I had a tough time in the first week. I must thank all my friends here who cooked yummy food & served my family for a week. Lucky me, I got to eat delicious, healthy & home cooked food. Later on, I started cooking simple meal by myself. Never made roti, chapathi, paratha or any elaborate dish.

Now that I have recovered, I feel like cooking & eating the food that I missed in the last couple of months. I was so bored of eating the same food that we relished deep fried sins for 3 days non-stop. I made poori, bread pakora & golibaje. I know that is not something, we should be proud of.

Let's talk about kadhi pakora now. Kadhi is a blend of yogurt & chickpea flour (gram flour) cooked with Indian spices. Pakoda or Pakora is a deep fried gram flour fritter. Greens like coriander leaves, spinach or fenugreek leaves & onions are added to the deep fried fritter to get the crunch.

***PS: I have announced the winner of the giveaway. Kindly look at my updated post***

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30-45 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
For the pakoras:
Onion: 1 large or 2 medium
Chopped coriander leaves: about 1/4th cup, lightly packed
Chickpea flour/besan : 3/4th cup
Carom seeds/ajwain/omkalu: 1/2 tsp
Baking soda: a pinch
salt: as needed
red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder: a pinch
Water: As needed
Oil: for deep frying or shallow frying the pakoras

For the kadhi :
Gram flour/Chickpea flour/besan: 1/4 cup
Yogurt: 1cup
Water: 1.5 to 2 cups
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt: As needed
Green chilli paste: 1/4 tsp, we like it less spicy
Grated ginger: 1/2 tsp
Onion: 1 medium sized, chopped
Oil: 2 tbsp
Dry red chilli: 2-3 nos, broken
Curry leaves: 4-6 leaves, torn
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Cloves: 4-6 nos
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

For the garnish:
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, finely chopped.

Method:
For the pakoras:
Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the pakoras (except the water & oil for frying) in a bowl.
Add couple of tablespoons of water at a time & prepare the pakora batter. It should be thick. Refer the picture below.

Heat the oil for deep frying. I shallow fried & hence used a aebleskiver pan to shallow fry the pakoras. Add about 1/4 tsp oil on each mould. When hot, add a tablespoon of pakora batter to the mould & shallow fry on both the sides.

       

For the kadhi:
Beat the yogurt.
Add the chickpea flour, salt, green chilli paste, coriander powder, red chilli powder, and turmeric to the yogurt.

Beat well again ensuring no lumps.

Add the water & mix well. Keep it aside.

Heat the oil in a broad sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard & cumin seeds. When seeds crackle, add the cloves & let the oil infuse the flavors on medium heat.

Add the curry leaves, dry red chilli, and asafoetida.
Throw in the onions & cook till the onion turns translucent. There is no need to cook the onions for a long time. 

Add in the chickpea yogurt mixture & boil it on a medium heat. Keep stirring in between to prevent the formation of lumps.

Cook it until the chickpea flour gets cooked (about 15 mins).

Turn off the heat & add in the pakora. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve the pakode ki kadhi hot with roti or rice.

Notes:
You could make the kadhi thick or a little thin. We like ours a bit on the thinner side (milkshake consistency).
You could make spinach pakora or methi pakora and add it to the kadhi. I was out of spinach, hence used coriander leaves.

Quick Cauliflower Sabzi | Phool gobi ki sabzi | Indian Sauteed Cauliflower : Beginner Series

If you have noticed, I do not have many cauliflower recipes at my space. That is because of the love-hate relationship that I have with this vegetable. I have a similar relationship with okra too. I cannot take the strong smell of this vegetable. Hence, I only cook it in a couple of ways I like.

During the last potluck party, my friend Bharati got this gobi ki sabzi & I loved it so much. I got the recipe from her immediately & made it the very next day. Here is the recipe for you.

PS: Last couple of days left to win the give away. Do participate & win!!

1. Cast iron griddle
2. Tarla Dalal Cookbook.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets : 4-5 cups
Onion: 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Tomatoes: 2 nos, finely chopped
Oil: 1.5 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
Salt: As needed
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala : 1 tbsp
Lemon juice: 2 tsp, optional
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, finely chopped for the garnish.

Method:

Cut the cauliflower into small florets.
Heat oil in a broad saute pan.

When oil is hot, throw in the cumin seeds.

When seeds turn golden brown, add in the onion & saute till the onions are soft & translucent.

Add the ginger garlic paste & saute till the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste is gone.

Throw in the finely chopped tomatoes & mix.

Cook till the tomatoes become soft & oozes out oil.

Throw in the cauliflower florets, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, pav bhaji masala & mix gently.

