These buns can be stuffed with a whole lot of other fruits or veggies too. For example, you can use apple, pear, carrot, beetroot or strawberry to make the filling, instead of sweet potato. However, try to use a flavour that is most suited to the fruit or vegetable you are using. I prefer cinnamon/nutmeg with apple/pear and cardamom with carrot/beetroot. Needless to say, you can experiment according to your choice. 

Perfectly sweetened, sweet potato and cherry buns are a must try for this festive season!

Ingredients

BUN:

Warm milk – 1 1/4 cup (see note 1 for alternatives)

Sugar – 2 tbsp

Dry yeast – 1/2 tbsp

All purpose flour – 3 cups

Salt – a pinch

Butter/vegan butter (at room temperature) – 3 tbsp

Nutmeg powder – 1/8 tsp

Cinnamon powder – 1/8 tsp

Water – as required

SWEET POTATO AND CHERRY FILLING:

Butter/vegan butter – 1 1/2 tbsp

Sweet potato (grated) – 1 1/2 cup (tightly packed)

Brown sugar – 3 tbsp

Roughly chopped glazed cherries – 1/2 cup (see note 4 for a healthier alternative)

Almond meal – 1/4 cup

Nutmeg powder – 1/4 tsp

Yield
12 to 14 medium sized buns

Prep time
2.5 hrs

Cook time
40 mins

Method

1)   In a large bowl take 1 cup warm milk. Add sugar. Mix. Then add dry yeast and mix again. Cover and set aside for 5 mins.

2)   After 5 mins, the yeast-milk mixture will be frothy meaning the yeast is activated. Now add salt, nutmeg and cinnamon powder and 2 tbsp butter to this and mix well.

3)   Now add the flour and start mixing gently. Add the remaining milk little by little to form a dough (if required, add some water). Once the dough comes together reasonably well (the dough will be sticky at this point), transfer it to a counter top dusted with flour.

4)   Start kneading the dough with your greased palm. Don’t add more flour to reduce the stickiness. Continue stretching and kneading the dough to activate the gluten. After 5 to 7 mins of kneading, the dough will become very soft, smooth and non-sticky.

5)   Lift the dough from your counter top, gently stretch from the sides and tuck it at the back and form a smooth ball. Keep it in a reasonably large greased bowl (the dough will rise to double its size) and apply 1 tbsp of butter on the surface. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap/damp cloth or a firm lid. Place this bowl with the dough in a warm, dry place. Let it rest for 2 hours for the first proofing.

6)   While the dough is kept for first proofing, you can make the sweet potato and cherry filling. Heat a pan, add butter, let it melt. When butter starts melting, add grated sweet potato and saute for 5 mins. Stir frequently to avoid the sweet potato sticking to the bottom of the pan.

7)   After 5 mins, add brown sugar and saute for a further 2 to 3 mins. Then add chopped glazed cherries and nutmeg powder and mix. Now add almond meal and mix completely. The filling will come together and hold shape at this point. If it is slightly sticky, add a tsp or more of almond meal to bring it to the desired consistency. Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature. Divide the filling into 12 to 14 portions and make it into small balls. Set aside.

8)   After 2 hours the dough ball should have doubled in size. Grease your hands and gently punch it to remove the excess air. Now transfer the dough onto your counter top again. Gently knead for a minute. Roll the dough into a cylindrical shape and divide it into 12 to 14 portions (as many sweet potato balls as you have).

9)   Grease and line a round 30 cm baking tray with parchment/baking paper. Now take one portion of the dough, make a dent in the middle. Place one portion of the sweet potato filling in this dent. Bring the edges together in pleats and pinch them together in the middle to seal the filling completely like a dumpling. Gently roll the stuffed dough balls in your palm and smoothen them out. Continue the same process to make all the buns ready for the next process.

10)   Gently place the stuffed buns in the prepared baking tray, leaving enough space between 2 buns to allow them to expand during the second proofing. Cover the tray with a clean kitchen cloth and place it in a warm place in the kitchen for the second proofing. Let it sit for 20 mins or so. Preheat the oven to 180˚.

