Ceylon Channa Parotta

This parotta is becoming a popular street food back home. I have seen this being made and served when ever I visit my MIL’s place. The aroma is so enticing and leaves you feeling hungry when ever we pass by the shops. I finally had a chance to taste them when my SIL’s hubby brought home a parcel. The taste was simply outstanding. I was left craving for more and I decided to re create the dish when I arrived back. But alas what a disappointment, I just could not compete with those stalls. Something big was missing out.

I had to ask my SIL to try and get the recipe, wishing and hoping all the time that at least one person would be willing enough to part with the recipe. When she visited me last week she came with the recipe and I was so glad that I gave it a shot again and nailed it.  As the kids were stuffing themselves with this parotta when they spent their holidays there, they were so happy to know that they could enjoy them at home from now on. Seriously you just cannot have more than 2. It will be that much filling. All you need would be a tall glass of  Lassi to round it up.

Ceylon Channa Parotta

You’ll need:

For the dough:

• All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 4 tbsp
• Water – to knead

For the Stuffing:

• Chick peas / Garbanzo Beans – 1/2 cup
• Potatoes, medium - 2
• Onion, big – 2
• Green chillies – 2 to 3
• Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup, packed
• Mint leaves – 1/4 cup, packed
• Coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp (optional) * ( See Notes )
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 4 tbsp

To be ground to a paste:

• Onion – 1
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Garlic – 4 pods
• Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
• Cloves – 3
• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Star anise – 1
• Kalpaasi (Sea weed) – 1/2 tsp

Method:

To Make the Dough: In a bowl mix together flour and salt. Add 2 tbsp of oil and work it into the flour. Adding water little by little and make a soft dough. Coat the dough with the remaining oil and close with a lid. Let it rest for 2-3 hours.

To Make the Stuffing: Grind all the ingredients mentioned in the ingredients list without using any water. As you are using onion you will not need water as it will provide the moisture needed and keep aside.

Soak the chick peas over night and pressure cook in enough water for 6-8 whistles till they are soft. Drain the water and keep the chick peas aside. Like wise pressure cook the potatoes till soft, peel the skin and either crumble them with your fingers or mash them well and keep aside.

Chop the onions, green chillies, coriander and mint leaves finely.

Heat a pan with oil. Add onion and sauté till pink. Now add the green chillies, mint, coriander leaves and sauté till they leaves shrink for 1 min. Now add coriander powder, red chilli powder and sauté till they are all mixed up.

Now add the ground paste and cook for 3-4 mins over medium flame, stirring in between till the raw smell disappears. If this mixture appears more dry then add 1-2 tbsp more oil. Now add the boiled chick peas, salt and mix well and cook for 2 more mins. Finally add the crumbled or mashed potatoes. Mix well and take off fire. Now add the lemon juice, if using, mix well once again and keep aside to let it cool down completely.

To Make parotta: Take an orange sized ball from the dough and make a thin flat disc. Dust the surface with flour to prevent from sticking. Make it as much thin as possible.

Take a ladle full of stuffing and place in the middle. Bring the sides from the left and right to the middle and close likewise from the top and bottom as you would make a packet / parcel.

Heat a tawa. Place the stuffed packets with the closed side facing the fire. Drizzle oil around the parotta and cook over high flame. Gently flip and cook like wise on the other side as well. Cut into 2 and serve hot.

How they make this at the shops: They make a “Veechu Parotta” ie., make a thin sheet from the dough. Pour generous amount of oil onto the tawa and place the disc on the hot tawa. Then they place the stuffing and flip the sides into a parcel with a flat ladle. By the time they do this the bottom part would be cooked fully and would have turned crisp. Flip it and pour oil around once again to make the other side crisp as well. Cut into two and serve.

I did want to make that way at home as there is always a change of the parotta’s sides sticking to the sides of the tawa also with minimum amount of oil we can make it in a healthy way at home.

I made a lot of stuffing and the next day it just tasted too good as a side dish with rotis.

P.S: I believe Kalpaasi is called as “Sea Weed” in English but I’m not sure. So if any of you know the exact translation please correct me.

Notes:

• The stuffing should be very hot and spicy if you want to enjoy this street food as such.
• But as always adjust the spices according to your spice level.
• Adding the lemon juice will not only bring out the flavors of the dish well but it will also temper down the heat level and helps in digestion of spicy food.
• I divided the stuffing into 2, added lemon juice to one part to serve the kids to bring down the spice level.
• Do not add any water while cooking the stuffing. The mixture has to be dry else it will make the parotta very soggy.
• You can also substitute half the quantity with wheat flour. If doing so, make sure that you do not rest the dough more than 2 hours at room temperature as it might give out a sour taste in hot weather. 
• I used small variety of the white Chick peas/Garbanzo beans and crumpled the potatoes well.

This is off to Let’s Cook – Kids Special

Labels: Dal Recipes, Indian Bread, Side Dishes - Chappatis / Rotis, Street Food