When I first started using quinoa I was amazed at how easily I could take a traditional Indian dish and give it a quinoa-twist! This made me fall in love with this grain. Hence, I have been experimenting with quinoa and you will find plenty of quinoa recipes on my blog :). For people new to Indian cooking, parathas are a kind of Indian flat bread. If you have been to Indian restaurants you must have noticed that the menu has a whole bunch of different breads! Paratha is a flat bread that can also be stuffed with veggies. Most common varieties of paratha are ones with potato or cottage cheese (paneer) filling. I have tried to add a healthy twist to this traditional recipe here.

I love to use cauliflower in my diet because it is low in fat and carbs. I have recently started using tofu too as I discovered that its a healthy substitute for paneer! In this recipe I have combined quinoa, cauliflower, tofu and some chickpea flour (gram flour) to get really tasty and healthy parathas ;). This paratha stays good for a few days in the refrigerator and also heats up well in the microwave!  Yogurt dips and chutneys go well with this but you can mix and match with any side or even eat it as it is!

Ingredients

For the dough

1. 1 cup oats flour
2. 1 cup quinoa flour
3. 3/4 tsp salt
4. 1 tsp oil for mixing the dough + 1 tbsp oil for cooking the flat bread

For the filling

1. 1 tsp oil
2. 1 cup grated cauliflower
3. 1 cup grated tofu (water squeezed out)
4. 1 clove garlic (grate it)
5. 1/2 tsp grated ginger
6. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
7. 1/4 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
8. 1/4 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
9. 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
10. 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
11. 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation Time:   30 min                   

Cooking Time: 15 min

Servings: 8-10 parathas

Method

1. Take the oats, quinoa flour, salt and oil (1tsp) in a large mixing bowl. Add warm water little by little and mix the flour to form a smooth dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 min.
2. For preparing the filling, take a small saucepan and add the gram flour to it. Saute it well until the raw smell of the flour disappears. Then, set this roasted flour aside in a bowl.
3. To the same saucepan (or a different one!), add all the ingredients except gram flour that is marked under filling. Saute well for a few minutes.
4. Add the roasted gram flour to this veggie mix and sprinkle a few drops of water. Mix well and turn the heat off and let the filling cool.
5. Once the filling is ready, make about 8-10 medium-sized balls out of it. (Depends on how much filling you like in the paratha)
6. Now knead the prepared dough for a few minutes and make them into as many small balls as you have prepared from the filling.
7. On a clean, dry surface dust some oats flour and roll out a ball of dough. Keep the filling in the center and fold it from all sides till the filling is completely covered. (Adjust the size and thickness of the dough you roll out to ensure that the filling does not come out).
8. Dust some flour on this filled ball and gently roll it out into the desired shape and size. Do not try to make it too thin as it will tear. Also dust flour as needed if you feel it is too difficult to roll it out. (It takes a little practise to get it right. But even if it gets broken don’t worry, it will taste just as good 🙂 )
9. Take a skillet, brush some oil on it and heat it for a few minutes. Then slowly place this rolled out flatbread on the skillet. Brush it with a little oil and let it cook for a few minutes. Then slowly flip the bread over and let the other side cook. Once done, store it in an airtight container till you use it.
10. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.