Serves: 8
Total Calories: 40
1. In a large bowl, mix together the chickpea and whole-wheat flours with clean fingers. Add the salt, red pepper flakes, and ajwain seeds and mix again. Add the yogurt and mix with your fingers, in round circular motions, until it gathers into a soft, pliable ball that does not stick to your fingers. (Use the water only if you need to.)
2. Knead for about a minute, pressing your knuckles lightly into the dough, spreading the dough outward, then gathering the ends together toward the center with your fingers. Push down the center, then repeat pressing and gathering a few times until you have a soft and pliable dough that does not stick to your fingers. If, while kneading, the dough sticks to your hands, scrape off the dough, put some oil on them, and continue kneading. Cover with plastic wrap or the lid of the bowl and let the dough rest at least 1 and up to 4 hours at room temperature. (This allows the wheat gluten to develop.)
3. To roll and fry the breads, with lightly oiled hands, divide the dough equally into 8 to 10 balls and cover with foil to prevent drying.
4. Working with each ball of dough separately, place in bowl with the dry flour, flatten it with your fingertips, and coat well with the dry flour. Transfer to a cutting board or any other clean flat surface and, with a rolling pin, roll into a 6- to 7-inch circle of uniform thickness. (If the dough sticks to the rolling surface, dust with more flour.) Baste the top of the dough with ghee and fold into a triangle, square, or circle, as per the directions, Shaping Paranthas: To Make a Layered Triangle (see INFORMATION AND SPECIAL TECHNIQUES).
5. Place the rolled parantha on the hot tava or griddle. Turn over when it is slightly cooked and dotted with tiny golden spots on the bottom, about 1 minute. When the other side is covered with larger brown dots, turn it over, and brush lightly with oil. Flip it over again and fry the oiled side about 30 seconds. Similarly, baste and fry the other side another 30 seconds. There should be a total of 4 turns.
6. Remove from the griddle and serve.
VARIATION: Along with the spices in Step 1, add a cup or 2 of finely chopped fresh spinach and about 1/2 cup minced onion.
From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This Griddle-Fried Chickpea Flour Breads recipe is from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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