Daal bhara paratha/ Lentil-stuffed flatbread

I have a terrible confession to make. I am dough-challenged. I always manage to screw up any recipe that involves the making of a dough. I am especially bad at making parathas. *Horror of horrors.* This is worsened by the fact that my mother is a paratha-making champion. Well, *shrug*, she is my mother after all. She has had a whole lifetime more than me to practice. This year one of my new year's resolutions was to conquer my fear of making parathas. You see, I have made parathas before. My paratha making has been sporadic at best because I have always been disappointed with the results. Anyone want a paratha frisbee?

Over the Christmas break I asked my mother to teach me the essentials of making atta (step 1). Hmmm..it really is not that bad and supposedly all the extra steps I take of adding milk or yogurt to the dough are not needed if I let the dough rest for a while.

I really wanted to try making a daal paratha recipe I got from a Pakistani cooking show. Today. So I could enjoy it with a hot cup of chai. Thus I took the plunge and ya know what? It really wasn't that hard ;) What do you think?

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups chana dal, soaked and cooked in about 1/2 cup water until the water has dried completely and the dal is tender.
1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves - I left this out as I didn't have any.
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp ajwain
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
4-5 chopped green chilies (if using small ones) or 1 large chopped jalapeno
1 medium onion, finely minced
salt to taste
whole wheat dough (mix whole wheat flour with water to form a smooth dough and keep aside for at least 1 hr).

Method:
Once the dal has cooked, run it through the food processor until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs and is finely ground. Transfer to a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and salt to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. The filling should be spicier than normal so it stands out from the paratha.

Pinch two balls from the dough, about the size of golf balls. Dip both in flour and roll each of them into a small circle of roughly the same size. Take about 3 tbsp of filling (or as much as you can handle) and place in the center of one circle. Cover with the other circle and use your fingers to pinch the ends. Using the palms of your hand, flatten the circle slightly so the filling is incorporated evenly.

Now take your rolling pin and roll the paratha until it reaches the desired size. See pic above for guidance. Cook on hot tawa, brushing lightly with oil and enjoy with a hot cup of chai!

Crepes, Oh Divine Crepes!

I first had crepes when we visited Toronto in 2008. We were walking by a crepe takeout and as soon as I saw the guy making these through the window, I was hooked and had to have some! They had many varieties but I immediately settled on the one with nutella and banana (heaven!) After forking over $7, I walked out with a huge crepe stuffed with nutella and banana and was in heaven! Soon I realized this was nothing more than what we called "pancake" at home. My mom would make these sometimes on the weekends and serve it to us with a drizzle of honey. When I came to the US, I was so disgusted to see the thick pancakes and really missed the delicate "pancakes" I had grown up eating.

When we returned from Toronto I resolved to find a way to make these at home and was pleasantly surprised that these are so incredibly easy and delicious to make at home. So next time you get a craving for crepes, instead of paying an outrageous sum of money at a restaurant or buying them store-bought, please try this recipe and you'll be glad you did!

I made them this evening to take them to a friend's place as dessert. We will enjoy them with nutella, banana and some whipped cream.

Ingredients:
5 medium eggs or 4 large ones
2 tbsp white sugar
1 1/3 cups milk (I used 2% but whatever you have in the fridge is fine)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp melted butter (melted in the microwave)
1 cup all purpose flour
a little oil or melted butter for cooking

Method:
Whisk the first five ingredients in a bowl until just incorporated. Add flour and whisk until all the lumps are gone. Do not over-mix.

Heat non-stick frying pan (I used a small saute pan) on medium-low heat. Don't cook on too high of a temperature or the crepe will burn before it cooks properly. Using a heat-proof brush, brush the pan with a little oil or butter. You want to use only a tiny amount so the crepe does not stick to the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and immediately tilt the pan on all sides so the mixture covers the bottom in a round, even circle. Cook until golden brown on one side (should take no longer than 1 min), flip and cook another 20 seconds on the other side. Using the above recipe, I got about 18 crepes for the size pan I used.

These can be enjoyed warm or cold. If using nutella, slather on the nutella while the crepe is still warm and spread on some sliced bananas. Roll the crepe and dust with confectioners sugar or top with whipped cream if desired. YUM!

Note: You can also use the same crepes with a savory filling. Eggs, goat cheese, roasted red peppers,bacon, etc, the combinations are endless. Use your imagination!