Breakfast time is the most important time of the day & making it delightful too is really a priority for just any gastronomic. Especially during holidays when we usually wake up late but still want to indulge in something tasty and filling, even compromising on health at times. This is the time for which most of us wait with baited breath in the morning after the longest fast post dinner. Although our preferences should always be on healthiness when it comes to breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day, yet sometimes we do indulge in a bit of unhealthy stuff too just to please our taste buds.

In India, breakfast usually means something heavy & fulilling that can stay in your tummy for long and paranthas or parathas are up on the list of our usual breakfast options that include puri(s), kachori(s), chapati(s), dosa, idli, upma, pohe and many more. There are many exquisite varieties of paranthas available here in India like the gobi parantha, aloo parantha, paneer parantha, keema parantha, lachha parantha or malabar parottas, mughlai parantha etc. to name a few which are prepared in different styles and techniques and every culture, region, state and city too have their own version of paranthas or parottas. Different shops prepare their own trademark simple or fanciful paranthas to attract the food connoisseurs. The shops in the well known Paranthewali Gali in Chandni Chowk of Old Delhi is famous for making mouth watering savoury and sweet paranthas stuffed with scores of fillings, the Parantha mantra in Mumbai sell their paranthas with exquisite fillings including pasta, chocolate and alike, similarly Shahji’s Parantha House in Pune also has their fingerlicking stuffed paranthas with a wide variety of fillings, streets of Kolkata sell their trademark egg batter fried Mughlai parantha and keema stuffed paranthas, while shops in Kerala had their flaky and greasy, unstuffed Malabar Parotta(s) with curries, which are similar in appearance to the famous north-indian flaky lachha paratha(s). In my home state Assam, paranthas are thickly rolled flatbreads usually greased and fried on a griddle or tawa & are served with daal or peas curry and a pickle or chutney in shops, popular here either as a breakfast or a quick lunch option on a usual working day.

Paranthas are nothing but easily rolled greased flatbreads, stuffed or unstuffed with different flavours and are usually paired with one or more accompaniments like a bowl of curry or daal, a chutney or pickle or a bowl of fresh plain curd or sometimes simply with a hot cup of tea as in our home. Homes make their own simple paranthas sometimes plain or according to their wishes or cravings and this is when your foody fantasy comes into play. It is always a fun to create something interesting from the usual & paranthas offer you with many choices & scopes to play with. Coconut paranthas are quite a change from the usual paranthas we make and are also healthy especially for the kids with inclusion of corn & cheese in it. And I have made them bite size which I believe would entice the kids more as they get bored easily when you offer them with a large-sized item which seems difficult to manage rather than pocket-sized visual delights. If you like to know the recipe, here it goes :

RECIPE :

Ingredients :

A) For filling or stuffing :

1. Coconut (grated)– 1 cup
2. Corn (boiled) – 1/4^th cup
3. Onions (chopped) – 1 medium.
4. Green chillies (finely chopped) – 2
5. Curry leaves – 2-3 twigs
6. Dry red chilli – 1
7. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp.
8. Refined oil – 1 tbs.
9. Cheese – 1 cube.

B) For parantha dough :

1. Whole Wheat (atta) – 2 cups.

2. Curd – ½ cup (or as per need )

3. Salt – 2-3 pinch.

Preparation :

1. In a bowl, take the flour, add salt & curd & knead it well using your palm to make a smooth dough, cover & let it rest. [ Note : I have used curd instead of water for kneading you may also use water.]
2. Heat oil in a pan, add red chilli & sauté till it becomes dark.
3. Add mustard seeds & let it splatter.
4. Add half of the curry leaves & sauté the mixture.
5. Add chopped onions & sauté till the onion turns slightly brownish.
6. Add the grated coconut & mix well over a low flame.
7. Add boiled corns & green chillies & the remaining curry leaves & mix them together.
8. Stir for another 2 to 3 minutes over low flame and switch off the flame.
9. Bring it down & keep aside.
10. Take the previously kneaded dough and roll out small chapatis from it.
11. Take some amount of the coconut mixture & spread it over one side of the chapatti in such a way that it occupies just half of the chapatti or circle.
12. Grate some cheese over it and fold the other half of the chapati over it in such a way that it encloses the stuffing forming a wrap.
13. Heat tawa over medium flame, roast your stuffed wrap or parantha by turning it gently on both sides over a low flame.
14. Put half teaspoon oil over the tawa and flip the wrap on both sides to fry it uniformly.
15. Bring down from flame over a dish or tray.
16. Cut it into halves to make your bite size paranthas.
17. Grate some more cheese over it if you like and serve with any dip or chutney of your choice. I prefer tangy tamarind chutney with these soft, cheesy, munchy parantha bites. You may enjoy them with any dip that catches your fancy.

Just try them especially for your kids who are absolutely cheese lovers.

Courtesy :

1. https://www.triphobo.com/blog/best-paranthas-in-india
2. https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/love-parathas-you-cannot-miss-out-on-these-11-famous-paratha-joints-in-delhi-2897198