Mooli Paratha.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Nothing beats a hot paratha on a cold day.

We don't cook mooli parathas (radish parathas) very often in our house but whenever we do, I always make a firm promise to myself that we must make them more often. They're filling yet light at the same time, and not as heavy as their potato counterparts.

My recipe today starts with the dough. I find that a simple and well-made roti dough does the job here. Mine uses just plain flour, wholemeal or roti flour, and water. I add butter whilst cooking the paratha to get it golden and crispy so don't really feel the need to add extra to the dough.

While the dough rests, we make the filling. I used pink radishes in this recipe but the usual white radish can be used as well. The grated radishes are salted, drained well, and then dried out in a pan to get rid of extra water. Meanwhile, we stir up the rest of our filling. I use plenty of thinly sliced green chillies in my filling as I love a spicy paratha. Plus I find that the dough itself is like a sponge - it will cancel out some of the spice in the filling which is why your start filling needs to be really well spiced and salted.
Every time I eat mooli parathas, I immediately remember why I love them so much. They are filling yet light at the same time, crispy yet soft at the same time. The radish loses some of its signature peppery flavour when we dry it out and becomes almost sweet which means it goes really well with the green chillies and spices. This paratha is perfection with just plain yoghurt. Nothing else is needed. 

Parathas, previously: aloo paratha // cheesy chicken paratha quesadillas // chicken paratha wraps // chicken kathi rolls

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Dough:

1. Plain Flour
2. Wholemeal or Roti Flour
3. Water

For the Mooli Filling:

1. Radishes (Mooli)
2. Vegetable Oil
3. Fresh Coriander
4. Red Chilli Flakes
5. Cumin Seeds
6. Anardana Powder (Dried Pomegranate Powder)
7. Salt
8. Green Chillies

Bismillah, let's begin!


First, make the dough. I have used our usual roti dough here but have subbed half the wholemeal flour for plain flour. You may use your own roti recipe here. Into a bowl, place 400g Plain Flour and 500g Wholemeal Flour or Roti Flour.

Mix the flour with enough Water to make a dough. We always use our stand mixer to knead roti dough. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough which is a little bit sticky.
Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes before using it. Leftover dough is great for a day or two, stored in a container in the fridge.


Next, let's prepare the radishes (mooli). I used these small pink radishes but the large white mooli will work well here too. Take 800g Radishes.

Cut off the tops and bottoms then give them a really good wash.


Grate the radishes by hand or like me, with a food processor.

When grating the radishes with a food processor, they will release more water. This isn't a problem because we're going to be drying off the radishes in a pan.

But first, we're going to salt the radishes. To the grated radishes, add 3/4 teaspoon Salt.

Mix and let the radishes sit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, you'll see that the radishes will have released even more water at the bottom of the bowl.

Drain out the liquid and squeeze the water out of the radishes as best as you can.

To dry out the radishes even more, heat 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the radishes.

Dry out the radishes for 15 minutes until they have dried out and any extra water has evaporated. The steam rising from the radish is an indication that the water is still coming out.

Spread them out on a plate and let them cool whilst you prep the rest of the ingredients.

While the radish cools, let's stir together the rest of the filling. Starting with a Handful of Fresh Coriander, finely chopped.

Next, add in 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes. You may add more or less depending on how spicy you want your parathas.

For more flavour, add in 2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds.

And, 1 teaspoon Anardana Powder (Dried Pomegranate Powder). This is available from Asian stores and gives a wonderful tang to the filling. Leave it out if you can't get hold of it.

Finally, add in 1 teaspoon Salt.


Then, take 6 Green Chillies. Use more or less, to taste.

Finely slice the chillies and add to the filling. They may seem like a lot but for us, they were just right. I find that if you don't use enough green chillies then they get lost in the dough somehow and you can't taste them. The dough itself is like a sponge - it will cancel out some of the spice which is why your filling needs to be really well spiced and salted.

Give the filling a stir and we're ready to add our cooled radish.

The filling is ready and our dough has rested. I think it's time to make some mooli parathas.

I made my parathas on a tava but you can just easily make them in a frying pan. Whatever you decide to use, get it pre-heating over a low heat.

For one paratha, take 2 pieces of dough. Dust them with flour as needed, and shape into balls.

Roll each ball into 16cm (6 inch) rounds on a lightly floured surface.

Onto one round, spread out about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons radish filling, leaving a border at the edge.

Spread butter / oil / margarine over the second round. We used an olive spread.

Place it buttered-side down onto the first round.

Press the edges down to seal well.

On a lightly floured surface, gently roll the paratha to a 25cm (10 inch) round.

Place onto the hot pan. 

Let the paratha cook gently over a medium heat, turning every now and then, until the paratha is golden brown and cooked.

For an extra crispy paratha, butter both sides once it's nearly cooked.

Flip and let it crisp up.

The paratha is ready! You can wrap it in foil to keep warm whilst making the rest. 
However, the dough and filling do keep well in the fridge for a day or so, meaning you can rustle up fresh mooli parathas whenever you want.

I love eating the paratha fresh when it's lovely and crispy.

Serve the mooli paratha simply with plain yoghurt to dip. There is so much flavour and spice in the filling that you don't really need any curry with it. Although, I do have a huge curry collection if you're in the mood.

Mooli Paratha.

a traditional Punjabi flatbread stuffed with a spicy radish filling.

Prep Time: About 45 minutes.

Cook Time: About 20 minutes.

Serves: Makes 8 large parathas.

Ingredients

For the Dough

400g Plain Flour

500g Wholemeal or Roti Flour

Water, as needed

For the Mooli Filling

800g Radishes, washed and trimmed

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Handful Fresh Coriander, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes

2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds

1 teaspoon Anardana Powder (Dried Pomegranate Powder)

1 teaspoon Salt

6 Green Chillies, finely sliced

To Cook Parathas

Butter or Margarine or Vegetable Oil, as needed

To Serve

Plain Yoghurt

Make the dough:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer or by hand, mix together the plain flour, wholemeal flour, and enough water to make a dough. Knead the dough with the machine or by hand for 5 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough which is a little bit sticky. 
• Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes before using.

Prepare the radishes:

• Grate the radishes by hand or with a food processor. Put into a bowl and mix in 3/4 teaspoon salt. Leave for 10 minutes then squeeze and drain out the liquid.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the radishes and cook for 15 minutes until the radishes have dried out and any extra water has evaporated. Spread out onto a plate and cool.

Mix the filling:

• In a mixing bowl, stir together the fresh coriander, red chilli flakes, cumin seeds, anardana powder, salt, and green chillies. Add the cooled radishes and mix.

Make the parathas:

• Heat a tava or frying pan over medium-low heat.
• Take 2 balls of dough and roll each one into 16cm (6 inch) rounds on a floured surface.
• Onto one round, spread out about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the radish filling, making sure it's not too close to the edge of the dough. Spread butter or margarine or oil over the second round of dough. Place it buttered-side down onto the first round, pressing the edges down to seal.
• Gently roll to a 25cm (10 inch) round. Cook on the hot pan, flipping every now and then, until the paratha is golden brown and cooked. If you want a crispy paratha, butter the paratha as you're flipping it.
• Continue making the rest of the parathas. Wrap the cooked parathas in foil, if you're not serving them immediately.

Serve:
I love eating this mooli paratha fresh, served simply with plain yoghurt to dip.

Recipe Notes

• This recipe will also work with your own trusted roti dough recipe. I do feel though, that this mooli filling works best with a dough that doesn't contain too much oil or butter. This is the reason why I keep my roti dough plain and simple.
• These parathas are vegetarian but can easily be vegan if you use vegetable oil in place of butter