Peethi ki Paronthi & Aam ka Achar (Mango Pickle)
Paronthi is the Parantha’s younger sister OR………. who knows………. maybe Parantha is the husband and Paronthi, the wife. Well, the relationship is quite hazy here. But, as the wise have said……….”Don’t go where you are not required to go” All I can tell you is that the Paronthi is smaller and thinner than the parantha, (may I add , a little more delicate there;) ).
Peethi is a filling made with Urad Daal (Black gram lentils). I have heard that there was a time when people in Northern India would only eat Pooris and Kachoris at every meal. For the longest time, my husband’s Grandmother ate Poori or Kachori, she was not a Roti, Phulka liking person. She was a fabulous cook and would work very very hard to cook good food. I have been fortunate enough to taste her handmade Mungodis which absolutely melted in one’s mouth when cooked. I am mentioning Kachori several times cause a very similar filling is used in traditional North Indian Kachori. But for the faint of heart like me, making a paronthi with peethi is good enough. It’s made very rarely at our place and it is such a treat, that we all end up eating way more than we should.
The Recipe: (For 18-20 paronthis)
For the Dough:
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 3/4 cups water
For Filling (Peethi):
- Urad daal/ split black lentils without skin 1 cup
- Ginger 2″ piece chopped fine or grated
- Oil 2 tsp.
- Green chili 2 chopped fine
- Red chili powder 1 tsp.
- fennel seeds/saunf 1 Tbsp.
- cumin seeds/jeera 2 tsp.
- Fenugreek seeds/methi 1/2 tsp.
- Garam masala 1 tsp.
- coriander powder/dry cilantro powder/dhaniya 1 Tbsp.
- Asafoetida/heeng powdered 1/2 tsp.
- Dry mango powder/Amchur 2 Tbsp.
- Salt to taste
Make a dough with whole wheat flour and water. More about the dough can be found in my post here.
In the plate (clockwise) green chili, red chili powder, fennel seeds,cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, Garam masala, coriander powder, asafoetida powder, dry mango powder, ginger minced and salt in center. Soaked and ground black gram also in picture.
To prepare the peethi for the filling, soak urad daal overnight or at least 4-6 hours. Grind it coarse in a grinder the next morning. In a wok or sauce pan (preferably non-stick), heat 2 tsp. oil and add the rest of ingredients except salt and dry mango powder. Add the ground urad daal and fry a little till it dries. Next add salt and dry mango powder. Mix well.
Peethi is ready!
Make balls of the whole wheat dough of the size shown below.
Whole wheat balls with dry flour for dusting
Flatten the dough balls with a rolling pin and fill the peethi as shown below.
Whole wheat dough flats and the filling
Pull the whole wheat edges and form a ball again. Dust a little flour and roll out the Paronthi. Heat a cast iron griddle. Oil the griddle a wee bit and then put the rolled out paronthi on the griddle. Make sure you put the paronthi only when the griddle is sizzling hot, that is you should be able to throw some drops of water and they should first sizzle and then evaporate. If they evaporate right away, the griddle is too hot. Turn the paronthi over when you start seeing tiny bubbles on the surface. Spread a little oil on the surface of the paronthi and apply a little pressure with a spatula to ensure uniform cooking. Turn it over once more and apply pressure gain. A well made paronthi will puff up on all sides.
Peethi ki paronthi on the griddle
A paronthi well cooked should not have doughy edges and should be uniformly cooked. Peethi ki paronthi tastes fabulous with achar, dried potato curry or my all time favorite Masaledaar Aloo ki Sabji.
Have a bite!!
Peethi ki Paronthi is off to Srivalli for the Roti Mela. Looking forward to a variegated collection of flatbreads there.
I was making paper fans for my son and he was scribbling on them. A few minutes later he comes to me & asks me to make a paper AC this time……….ha. I could only look at him in astonishment! Now, if we could all make paper AC’s , wouldn’t that solve India’s energy problems! I asked my son to grow up and do something about alternative energy as I have little hope from myself. That certainly left him content with paper fans………..for now.