Cook the cauliflower florets covered over a medium heat for 10-15 mins. Stir in between to ensure proper cooking.
There is no need to add water as cauliflower oozes out lots of water.
Cook till cauliflower is soft & yet holding the shape well.
Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice & mix.
Garnish it with coriander leaves & serve it hot with phulkas/rotis or chapathi.

Notes:

• You could add about a cup of frozen green peas for the attractive color combination. I didn't have any :(
• I do not advise adding coriander powder or any other spice powder other than pav bhaji masala.

Methi Poori/Menthya Soppu Poori

Poori is a deep fried Indian bread made with wheat flour or plain flour/maida.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: Around 30 mins to fry all the pooris.

Ingredients: (Makes around 20-25 pooris).
For the dough:

• Wheat flour/atta/godi hittu: 1 cup
• AP flour/maida: 1 cup
• Methi leaves/Fenugreek leaves/menthya soppu: 3 cubes (I used frozen. 3 cubes is around a cup of fresh methi leaves).
• Salt: Around 1 tsp
• Water: 0.75 cups, a little more or less.
• Ajwain/Carom seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Hot oil: 1 tbsp
• Yogurt/Curd: 1 tbsp

For deep frying the pooris:

• Around 250 ml of cooking oil.

Method:
For the dough:
Sieve the wheat flour & maida seperately.
Add the sieved wheat flour, AP flour & salt to a big mixing bowl. Mix the flours well. Make a pit at the center of the flour.
Pour in the hot oil & mix well until the flours form little crumbs.
Now, add in the methi leaves, salt, ajwain, yogurt & mix well. Slowly add water & make a smooth yet stiff dough.
Let it rest for 30 mins.
Make grape sized balls from the dough.
Dust the dough balls & roll the dough balls using a rolling pin. Make around 5 inch circles of medium thickness. 
Heat the oil in a broad pan. When the oil is hot enough, slide the rolled circles in the oil. 
Deep fry them on both the sides until golden. The poori will puff up.
Remove the fried poori in a slotted spoon. Drain it on a paper napkin. 
Repeat the same with the remaining dough. 
Serve it hot with a side dish of your choice. 

Notes: 

• All purpose flour could be replaced with wheat flour.
• To check whether the oil is hot enough, take an apple-seed sized dough & slide it in the hot oil. If the dough immediately rises up in the oil, understand that the oil is hot enough to deep fry the pooris. 

Here are some side dishes that go well with poori.

Aloo sabzi

Palak paneer

Vegetable saagu

Methi matar malai

Green Peas Masala: Side dish for poori/roti/paratha.

Lots of travel happening this summer !!  Had been to New York last weekend; came back tanned & tired! Though the trip was fun, the summer heat drained us to the core. Btw, New York, as rightly said, is a food lovers paradise. We were delighted that there was so many vegetarian options. I tried NY Style Pizza, Pretzels, Gelato & their bagels. After coming back from New York, we went to food coma! I cooked only basic meal with minimum varieties for the next 3-4 days. 

Time to stop my ramblings & get back to the recipe now! The Green Peas Masala is a great side dish for roti, poori or paratha (or for that matter any of the Indian breads).

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:
Frozen green peas: 2 cups
Oil: 1.5 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Kitchen king masala: 1 tsp
Amchur powder/Mango powder: a big pinch, optional

Salt: According to taste


For spice paste:
Soaked almonds: 6-8 nos
Onion: 1 medium sized
Green chillies: 2-3 nos
Tomato: 2 nos
Coriander leaves: 1/4th cup, roughly chopped
Poppy seeds/Gasagase: 1 tsp
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece
Garlic: 2 pods

Method:

Make a smooth paste of all the ingredients mentioned for the spice paste. Add enough water to make a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Heat the oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds turn golden brown, pour in the spice paste. Cook on a medium heat until the raw smell of the paste vanishes. (Takes about 7-10 mins). 

Keep stirring in between to avoid burning of the spice paste. 
Add the salt, chilli powder, amchur powder & kitchen king masala to the cooked spice paste & cook again for a couple of minutes.
Meantime, thaw the green peas.  
Add half a cup of water & throw in the green peas.Cook on a medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat. Serve it hot with any Indian bread. 

** I served the green peas masala with methi poori


Notes:

• This recipe tastes best with dried peas. Soak 1 cup of dried peas in water for 4-6 hours. Drain the water. Pressure cook the peas by adding water, salt & turmeric powder. Use this cooked peas instead of frozen peas. One cup dried peas yield 2 cups of cooked peas. The dried peas will not be sweetish like the frozen or the fresh ones!
• Green peas could be replaced with other beans to make a similar curry.