11)   After 20 mins the dough balls will double in size again. Now brush the top surface of the buns gently with a generous amount of milk (mix almond/soy/oat milk with maple syrup/agave – 2 portions milk and 1 portion maple syrup/agave for the vegan version). Place the tray in the middle rack of your oven along with a bowl of water on the side and bake at 180˚ for around 35-40 mins (or until the top surface of the buns turn golden).

12)   After 35 mins remove the tray from the oven. Dab the top surface of the sweet potato and cherry buns with butter, and allow them to cool for 10 mins. Remove from the baking tray and carefully place on a wire rack to cool completely. After they cool, store in an airtight box. Warm up the sweet potato and cherry buns before serving.

Notes

1. You can use any vegan milk in this recipe. Even coconut milk, with its strong taste, will go well with this recipe. Similarly, the vegan butter you choose should be suitable for baking purpose. Due to some amount of water content in vegan butter and the chemical composition, all brands may not be suited for baking. So choose a brand that is suitable for baking.
2. The sweet potato filling should be reasonably firm and not runny. If it’s too wet, increase the amount of almond meal accordingly. On the other hand, if you feel that the stuffing is slightly dry, then add a couple of teaspoons of honey/maple syrup (don’t add water) to the filling to bring it to desired consistency.
3. I’ve used glazed cherries in this recipe, which is processed cherries in sugar syrup. For a healthier option you can use fresh cherries in this recipe. Choose fully ripe cherries and add 2 or 3 more tbsp of sugar while making the filling. (Add 2tbsp of chopped raisins to increase the sweetness but want to reduce the added sugar content).
4. If you are a fan of stuffed buns (which you will be after making this recipe), check out my Mango Crater Bun recipe too!

Beginners’ tips

1. Always use a fresh stock of yeast while baking any kind of bread/bun. Old or stale yeast may not activate properly and will make your bread flat, dense and hard.
2. Use lukewarm milk to activate the yeast. Cold milk will not activate the yeast and hot milk will kill the yeast.
3. If you don’t have store bought almond meal, just grind room temperature almonds to a fine powder. Don’t run the mixer continuously. Just pulse a few times and grind in intervals. This is because continuous grinding of nuts might release the oil from them and make it stick to the sides of the mixer jar. To get smooth powdered nuts, always use room temperature nuts and pulse/grind in intervals until powdered fully.
4. Correct measurements and proper proofing are very important for baking bread. So follow both without compromising even a bit. Choose a warm, dry place in your house to proof the dough. 

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This bun is quite simple and straightforward to make, but a little time consuming (mainly the time taken to proof the dough –  like in any bread or bun). But it’s totally worth it. Using your fingers to spread the dough instead of using a rolling pin gives the unique crater effect to the surface of the mango bun.

This recipe is quite versatile, in the sense, instead of mango you can use any firm pulpy sweet fruit like strawberry, blueberry, apple, banana, pear, nectarine or peach or a combination of more than one fruit. Just play around with the flavouring essence accordingly to suit the fruit you are using. Similarly the nutty filling can be made with any nut of your choice. See the notes below for making this recipe vegan. So go ahead, make this yummy mango crater bun and enjoy the ‘king of fruits’ with your loved ones!

Ingredients

BUN:

Warm milk  (any vegan milk will also do) – 1/4 cup

Sugar – 2 tbsp

Dry yeast – 1/2 tbsp

All purpose flour – 2 cups

Mango pulp – 1/4 cup

Salt – a pinch

Butter/Any neutral oil – 3 tbsp

Water – as required

Mango essence – 1 tsp

MANGO FILLING:

Butter/oil – 2 tsp

Mango jam – 1/4 cup

Roughly crushed mango pieces – 1/2 cup

Powdered nuts (cashews/almonds/walnuts/macadamia/pecans) – 1/4 cup

Mango essence – 1 tsp

Slivered Pistachio – 1/4 cup

Yield
Serves 6

Prep time
2.5 hrs

Cook time
40 mins

Method

1)   In a large bowl take warm milk. Add the sugar. Mix. Then add the dry yeast and mix again. Cover and set aside for 5 mins.

