Vegan Mofo #27 - Madhu’s Onion Stuffed Flatbread (Pyaj Paratha)

Vegan Mofo #27 - Madhu’s Onion Stuffed Flatbread (Pyaj Paratha) 

The Region - India
The Book - The Indian Vegan Kitchen
The Author - Madhu Gadia
The Recipe - Onion Stuffed Flatbread (Pyaj Paratha)
Page # 162
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 45-60 minutes

I had so much fun making Aloo Paratha - or Potato stuffed flatbread - a couple of weeks ago I thought I’d try my hand at it again with a different filling this time. Potato stuffed flatbread is really my favorite but I love onion and cauliflower stuffed breads as well. Now that I know how easy it is to make home-made paratha I knew I’d have to try Madhu’s recipe for Pyaj Paratha - or Onion stuffed flatbread.

The technique is basically the same as with any paratha. You make a dough of chapati flour - which I didn’t have so I used half and half whole wheat flour and all purpose - water, and salt. Let it sit and make your filling. For the onion filling you simply need to dice some red onion and chilies, then add in some cayenne, coriander, and amchoor powder. Once that’s all done you divide your dough, roll it out into balls, place some of the filling in the center close it up and roll it out again. When all that’s done you’re ready to fry them in a cast iron skillet and there you have it.

Initially I was a little concerned that by using raw onion instead of sauteed onion there would be an overpowering onion flavor that would make the bread inedible. Still I staved off the temptation to disregard the recipe and saute the onions first. I used them raw, grilled my bread and hoped for the best. Much to my surprise the onion flavor wasn’t overpowering in the end. I suppose if you mince the onion small enough it allows them to cook relatively well despite the fact that the bread is only in the pan for a minute or two a side.

Another thing I noticed this time around is that I’m getting much, much better at making paratha. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the quicker you are. I don’t think I’m ever going to buy another store-bought Naan or flatbread again. It’s like making your own corn tortillas, once you have homemade you just can’t go back, especially when it’s so easy. If you’ve never made paratha at home you simply have to try it! It was the perfect accompaniment to some South Indian Humus .