Aish Cooks

Palak-Paneer Paratha / Indian bread stuffed with Spinach Cottage Cheese 

Bringing together the awesomeness of paneer with the goodness of spinach is this yummy for the tummy palak-paneer paratha!

Source: Multiple food blogs

Cooking Time: 50 minutes (25 minutes prep + 25 minutes cooking)

Makes: About 12 parathas

Ingredients:

For the outer covering:

1. Wheat flour (atta) – 2 cups
2. Spinach – 1 cup
3. Whole milk yogurt – 2 tbsp
4. Salt – 2 tsp
5. Water – as needed

For the stuffing:

1. Panner – 1 lb (shredded or crumbed without any big lumps)
2. Jeera – 1 or 2 tsp
3. Red chilli powder – a pinch
4. Corriander leaves – a few twigs chopped fine
5. Green chillies – 2 or 3 chopped fine
6. Salt to taste

Method:

Dough preparation:

1. Grind the spinach along with the yogurt, adding very little water if needed, to a fine paste
2. Add salt to the wheat flour and mix together
3. Prepare the dough for the parathas by adding the spinach solution little by little to te dry flour and blending with your hand to combine together, until a stiff non-sticky but soft to the grip lump of dough forms (just like you would make for rotis and parathas). Add water to the dough only if spinach solution does not sufficiently moisten the mixture to bring to the right consistency.
4. Cover with a moist paper towel or cloth and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes
5. Later, just before preparing the parathas, divide the dough into equal lemon-sized balls and set aside

Stuffing preparation:

1. Mix together all the ingredients listed for the stuffing until it al comes tgether well – if there are bi lumps, break it down to be as small as you can manage but not necessarily needed to be completely paste-like
2. Bind the mixture into small balls as shown in the picture below

Paratha preparation:

1. Roll out a dough ball into palm sized circle, using some dry flour on a flat surface with a rolling pin
2. Place a single stuffing ball in the center of the circle
3. Bring the edges of the circle together and upwards so as to enclose the stuffing within and seal it in a ball of dough, and pinch off the sealed end
4. Gently flatten the ball by tapping with the bottom of your palm on the sealed end
5. Generously dust this stuffed ball  with dry flour and with the sealed side facing on the outside, roll out a paratha
6. Place the paratha on a heated tava and wait until small bubbles start appearing on outer surface from beneath
7. Flip over and place gentle pressure to spread heat evenly on the paratha and wait until the other side is cooked half-way through too
8. Repeat one or two more times until partha puffs up and gets cooked on both sides
9. Remove and rub some ghee on top of the paratha
10. Serve hot with yogurt