2)   After 5 mins the yeast-milk mixture will be frothy meaning the yeast is activated. Now add the mango pulp, salt, mango essence and 2 tbsp butter or oil. Mix.

3)   Now add the flour and start mixing gently. Add water little by little to bring the flour together and form a dough. Once the dough has come together, transfer it to a counter top dusted with flour.

4)   Start kneading the dough with your palm. The dough will be slightly sticky initially, but don’t add more flour. Continue stretching and kneading the dough to activate the gluten. After 5 to 7 mins of kneading the dough will become very soft, smooth and non sticky.

5)   Lift the dough from your counter top, mildly stretch from the sides and tuck it at the back and form a smooth ball. Keep it in a greased bowl and apply a drop of oil on the surface. Cover the bowl with a cling wrap, damp cloth or a firm lid. Place this bowl with the dough in a warm, dry place. Let it rest for 2 hours for the first proofing.

6)   In another bowl take all the ingredients for the mango filling except the butter/oil and mix well. After mixing, refrigerate this mixture until needed.

7)   After 2 hours the dough ball should have doubled in size. Grease your hands with oil and gently punch it to remove the excess air. Now transfer the dough on to your counter top again. Roll it into a cylinder shape and divide the dough into two portions. Take the mango filling out of the refrigerator.

8)   Grease and line a round 30 cm baking tray with parchment/baking paper. Now take the first portion of the dough and place it on the baking paper. Slowly start expanding the dough with your greased fingers until it reaches the edge of the baking tray.

9)   Spread some butter/oil on top of the dough and then spread the mango filling on top of that. Spread evenly, leaving some space at the edge, kind of like how you’d put sauce on a pizza base. Now just wet your hands and run a finger along the uncovered edge to make it slightly wet. 

10)   Take the second portion of the dough and place it on the counter top. Spread it with your fingers almost to the same size as the previous one. Now gently lift this sheet of dough and cover the mango filling to form the top half of the mango bun. Gently press the edge throughout, to seal the filling inside the mango bun completely. Cover with a damp cloth and leave it to proof a second time for another 30 mins.

11)   Preheat the oven to 180˚. After 30 mins the dough will double in size again. Now brush the top surface of the bun gently with milk (mix almond/soy/oat milk with maple syrup/agave – 2 portions milk and 1 portion maple syrup/agave for the vegan version). Make a gentle slit in the centre with a knife. This helps the bun expand while baking. Place the mango bun in the middle rack of your oven and bake at 180˚ for 30 mins. 

12)   After 30 mins remove the Mango Crater Bun from oven. Dab the surface with a tsp of butter/oil and allow it cool for 10 mins. Now remove it from the baking tray carefully and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.  After it cools, slice it up and serve. 

Notes

1. You can use any vegan milk in this recipe. Even coconut milk, with its strong taste, will go well with the mango flavour.
2. The mango filling should be reasonably spreadable and not runny. If it’s too wet, increase the amount of powdered nuts accordingly. On the other hand, if you feel that the stuffing is slightly dry, then add a couple of teaspoons of mango puree or jam (don’t add water) to the filling to bring it to spreadable consistency.
3. The crater effect mainly comes from spreading the dough with your fingers. If you want a smooth finish for your bun, then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough instead of using your fingers.

Beginners’ tips

1. Always use a fresh stock of yeast while baking any kind of bread/bun. Old or stale yeast may not activate properly and will make your bread flat, dense and hard.
2. Use lukewarm milk to activate the yeast. Cold milk will not activate the yeast and hot milk will kill the yeast.
3. Correct measurements and proper proofing are very important for baking bread. So follow both without compromising even a bit. Choose a warm, dry place in your house to proof the dough. 

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Yam is a very simple, tuber vegetable, often neglected because it is messy to clean and de-skin. But it is highly nutritious and can be substituted in many recipes that use potato. Once de-skinned, it is easy to cut and use. Steam cooked, grated yam is sauteed with onions and spice powders and stuffed inside whole wheat dough. It is then rolled out, cooked on a flat pan/tawa till golden and enjoyed with a simple yoghurt based dip or Indian dal.

