Gobi Paratha / Cauliflower Paratha

Cauliflower / Gobi  parathas stole my heart couple of years back and my love towards these yummy parathas grew so much and made me to even munch them anytime of the day. Well, I wonder how a crispy delicious flavourful paratha could be made out of a stinky white cauliflower.  I often used to debate mentally what to make out of a single cauliflower which I buy from the market, either a Gobi Manchurian or Gobi pakodas, Aloo Gobi, or Gobi Paratha, etc., but ended up making either Gobi Paratha or Gobi fry most of the times. These Cauliflower / Gobi parathas are the famous breakfast items in North India and especially if you enter a Punjabi household, a nice aroma from the kitchen would drag you there directly. Its a tradition in their household to have stuffed parathas for breakfast, as they are very much filling and best suited during the start of the day.They mostly enjoy with a side of fresh dahi / curd / Yogurt and a tangy pickle.With few drops of melted ghee on its top, the taste is amazing. ( In my next janma, may be I should born thin and enjoy these fantasies to the core.!!!). 

Ingredients

For the Gobi Paratha Stuffing 
Cauliflower / Gobi -  1 Big
Potato - 1 Small ( Optional )
Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp
Green Chillies - 2 Small or 1 Medium ( finely shredded )
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp ( just for flavour )
Masala Powder - 1 tbsp


Make a powder of coriander seeds ( 2 tsp ) , fennel seeds ( 1 tsp ), crush them coarsely and add them while making the paratha stuffing, this tip was given by my friend deepa..whenever i make stuffed parathas, i never fail to include this..thanks deepa for sharing this tip.

For the Roti / Paratha 
Whole Wheat Flour - 4-5 cups depending on the number of Parathas you are going to make.
Salt - To Taste
Oil - Enough
Water - As Required.


Method 

• Make the roti /chapati dough first like how you make it for regular roti /chapati and keep it ready.
• Clean the Cauliflower florets and wash them in boiled water. Peel the potato skin and cut them into tiny squares. 
• In a frying pan, add the cauliflower florets,potato squares along with some water  to cook the cauliflower florets and potato. Close the lid and let the veggies get cooked with the water inside thoroughly.
• When the water is completely dried out, mash the cauliflower using the dal masher or any suitable masher. Add all the powders, salt, green chillies,coriander leaves and oil into the pan and mix them well. Fry the gobi stuffing for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.Allow the cauliflower stuffing to cool down. 
• Mean time, take a small round of the chapati / roti dough and spread the dough ball uniformly in all directions and make a big round. Keep a lemon size cauliflower stuffing at the centre of the roti. Size of the paratha stuffing purely depends on the size of the Roti you have made. 
• Close the paratha on all sides carefully and press the paratha gently on all sides. Dip the paratha with the wheat flour and spread the paratha carefully using the roti roller on all sides.
• While spreading, care to see that the Gobi stuffing does not come out of the paratha.
• In the frying pan, on medium heat, fry the Gobi / Cauliflower paratha to Golden brown on both sides. Apply oil at the edges of the paratha and make sure that its fried uniformly in all directions.
• Similarly continue the process for the rest of the dough and Gobi Stuffing. Serve the hot Gobi Parathas with a side of fresh curd, pickle and a suitable side dish.

Tips / Variations 

• Cauliflower / Gobi stuffing texture should be correct otherwise rolling the parathas would be difficult. Texture should be thick and firm enough to roll.
• You can also cook the cauliflower in the microwave fully while making the stuffing instead of cooking it in the kadai directly.
• Apply a drop of ghee on the top layer while serving for kids. Number of parathas would disappear faster for sure.
• Inclusion of a small potato in this preparation is mainly to make the stuffing texture perfect due to its starch contents. But its purely optional and you could use only the Gobi too.