The Parantha (The Indian Stuffed bread) trail

During winters in Delhi, stuffed parantha's of all kinds are the favourite item in breakfast, lunch or dinner menus.

It is dipped in oil (kind of shallow fried if it has to be tasty) and is fattening, yet the yummy and melt-in-the-mouth feel cannot resist even the hardcore health enthusiasts!   And if it is hot, right from the tawa, one can sit and gobble up without keeping a count.

Stuffed parantha's are part of Punjabi cuisine.   Add a scoop of butter and hung curd as a side dish with a little achar (pickle), and you are set for the rest of the day!!

We, South Indians, have taken sometime adapting to this, but now can't live without.  So, today morning, this was the breakfast at home. Kids love it, parents love it and my husband (who generally skips breakfast) would be ready for breakfast when the flavour wafts out of the kitchen.

We once went all the way to Murthal (in Haryana) from Delhi, simply to have the stuffed parantha's that the roadside dhaba's there are famous for!!

There are different kinds of stuffings we can have
- Gobhi Parantha is a stuffing of  shredded cauliflower cooked with spices,
- Aloo Parantha is the stuffing of boiled potatoes prepared with spices,
- Paneer Parantha is made with shredded paneer (Indian cottage cheese)

These are some of the major ones, but if you go to the famous Paranthe Wali Gali of Chandni Chowk or the highway dhaba's, you will find many many more combinations.

Preparation of these are quite simple.   We make the stuffings separately (not giving the complete method here..  sure you can find a lot of sites giving out detailed method of preparation) and then stuff these into the small balls of atta that we take before we flatten it out.    There will be some bit of stuffings that will kind of pop out of the atta, but that's fine as long as it is contained in the flattened piece.   Then it is shallow fried on the tawa.  The health conscious can use a healthier version of oil or less oil, if it satisfies them.

So, if you are visiting Delhi or any North Indian destinations in the winters, the Indian stuffed parantha should definitely be a must try item in the agenda!!!