Here’s my recipe for Yam Paratha. It’s a fairly heavy meal so it’s better eaten earlier in the day. I’ve included several tips for making stuffed parathas that I learnt from my close friend who is an expert in it.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 2 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp for dusting

Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Unsalted butter – 1 tsp

Yam (steam cooked and grated) – 2 cups packed (see note 2)

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Onion (finely chopped) – 1 medium sized

Green chillies (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp (or to taste)

Ginger (finely chopped) – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Fennel powder – 1/2 tsp (see note 5)

Dry mango powder/lime juice – 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp (or to taste)

Fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp

Cooking oil – 1 1/2 tbsp

Ghee – 3 tbsp (or as required)

Water – As required

Yield
7 or 8 parathas

Prep time
1 hour

Cook time
20 mins

Method

1)   In a wide bowl, take 2 1/2 cups wheat flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix thoroughly. Add water little by little and knead the flour to form a soft pliable dough. Now add the butter to the dough and knead for 5 more mins until it is fully incorporated. By now the dough will be non-sticky and very soft to touch. Cover it with a clean kitchen cloth and let the dough rest for 45 mins.

2)   While the dough is resting, clean the yam, peel the outer skin, wash it again and cut into  chunks.

3)   In a pressure cooker/steamer, (if you don’t have both, then check broken wheat pidi kozhukkattai recipe for a DIY makeshift steamer) steam cook the yam chunks until 90% cooked. (see note 4)

4)   Remove the yam chunks from the steamer and let it cool down a bit. Now grate it and set aside.

5)   In a pan/kadai, add cooking oil and heat it. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Now add chopped green chillies and ginger. Fry for a minute on medium heat.

6)   Now add the onions and 1/4 tsp of salt and fry until it turns translucent.

7)   Then reduce the heat to minimum and add turmeric powder, chilly powder, fennel powder and dry mango powder/lemon juice and mix once quickly.

8)   Immediately add the grated yam, 1/2 tsp of salt and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and cover the pan. Keep the heat in minimum and allow the yam to absorb the flavours from the spice powders and also the salt to be incorporated. Keep the pan covered for 5 to 6 mins and let the yam cook fully. Whatever extra moisture is there will also evaporate during this process. 

9)   Now remove the yam stuffing from heat and allow it to come to room temperature. Then make lime sized balls from this and set aside.

10)   Take the dough that is resting and make big lemon sized balls. Take one dough ball, use some wheat flour for dusting and start rolling it out. Roll to roughly about 10 cm wide circle, with the center slightly thicker than the edge.

11)   Take the yam stuffing and place it in the center of the rolled out dough. Gather the edge of the dough and seal the yam mixture in fully – kind of like a dumpling. Now dust this yam-filled paratha dough ball with wheat flour and roll it out gently (use wheat flour for dusting as required). Now heat a flat pan/tawa until it is medium hot.  

https://www.thepearpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/4778e231-e0c5-4b77-9028-2a4a48fc40c2.mov

12)   When the pan is medium hot, place the rolled out paratha on it, drizzle some ghee around the yam paratha and cook the first side. Cook until you see small bubbles on top of the paratha. Now flip the paratha using a flat spatula. Again drizzle some ghee around the edges and on the surface of the paratha and allow this side also to cook for nearly 30 secs. Again flip the paratha, smear some ghee over the surface and around the edges. Press the paratha gently on all sides with the spatula. You will see small golden colour dots/patches appear on both sides of the paratha, indicating that the paratha is done. Remove yam paratha from the pan and place it in a hot pack lined with a clean kitchen cloth (if you are not serving immediately). Cover the paratha with a cotton cloth.

13)   Cook all the parathas the same way. Serve this yam paratha with plain yoghurt/pickle (try our fenugreek grape pickle)/fruit preserve (see our Mango Plum preserve)/dhal tadka/fresh cut raw onions or just fried green chillies. Just plain yam paratha without any accompaniment also tastes great. When paired with any yoghurt based dip or Indian dhal it becomes a wholesome meal.

