Mint Parathas, My Recipe For Sanity

   It's no secret there has been a lot of family drama going on at/around my house. My mother's illness which started with surgery a month ago, has now led to some other problems which have put her into the hospital again with fluid in one pleural cavity. She's going to be having surgery again tomorrow, but this last week which started in the emergency room, has turned into a week of camping out at the hospital. There have been all sorts of documents to deal with, family business, powers of attorney, etc. to make sure everything continues along as my parents want. I've had a lot of support from my friends here in Sonoma, in Los Angeles, and all the great people I've met through the world of food writing. Thank God for Skype is all I can say! 
  
   One thing I've learned so far is what it takes to calm me down and center me. We each have our own thing which brings comfort. For me it's my work, my writing. Even when I was in the middle of my own cancer treatment 22 years ago, I worked. I wrote from bed. Alan and I wrote, we did our work, we laughed, I rested when I had to. I'm sure it helped keep me sane. As soon as I was on my feet, I started cooking Indian food, another thing which has always been my "happy place" as they say.

   Writing and cooking are two things I've not done all week. I have been reading, and eating out and I've really felt the need to get back into the kitchen and my office, because those are the two places that bring me comfort. Hopefully in a few days things will be more defined, plans will be firmed up and things will be re-adjusted back to whatever the "new normal" is for our family. Meanwhile I had to cook again, this time something simple, and what's simpler than bread?

Mint Parathas

Here's What You Need:

2 cups of atta flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup of fresh mint leaves
1 and 1/2 tsp of salt
1 Tbs of vegetable oil plus an additional  8 tsps of vegetable oil
3 Tbs of melted butter or ghee


Here's What To Do:

Wash the mint leaves and blot them dry.
When they're dry, dry roast them in a small pan. I usually use cast iron for any dry roasting of spices or herbs.

When the mint leaves are toasted, let them cool.

Crush them to a powder. I use a spice grinder.
Mix the flour and salt together
Add in the ground up mint.

Add in 1 Tbs of vegetable oil and 3/4 cup of water along with 1 Tbs of water.
Mix the dough together then start kneading.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or so until you have a stiff dough.
Put the hot damp towel over the bowl holding the dough and set it aside to rest for about 25 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8  pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
Flatten each ball into about a 6 inch round and brush each round with melted butter.
Sprinkle the flatened ball with a bit of flour and then roll each one back up into a ball again.
Let the re-rolled balls rest for about 5 minutes.
Roll them out into rounds again.
Heat a griddle or tava over a medium heat.
When it's hot place a round on the griddle and cook it.

Brush the surface of each paratha with oil before you flip it to cook the other side.
Brush each paratha with a bit of melted butter when it's finished cooking.
Keep the parathas covered and warm  in the oven, until you're ready to serve them.

   So there they are, parathas, hot warm and comforting. There may be more complicated, expensive ways of getting your brain right, but for now kneading seems to be just what I need, and yes, I know that's is one freaking terrible pun. I hang my head in shame.

  As it turns out Cake Duchess  in doing another Bake With Us Event featuring quick breads with Summer fruit. Right now this sounds really, really, good to me and I'm going to be joining in. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Bake Like An Indian!

One of the most common types of bread found in the worlds different cuisines is the simple non leaved griddle cooked variety. From the Mexican tortilla to the Indian chapatti what these breads all have in common is their simple fast preparation which makes them great for fast family dinners or lunches.

One of my favorite breads to serve guests at an Indian meal is the paratha. It goers with anything, Indian or otherwise, is great for sopping up sauces, veggies and the like and can even be used to wrap around Indian style spiced ground meat at a barbecue.
To make parathas like a pro all you need is flour, water, a little vegetable oil , salt and a griddle.
Start off with a good quality flour or as the Indians call it, Atta. Get a good chapatti flour at any Asian or Indian market, or you can order it online . If you can't locate any, use a good quality whole wheat pastry flour . Your paratha flour should be finely milled and soft for a more tender bread.
To Start off get a large bowl and add
1.) 3 cups of flour
2.) 4 1/2 Tablespoons of oil
3.) 3/4 teasp of salt
Get in there with you fingers and mix it up so you have a moist blend of flour salt and oil.
4.) Add about 1 cup and 1/4 of warm water. Add it gradually till you get a nice soft dough.
5.) Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it, till it's pliable and soft and a little shiny.
I usually knead mine for about 10 minutes.
6.) roll it into a large ball and set it in a bowl.




Cover the surface of the bowl with a dishtowel that's been soaked in warm water and wrung out. You want to keep your dough moist. leave it for about an hour . Just set the bowl aside in a warm safe corner of your kitchen till you're ready for it.

Now to make parathas.
7.) pinch off a small ball of dough
8.) Roll it out on a floured surface. It should resemble a tortilla in shape and size.



9.) heat a flat griddle on the stove. brush it with a little oil. When it's nice and hot slap your paratha down onto it. It'll cook up fairly quickly.




10.) Brush the side that's face up with a little oil and then turn the paratha over.
it'll start to brown and puff up like a little pillow..when it does that it's done!




I usually stash my parathas in a tortilla keeper to keep them warm while I'm cooking them all up..or you could wrap them in foil and pop them into a just warm oven.
This recipe will serve about 8 people depending on the size of the parathas you roll out. If you have any left over dough. Roll it in a ball and pop it in a freezer bag for next time.