Broccoli Paratha – a healthy Indian flatbread with the goodness of shredded broccoli and spices. Enjoy these Parathas for lunch, dinner or even breakfast. I pack them very often for lunchbox with some yogurt and pickle by the side.
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These Parathas made by adding shredded broccoli and spices are not only easy to make but also tasty. This is a great way to include Broccoli in your diet.
I love these because there is no stress involved- everything goes into the dough, you knead and roll. It is also kid-friendly in the sense that I have not used green chilis here.
Instead, we use ground spices to flavor these wholesome Parathas.
Just like broccoli, you can also add other shredded vegetables while making Parathas. They are a good way to sneak in as many veggies as you can without much effort.
Generally, in many Indian homes, stuffed Parathas with cauliflower, potato or paneer are common. But I find this method particularly great because it is lesser effort – you just add all the ingredients, make a dough, roll and cook.
Unstuffed Parathas
are my ticket to sneaking in vegetables. They are forgiving, the options are endless and they are beginner friendly.
Adding shredded broccoli or grated broccoli not only adds flavor but also improves the nutrition profile. Whenever I make non stuffed parathas like these, I use almost an equal ratio of veggies and flour.
Investing in a small onion chopper has saved me so much time in the kitchen. I use it to shred or grate veggies I need for recipes like Parathas or Tikkis. They are even, quick and consume less energy and time.
Other than broccoli, you can also use the same recipe as a base recipe and make parathas with carrots, zucchini, beets, Lauki and even sweet potatoes.
Variations
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- More protein? Add shredded paneer, tofu to the dough.
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- Colorful Parathas? Use a combination of shredded carrots, beets and broccoli.
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- Fun kid favorite- add shredded pepper jack cheese or ripe cheddar. This feels like a spin off of broccoli cheddar soup.
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- Adding sesame seeds, nigella seeds, flax meal – a great way to improve the texture and make it healthier.
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- No onion no garlic? Yes! Skip them, add lots of finely chopped cilantro or 2 tsp crushed Kasuri Methi and proceed with the recipe.
Freezing, Leftovers & Storage
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- Wrap leftover Parathas in a food grade baking sheet or sandwich bags and store in the fridge for 2 days.
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- To reheat, allow it to come to room temperature. Heat a Tawa and reheat gently until the paratha has completely warmed up.
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- Do not reheat Parathas or Pooris or Chapatis in the microwave. The texture changes swiftly. One second – Parathas the next- rubbery mass.
How to freeze Parathas?
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- Half cook the Parathas. They need 30 seconds on each side of a heated Tawa. Spread them out on a cooling rack without overlaps. Allow them to cool down to touch. Do not leave them out for too long. The longer they are exposed, the drier they become.
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- Place a sheet of baking paper between each paratha, stack, transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag, label and freeze. Place them flat on the freezer.
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- Frozen Parathas do not need to the thawed. Take the required quantity from the freezer, heat a Tawa, brush the parathas lightly with oil or ghee, reheat gently, flipping both sides, until fully warm. Serve hot.
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- You can freeze any Paratha for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
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- Vegetables – broccoli, onions and garlic
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- Whole wheat flour and Sattu flour – if you do not have Sattu flour, substitute with sweet lupin flour, Besan or millet flour.
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- Ground spices – red chili powder, cumin powder and ground turmeric
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- Very little water
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- Oil for cooking the Parathas
Sattu flour
is an Indian superfood that is popular in Indians states like Bihar and Madhya Pradhesh. Made by grinding roasted brown chana, this is used in Sharbats, Ladoos and Parathas or Littis too.
Recipe Notes
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- I highly recommend using a food processor to shred the broccoli. This gives us an even texture. If you do not have one, you can grate it using a box grater too.
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- Blanching the broccoli and shocking it in ice thereafter, is an important step. This helps in easy shredding.
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- The deal breaker here is the moisture content. Usually, people squeeze the grated veggies to get rid of any water and then add it to the dough.
