Khus-khus Ke Parathe
by Tarla Dalal

You are sure to have used khus-khus, a reservoir of iron and zinc, in sweets, kheers and gravies too, but have you ever tried using this wonderful ingredient as a rich filling for parathas? Khus-khus ke Parathe features an aromatic and spicy stuffing of poppy seeds, whole spices and ginger packed inside a nutritious dough of whole wheat flour enhanced with wheat germ. Although almost all the spices in your masala dabba are found in this preparation, the accents of kalonji dominate both the dough and the stuffing in a way that excites the taste buds.

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Khus-khus Ke Parathe recipe - How to make Khus-khus Ke Parathe

For The Dough
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
salt to taste

For The Stuffing
8 tbsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
8 whole dry kashmiri red chillies
8 cardamoms (elaichi)
8 cloves (laung / lavang)
50 mm (2") cinnamon (dalchini)
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp chopped ginger (adrak)
1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
salt to taste

Other Ingredients
3 tsp ghee for cooking
whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) for rolling

Method
For the dough

Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and knead into a stiff dough using enough water. Keep aside.

For the stuffing

Soak the khus-khus in 6 tbsp of water for 15 minutes.
Combine the cumin seeds, red chillies, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon in a broad non-stick pan and dry roast on a medium flame for 1 minute.
Allow it to cool and blend in a mixer to a fine powder. Keep aside.
Blend the soaked poppy seeds in a mixer till it forms a thick paste. Keep aside.
Heat the ghee in broad non-stick pan, add the asafoetida, nigella seeds and ginger and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.
Add the poppy seeds paste and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring continuously.
Remove from the flame, add the powdered masala and salt, mix well.
Divide the stuffing into 12 equal portions and keep aside.

How to proceed

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and keep aside.
Roll out 1 portion of the dough into a circle of 75 mm. (3?) diameter circle using little flour for rolling.
Place 1 portion of the stuffing in the centre of each circle. Bring together all the sides in the centre and seal tightly.
Roll out again into a circle of 100 mm. (4") diameter circle, using a little whole wheat flour for rolling.
Repeat the steps 2 to 4 to make 11 more parathas.
Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and cook each paratha using a ¼ tsp of ghee until golden brown spots appear on both the sides.
Serve immediately.