Notes

1. I suggest to steam cook yam and not boil it in water. This is because the yam retains extra moisture while boiling which is difficult to remove, and will make it difficult to stuff it inside the dough. While rolling out the parathas, the dough may tear open and the stuffing may squish out and make it very messy to handle. So steam cook, grate and saute the yam to get the right consistency of stuffing. If by chance your stuffing is too moist, then you will need some binding agent to hold it together, so that it stays intact inside the dough and doesn’t squish out while rolling. You can add some almond flour/roasted peanut powder/rolled oats powder/roasted gram powder to the yam onion mixture and bring it to right consistency (you should be able to make smooth balls out of this mixture without making your hands messy).
2. I’ve used store bought fennel powder for this recipe. If you don’t have ready made fennel powder, then making one at home is very easy. Just dry roast 1/4 cup of fennel seeds in a pan/kadai on low heat for 4 to 5 mins, or until it becomes warm to touch. Switch off the heat and leave the pan with roasted fennel seeds on the hot stove top until it comes to room temperature. Keep stirring every 2 mins while it cools down. Now grind this into a fine powder, store it in a dry, airtight container. Use this fennel powder to add flavour to your dishes. It helps in better digestion too!

Beginner’s Tips

1. Add water little by little and bring the dough to a soft, pliable consistency. If the dough becomes loose and sticky, you will need more wheat flour on the rolling surface. This will also make the paratha hard. So don’t add all the water right at the beginning while making the dough. The amount of water needed to make the dough varies with the brand of wheat flour you use.
2. It’s better to rest the dough for a minimum of 30 mins. This resting time will help you roll out the dough easily and make soft parathas.
3. Adding ghee gives great flavour to the parathas. A mix of ghee and oil/butter can be used to make this paratha. Use at least half a tsp of ghee or butter for each paratha so they stay soft for a long time.
4. If you’ve never prepped yam before, here are a few tips to help you out:
   – Never let the yam sit out after you buy it. If you let it sit in summer, it will dry out, starting from the skin, all the way down to the flesh. If you let it sit in winter, it’ll catch fungus from the bottom and the flesh will start to rot. Either way, it is better to prep your yam as soon as you buy it.
   – De-skin the yam first using a large sharp knife and then cut it up into chunks.
   – Wash the chunks and leave them out to air-dry on a cloth.
   – After a couple of hours when the chunks have dried, put them in an airtight container that is lined with a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate.

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Being pure vegetarians, whenever we go on any trip (outside India), food becomes one important thing to plan in advance. During such times, theplas come in handy to carry and I make theplas for the entire family. Also, the addition of millet flour along with whole wheat flour takes care of a reasonable amount of nutrition requirement during travel, when we miss home cooked nutritious meals. Just these theplas and plain yoghurt is enough for a meal when we travel.

I learnt to make theplas from my cousin’s mother in law (she lives in Gujarat) and I’m thankful to her, for sharing this wonderful, traditional Gujarati recipe.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cups

Pearl millet flour (bajra flour) – 1/2 cup (optional) (see notes)

Carom seeds (ajwain) – 1 tsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp (or to taste)

Sugar/jaggery powder – 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Green chillies – 2

Ginger (chopped) – 1 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves (chopped) – 4 tbsp

Garlic (chopped) – 1 tsp (optional)

Onion (chopped) – 2 tbsp

Fresh fenugreek leaves – 4 or 5 tbsp (note )

Ghee/oil – 3 tbsp for the dough + 3 tbsp for cooking the theplas

Plain yoghurt – as required

Yield
10 to 12 Theplas

Prep time
10 mins to prep ingredients
10 mins to make the dough
45 mins dough resting time

Cook time
30 mins

Method

1)   Take green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves, garlic, onion, salt and sugar/jaggery powder in a mixer/grinder and grind to a fine paste without adding water. (If you are not able to run the mixer without water, then add a tablespoon of plain yoghurt and grind). Set aside.

