Mooli Paratha

Mooli Paratha is an Indian whole wheat bread-stuffed with grated mooli/radish and some spices. They are usually served as breakfast in Punjabi homes. It’s slightly tricky to make in comparison with other parathas.

Radishes are also known as Diakons. With a very low calorie count, less than 20 calories in an entire cup, radishes are a great way to add nutrients, fiber and tons of flavors to your meals without compromising your health.

Because of their high vitamin C content and natural cleansing effects, regular consumption of radishes can help prevent viral infections. They help in relieving indigestion and naturally cool the body. Radishes are said to have effective toxin-purging effects, helping break down and eliminate toxins and cancer-causing free radicals in the body.

Ingredients	Quantity
White Radish (Muli/Daikon)	4-5 peeled and shredded
Coriander leaves	5 sprigs, finely chopped
Carom Seeds (Ajwain)	¼ tsp (coarsely powdered)
Chat Masala	¼ tsp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Salt	to Taste
For the dough
Chapati Flour	1 ½ cups
Salt	¼ tsp
Oil	¼ tsp (coarsely powdered)
Warm Water	½ cup +2 tbsp
Extra Flour	for dusting
Ghee	for frying

Method

Mix salt, oil with flour, add warm water. Knead to form a soft dough. Coat dough with few drops of oil. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle salt over shredded radish, mix well and set aside for 5-10 minutes. The salt will pull out the water from the radish. Squeeze out and discard all of the water from the radish.

Add coriander, green chilies, carom seeds and chat masala to the radish. Mix well. 

Divide dough into approx. 8 balls. Divide radish mixture into 8 portions.

Roll out one dough ball into a small disc using dry flour to prevent sticking. Place one portion of radish mixture in the center of the disc. Wrap the dough around the radish mixture to form a ball. Dip the ball into dry flour once again and roll out the paratha. Shake off any excess flour and place the paratha on a hot tawa.

When bubbles appear, flip the paratha over. Wait approx. 30 – 40 secs and spread a little ghee on the top. Flip the paratha back to the other side and gently press to cook. Spread a little ghee onto this side. Continue to flip and press until the appearance of raw dough has gone.

Store paratha in a covered or insulated container until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining dough.

Serve paratha hot with pickle, curd or butter.

Points to remember

• Make paratha as quickly as possible otherwise the radish will let out lot of water.
• If find it difficult to roll out the stuffed paratha you can also fry the grated radish (after the water is squeezed) in a pan with or without ghee but do not add salt.
• I prefer using red radish in this dish.