BON APPETIT: DAL PARANTHAS/FLATBREAD MADE FROM LEFTOVER LENTILS - A GUEST POST BY SHUMAILA-BLOGGER OF THE MONTH

I am eternally thankful to my space for opening up a world of wonderful food blogs and thereby the people behind them. My journey in to salivating virtually on the all the delicious eats landed me in to Shumaila's lip-smacking blog. She calls herself novice but let me assure you that her cooking is anything but that. Battenberg Cake among many others is a proof of that.Whipping up dishes with much passion, you can feel that buzz behind her fine posts.The recipes a fabulous mix of global cuisine has been brilliantly captured and elegantly worded. I was thrilled when she accepted my request for a guest post without any fuss.

Presenting Shumaila Blogger of the Month - July
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First and foremost – a warm thank you to Priya for inviting me to guest post today and for introducing me to her readers!

Being a north Indian, I love my paranthas. A little (or honestly a lot of) butter on top does not hurt either. So today as part of my Garam Masala Tuesdays series and as part of the Guest post for Priya I thought I would share the recipe for Dal Paranthas.

Dal is the Indian word for pulses/lentils. It also refers to a thick stew prepared from these pulses, and it is in this context that I will be using the term when talking about today's paranthas.Parantha is unleavened Indian flat bread. There are several different varieties of paranthas- stuffed,plain, layered.

Unlike traditional paranthas, where the dough is generally stuffed with vegetables like potatoes (aloo parantha) or cauliflower (gobhi parantha), these dal ka paranthas are actually made by combining whole wheat flour with any leftover cooked lentils (dal) that you have in the refrigerator.

So many times it happens that after a meal is over, I end up with only so much dal (thick lentil soup) to feed one person. Either, V and I toss over who gets the bowl of leftover dal for the next meal or I convert the dal into dal paranthas, something that is easy to make and perfect for a filling breakfast/lunch or even dinner :).

I generally use leftover toovar dal, since not only does it get made the most in our household (because of V's undying love for it) but also because it tastes the best in these paranthas, though I have had equally satisfying results with sambhar and dal makhani. These paranthas can actually be made with any leftover lentil soup/dal/lentil curry. You can even add in some leftover veggies and just blend it in
the mixture.

Dal Paranthas were actually introduced to me by my grandmother. When I was young and would visit my grandparents’ house during summer vacations, she made them often for breakfast. She hated carrying leftovers for the next day meal. So whatever little veggies or dal was left from the day before, she would puree it in the blender, knead it with some whole-wheat flour and serve them with homemade white butter and curd in the morning as breakfast.

Seriously, wasn't childhood the best time ever!

You will love the crispness of the paranthas that comes with the addition of the dal. Subtly flavored, you will find yourself making extra dal (lentils curry) just so that you can make these dal paranthas the next morning. It’s a great breakfast/brunch option ready in no time, making it perfect for a weekend as well as a weekday.

Feel free to use any leftover vegetables as well. Just puree them in the food processor/blender into a smooth paste and mix in with the whole-wheat flour and dal. You really don't need to add anything to the dough as the dal itself has every ingredient you need. But, a little chopped onion and some green chilies added to the dough will surely take them up a notch. So do add them in!

This is also a great breakfast for school going kids. And it’s a great way to get the kids to eat lentils or any vegetable they are not too fond of. Believe me, I speak from experience. I was tricked many times by my grandmother into eating lentils and veggies this way.

My grandmother has been famous for masquerading veggies to make us kids eat "quality" food. Besides these paranthas, she also made this chocolate ice cream which we loved. Only recently did I get to know the secret ingredient in her chocolate ice creams was actually Ghiya/lauki or what americans know as Bottle gourd! It used to be soft and creamy and you could never have guessed there was ghiya masquerading in it. Maybe some day I will share the recipe with you.

For now, I leave you with these paranthas.

DAL PARANTHA/ FLAT-BREAD MADE FROM LEFTOVER LENTILS

Whenever I make these paranthas, I think of my grandparents’ house in Jalandhar, where my grandparents used to stay before they shifted to Chandigarh. My grandmother would religiously make these for me because this was the only way I would eat (toovar) dal then.When my friend, M and I were trying to set up a business of our own and were staying with my grandparents' place just before I got married, on most days these paranthas were the only highlight of our day!

Generally there is no set recipe for these paranthas, as the quantity of leftovers will always vary. Depending on the consistency of the dal, I adjust the amount of whole-wheat flour I add, using as much that is sufficient to make it into a smooth dough.

If the dal is too watery, heat it to evaporate the liquid.Allow it to cool and keep it in the fridge to thicken, before using it to make the paranthas.

Ingredients (Makes 5 paranthas) :-

1 cup + 2tbsp Whole wheat flour
2/3 cup leftover cooked lentils/dal
1 tsp ajjwain/carom seeds
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
salt, to taste
5 green chilies, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter/oil

Directions:-

1. Puree the dal/cooked lentils and any leftover veggies to a smooth paste in the blender.

2. To the pureed dal, add rest of the ingredients, adjusting the quantity of flour sufficient to make smooth dough that is not sticky and can be rolled out easily.

3. Divide the dough into a little larger than golf sized balls.

4. Roll out a ball into a circle and apply some ghee.Bring the edges together and twist into a ball again, flatten it slightly. Dust each portion with some wheat flour

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the flattened dough ball into a circle 1/4th inch thick with a rolling pin, applying additional flour as necessary to avoid the dough sticking to the pin.

6. Heat an iron skillet/tawa. If you do not have an iron skillet use a non-stick pan. Gently pick up the rolled circle and place it on the hot skillet. Cook for a minute and flip it over with a spatula. Each side should have tiny brown spots.

7. Drizzle one teaspoon of oil on each side and cook the bread while gently pressing down on them. They will get slightly crisp and dark with more brown spots on them.

8. Wrap the cooked rotis in a dish or paper towel and store them in air-tight containers till ready to serve. (I generally take a bite or two while I am waiting to make the other paranthas. It's ok if you do too!)