2)   In a wide bowl take the flours, carom seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, fresh fenugreek leaves and 3 tbsp of ghee/oil. Mix well. Add the ground paste to this and mix again.

3)   Now start adding plain yoghurt little by little to the wheat flour mixture to bring it to a dough consistency. Knead the dough for nearly 3 to 4 mins to enable all the ingredients to blend well with the flours and to form a soft, pliable dough (see Note 5).

4)   Apply oil on the top surface of the dough, keep it in a greased bowl, cover and allow it to rest for 45 mins.  

5)   After 45 mins, heat a flat pan/tawa, and grease the pan with a drop of ghee.

6)   From the rested dough, pinch a lime sized portion and with a rolling pin, roll it into thin theplas. (Use wheat flour to dust the surface where you are rolling out the theplas).  

7)   When the pan is medium hot, place the rolled out thepla on it and cook the first side. Cook until you see small bubbles on top of the thepla. Now flip the thepla using a flat spatula. Allow this side also to cook for nearly 30 secs. Again flip the thepla, smear some ghee over the surface and around the edges. Press the thepla gently on all sides with the spatula. 

8)   When you see small golden colour dots/patches on both sides of the thepla, remove from the pan and place it in a hot pack, lined with a clean kitchen cloth (if you are not serving immediately). Cover the thepla with a cotton cloth.

9)   Continue to cook all the theplas similarly. Serve thepla with plain yoghurt/raitha/pickle/dhal tadka, or just fried green chillies. Just plain thepla without any accompaniment also tastes great and is ideal to take on long trips.

Notes

1. You can use dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) if you don’t have fresh leaves.
2. The amount of oil/ghee can be reduced to 1 tbsp (instead of 3 tbsp), while kneading the dough, if you are going to consume the theplas immediately. Adding more ghee/oil helps keep theplas fresh for longer.
3. If you don’t have pearl millet flour, then you can use only wheat flour. Don’t add water to knead the dough, use only yoghurt and ghee/oil to make the dough. This way the theplas stay soft and fresh for a longer time.
4. If you have slightly sour yoghurt, you can use that too, instead of fresh yoghurt.
5. To know if the dough you’ve made is of the right consistency, roll a small portion of the dough between your palms. It you are able to roll out a smooth ball, then the dough is perfect. If cracks form, then the dough is slightly dry, so add little more yoghurt and knead. Or if the dough is sticky, then add little more wheat flour to absorb the excess moisture.
6. Rest the dough for a minimum of half an hour but you can leave it for 2 or 3 hours also.
7. Cook the theplas on medium heat only. If the pan is too hot then the theplas might burn easily because it is rolled out thin. If the pan is not hot enough, then the theplas will become dry and hard.

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My cousin shared this recipe a while back and initially I was skeptical about the taste. I thought that the inherent sweetness and the high water content of pumpkin will not be suited for making soft parathas. I was wrong, it tasted awesome and was instantly a big hit at home. I’m thankful to her for encouraging me to try this simple, yet tasty pumpkin paratha.  

Unlike traditional aloo paratha or paneer paratha, pumpkin paratha is very lite on the stomach and suited for all age groups. Go ahead and try this, you’ll end up making it very often  

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 2 cups

Salt – 1/2 tsp (or to taste)

Sugar – 1/2 tsp (optional)

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Dry mango powder/lemon juice – 1/2 tsp

Grated pumpkin – 1 1/2 cups

Green chillies (finely chopped ) – 1 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp

Ghee/oil/butter – 3 tbsp

Water – as required

Yield
8 parathas

Prep time
10 mins to prep ingredients
10 mins to make the dough
45 mins dough resting time

Cook time
20 mins

Method

1)   In a wide bowl, take all the ingredients except wheat flour, ghee and water. Squeeze and mix everything thoroughly. Squeezing and mixing helps to bind all the flavors together and also helps to release the moisture from the pumpkin. Cover and set aside for 15 mins.  