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- However, I think this is a waste of flavor and nutrition. Instead of doing this, I almost add no water to the dough. Instead, I make a shaggy rough dough first using the water that is already there in the veggies.
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- The vegetables and salt when combined, automatically begin releasing moisture. This moisture is enough to knead the dough. If needed, I sprinkle water by the tbsp as I knead the dough.
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- As soon as you make the dough, get started on making the Parathas. The longer the dough sits, the shaggier and wetter it becomes. This makes it hard to handle the dough while rolling.
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- Intuition will make us roll the dough in more flour to prevent it from sticking. What this actually does is dry it out. More dough while rolling means drier parathas.
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- Sticky dough fix- add more flour by the tbsp. And keep kneading until you get a smooth non sticky dough. I do not recommend adding more than 1/4 cup flour in this case.
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- Keep the dough covered as you work on rolling the Parathas to prevent drying.
How to make Broccoli Paratha without stuffing?
Blanching
Chop broccoli into florets. Blanch them in hot water. Drain completely. Let it sit undisturbed to make sure there is no water.
Shredding
Once done, shred this finely using a shredder or mince this along with garlic, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chili powder and mix well using a whisk.
Kneading the dough
Now, add wheat flour, Sattu flour, salt and finely chopped onions to a large mixing bowl. Add the shredded broccoli and mix again.
Begin kneading the dough by sprinkling water little by little. Knead until you have a smooth dough.
DO NOT USE MORE WATER. The broccoli releases water eventually and will help in kneading the dough.
Rolling the Parathas
Once done, divide the dough into 10 equal parts. Shape each portion into a ball. Flatten the ball into a thick disk.
Dust with flour and roll into parathas that are approximately 2mm thick. Do not be tempted to make thin parathas.
Cooking
When this is done, heat a tawa.
Cook the paratha on each side till golden spots begin to appear.
Flip, smear oil and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Flip every now and then, all the while, applying pressure around the edges and pressing it down with the spatula. Wait for brown spots to appear on the surface.
As soon as they start to appear, it means it is time to flip and repeat the cooking process.
Remove and drain on a kitchen towel. Repeat the rolling and cooking for the remaining dough.
Broccoli Paratha Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.75 cups Whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup Sattu flour roasted gram flour
- 1/4 cup onion very finely chopped
- 100 grams Broccoli
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1.5 tsp Cumin powder
- 1.5 tsp Red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 to 3 tbsp Water for kneading
- 2 to 3 tbsp whole wheat flour for dusting
- 2.5 tbsp oil for cooking the paratha
Instructions
Blanching
- Chop broccoli into florets. Blanch them in hot water. Drain completely. Let it sit undisturbed to make sure there is no water.
Shredding
- Once done, shred this finely using a shredder or mince this along with garlic, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chili powder and mix well using a whisk.
Kneading the dough
- Now, add wheat flour, Sattu flour, salt and finely chopped onions to a large mixing bowl. Add the shredded broccoli and mix again.
- Begin kneading the dough by sprinkling water little by little. Knead until you have a smooth dough.
- DO NOT USE MORE WATER. The broccoli releases water eventually and will help in kneading the dough.
Rolling the Parathas
- Once done, divide the dough into 10 equal parts. Shape each portion into a ball. Flatten the ball into a thick disk.
- Dust with flour and roll into parathas that are approximately 2mm thick. Do not be tempted to make thin parathas.
- When this is done, heat a tawa.
- Cook the paratha on each side till golden spots begin to appear.
- Flip, smear oil and cook for 20 secs each side. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel. Repeat the rolling and cooking for the remaining dough.
Notes
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
- Classic way – Yogurt + pickles/ Achar along with piping hot Parathas
- Leftover cold Parathas + Masala Chai as a lazy breakfast
- For a wholesome meal- these fiber rich parathas with a creamy Paneer curry and a light salad.
Kalyani says
This looks super yummy ! Our little miss also calls it the green paratha 🙂 good tip there on mincing the broccoli with the spices .. I usually make the stuffed paratha version with broccoli