The paratha adventures continue with this matar paratha, a whole wheat flatbread stuffed with gently spiced green peas. Serve with any raita, chutney, or pickles!
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When I started my savory breakfast series with aloo parathas, a lot of you questioned whether you can prep parathas once and then cook them when you want them. I can totally get behind that idea because as much as I love the idea of slow mornings making breakfast, most of my recent mornings consist of walking to a bus stop. And while munching on a rolled-up paratha may distract me on my journey and lead to missing the bus, at least it’s for a good reason.
I tried storing these matar parathas in the fridge, which worked well for 5 days. For any longer, you should freeze them! The filling is of spiced green peas, a wonderful source of slight sweetness, greenery, and fiber. After storing them, you may even forget about them, but that’s my favorite part! It’s always a fun surprise to rummage through the fridge and come across a gift that past you left for present you. I’m new to making parathas so these were far from perfect, but I’m practicing and learning and that’s what counts.
How to Make Matar Paratha
Make the dough.
Knead whole wheat flour and water together. It takes some practice but just use your hands and go by feel! The dough should be soft and loose, so be careful not to over knead (like I did, haha).
Prepare the peas filling.
I used frozen peas and soaked them to soften. Mash half of the peas and keep half of them whole. Cooking the filling is super simple, with some cumin seeds, hing (asafetida), ginger, green chilis, garam masala, and amchur (dried mango powder) if you have it.
Stuff the parathas.
There are many ways to do this but here is how I learned to do it. Place dough in one palm and use your other hand to pinch the edges until it forms a bowl. Add the filling and close the bowl. Check out the video for a visual!
Store the parathas.
Optional, but really great! They last for 5 days in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer.
Cook the parathas.
Make sure your tava, cast-iron, or pan is hot before adding a paratha. Cook on both sides without any oil or vegan butter first. Then add a drop of oil or butter on each side of the paratha and continue flipping and cooking until golden on both sides.
For serving
Vegan raita, maybe chutney, or a pickle of your choice. I have recipes for raita and chutney on my samosa chaat recipe!
Matar Paratha
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ½ tsp salt
- drizzle of oil
- ½-⅔ cup water
Matar (peas) filling
- 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed and mashed
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- pinch of hing (asafetida)
- ½ inch ginger, minced
- 2 green chilis, minced
- salt to taste
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp amchur (dried mango powder) (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough. Add flour and salt to a mixing bowl. Drizzle a little neutral oil to make it easier to knead. Add a little water at a time, kneading until you have a soft, slightly moist ball of dough.
- Prepare the filling. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 1 minute. Add a pinch of hing.
- Add ginger and green chilis. Stir for 2 minutes, or until the raw ginger smell dissipates. Add the mashed peas and salt to taste. Cook the peas for 4-5 minutes before finishing with garam masala and amchur.
- Heat a tawa, cast-iron, or another pan over medium heat. Take enough dough for one paratha. The amount this recipe makes depends on the texture of your dough, but mine made 6 parathas!
- Place the dough for one paratha in your palm and form a bowl shape. In the center of the bowl, place some filling. Close the paratha, sprinkle it with flour, and roll it out so it is 1/4-inch thick.
- Make sure the tawa or pan is hot and add the paratha. Cook for a minute or two until slightly golden and flip. Add a few drops of vegan butter or oil along the edge of the paratha, continue cooking for a minute, and flip again. Continue flipping and cooking until both sides are golden with brown spots. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