2)   After 15 mins add wheat flour to the pumpkin mixture and mix with your hand. (Mixing with hand helps to feel the amount of moisture that has been released from the pumpkin).

3)   According to the moisture level in the flour-pumpkin mixture, add water little by little to make a soft (slightly stiff) dough. Grease the dough with half tsp of ghee, cover and set aside for 30 mins.

4)   After 30 mins, make small lemon size balls from the dough. Dust the surface (where you are going to roll out the paratha) with wheat flour. Roll out the dough ball into a slightly thick (about 2 mm) paratha using a rolling pin.  

5)   Heat a flat pan/tawa, and grease the pan with a drop of ghee. 

6)   When the pan is medium hot, place the paratha on it and cook the first side. Cook until you see small bubbles on top of the paratha. Now flip the paratha using a flat spatula. Allow this side also to cook for nearly 30 secs. Again flip the paratha, smear some ghee over the surface and around the edges. Press the paratha gently on all sides with the spatula. 

7)   Flip the paratha again. You will see small golden colour dots/patches on both sides of the paratha. Remove from the pan and place it in a hot pack lined with a clean kitchen cloth (if you are not serving immediately). Cover the paratha with a cotton cloth.

8)   Continue to cook all the parathas similarly. Serve pumpkin paratha with plain yoghurt/boondhi raitha/pickle/fruit preserve (refer our Mango Plum preserve)/dhal tadka, or just fried green chillies. Just pumpkin paratha without any accompaniment also tastes great, as it has almost all the basic flavours in itself. When paired with any yoghurt based dip or Indian dhal it becomes a wholesome meal.

Notes

1. I recommend to rest the pumpkin mixture for 15 mins initially, before adding the wheat flour. During this time, moisture is released from the mixture because it has salt in it. If you skip this step, then the dough might become watery and you might have to add more flour to correct this and bring the dough to the desired consistency. This will in turn make the parathas hard and chewy.
2. Add water little by little and bring the dough to a soft, stiff consistency. If the dough becomes loose and sticky, you will need more wheat flour on the rolling surface. This will also make the paratha hard.
3. Cook the pumpkin paratha on medium heat constantly. If cooked on high heat, the paratha will darken quickly and the pumpkin inside won’t cook properly.
4. Even though I’ve given alternatives for ghee, adding ghee gives great flavour to the parathas. A mix of ghee and oil/butter can also be used. Use at least half a tsp ghee for cooking each paratha so they stay soft for a long time.

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Even though you can pretty much have cauliflower kurma with any Indian bread, my absolute favourite is Poori (or puri). Freshly fried fluffy Poori is somewhat of a cheat day delicacy for me. And if you haven’t tried it yet, I guarantee it will be yours too.

The best thing about Poori and Kurma is that it can be served for any meal. It is definitely an all rounder and popular among all age groups in every household. It is a rather easy dish to make with minimum effort and gives an extraordinary result. The rich, smooth gravy will leave you craving for more and is definitely a party winner.  

Ingredients

KURMA:

Cauliflower – Florets from a medium sized cauliflower

Bay leaf – 1

Onion – 2 medium sized, finely chopped

Ripe tomato – 1 large, roughly chopped

Ginger – 2 inch piece, roughly chopped

Garlic – 1 large pod

Green chillies – 2 (or to tolerance)

Red chilly powder – 1 tbsp (or to tolerance)

Coconut grated – 1 1/2 tbsp

Cashew nuts – 12

Plain greek yoghurt or hung curd – 2 tbsp

Cumin – 1/2 tsp

Star anise – 1

Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece

Cloves – 3

Cardamom – 3

Whole black pepper – 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp

Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (washed and finely chopped)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

POORI:

Whole wheat flour – 2 cups (heaped)

Fine semolina – 1 tbsp

Salt – 1/3 tsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Oil for deep frying

Water for making the dough

Yield
Serves 4

Prep time
10 mins for Poori
20 mins for Kurma

Cook time
25 mins for Poori
25 mins for Kurma

Method – Kurma

1)   Blanch the cauliflower florets and chop it into small pieces. Set aside.   

2)   In a mixer/ grinder grind the following into a smooth paste – a quarter if the chopped onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chillies, red chilli powder, coconut, cashews, yogurt, cumin, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, fennel seeds and coriander seeds.

3)   In a wide pan take 2 tablespoons of oil and let it heat up. Add the bay leaf. Immediately add the finely chopped onion, a pinch of salt, half teaspoon of sugar and fry until golden.

4)   Now add the blanched and chopped cauliflower and saute for a minute. Then cover the pan, keep the heat in medium and let the cauliflower cook completely. This should take approximately 5 to 6 minutes.

5)   Add the ground masala paste to the cooked cauliflower. Add the remaining salt required for the entire kurma and mix nicely. Make sure to cook for 3 or 4 minutes so the raw garlic smell goes away. Add enough water to make a nice flowy gravy. The cashews we have added will make the gravy thick and also give it a silky creamy texture.

6)   Allow the gravy to boil for 4 to 5 minutes on low flame while keeping the pan covered. Just mix the gravy once in between to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

7)   Add the finely chopped coriander leaves, mix well and switch off the heat. Serve hot with fluffy pooris.       

Method – Poori

1)   In a wide bowl take the whole wheat flour, salt, sugar and the semolina. Mix. Now add one teaspoon of oil and mix it thoroughly with the wheat flour. 

2)   Add enough water to the wheat flour mixture and make a stiff dough and keep it covered for 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat up the oil in a wide pan or kadai to deep fry the pooris. 

3)   Take small lime sized balls from the dough and roll it out into round discs. Use a drop of oil on the surface where you are rolling the dough, so that the dough doesn’t stick to the rolling pin or the surface. Roll out the pooris to approximately 1 to 1.5 mm thickness. 

4)   Take a very tiny bit from the dough and slowly drop it in the hot oil to check if it is ready to fry the pooris. The dough should rise and come up to the surface immediately without browning. Now the oil is ready to fry the pooris. 

5)   Slowly slide the rolled out poori into the hot oil. Within 10 seconds it will come up to the surface of the oil. Now gently press the poori into the oil. This will help in puffing up the poori nicely. Also carefully splash the oil on top of the frying poori so that the top layer fries evenly. Once the first side is done, flip the poori and follow the same procedure as before. The whole process should take less than 30 to 40 seconds to fry each poori. If the oil is hot enough the pooris will puff up nicely and stay that way without collapsing immediately.     

6)   Drain the poori on a colander and it’s ready to be served with the cauliflower kurma.

Notes

1. I have used only cauliflower in this kurma, but the same recipe can be made with a combination of vegetables like potato, carrot, beans, peas, turnip etc. Also fresh Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) can be used as the main ingredient in the kurma, skipping all vegetables totally. The gravy gets its entire taste from the masala paste, so you can play around with the vegetables according to preference and availability. Surprisingly, the same kurma can be made with only boiled chick peas, black eyed beans, kidney beans etc., and tastes great that way too. 
2. If you’re a little adventurous, you can add some ajwain seeds to the poori dough. It’s an excellent taste enhancer and digestive. People prone to acidity can add a little because poori is deep fried and ajwain can make it easier to digest. 
3. If you’re allergic to nuts or don’t like the flavour of nuts, you can forgo them and use coconut milk as a substitute. In this case, of course, you won’t add the grated coconut. You could also do this if grated coconut is hard to find in the supermarkets. 
4. If you don’t have a blender, you can also grate the garlic and ginger (or use a store bought paste), and use the spices whole. Of course, changes like this and the coconut milk variation will make the kurma taste a bit different, but it will still be delicious!

Beginner’s tips

1. Adding semolina to the poori dough gives some crispness to the poori and also helps it stay puffed up for a longer time.
2. The dough has to be stiff otherwise the poori will not puff up and will become hard and brittle. 
3. Adding sugar to the dough helps pooris get a nice golden colour. 
4. Make the pooris immediately after making the dough. If you want to make a lot of pooris then make the dough in batches so that the dough stays fresh throughout.

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