Jowar and bajra rolled together with grated bottle gourd, layered with ghee and cooked to a freckled brown. Soft enough to fold, sturdy enough for a tiffin.
Ingredients
From the TrooFoodz pantry
- Sprouted Jowar Flour 1 1/2 cups
- Sprouted Bajra Flour 3/4 cup
Fresh
- Bottle gourd, finely grated and squeezed 1 cup
- Thick curd 1/3 cup
- Ginger, grated 1 tbsp
- Turmeric 1/2 tsp
- Red chilli powder 3/4 tsp
- Salt 1 tsp
- Ghee, for layering and cooking 5 tbsp
Method
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Blend the flours
Whisk the Sprouted Jowar Flour and Sprouted Bajra Flour together dry with the turmeric, chilli and salt so the two grains hydrate at the same rate.
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Bind with gourd
Work in the squeezed bottle gourd, ginger and curd. Use the reserved gourd liquid, warmed, instead of plain water — it carries flavour and helps the dough hold.
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Rest under cloth
Knead five minutes to a firm, non-sticky dough and rest it 10 minutes covered, which lets the coarser bajra particles absorb their share of moisture.
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Roll and layer
Roll a ball to 12 cm, brush with ghee, dust lightly with jowar flour, then fold into a triangle and roll out again to 18 cm.
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Dry-cook first
Cook on a hot tawa with no fat until pale blisters rise on both faces. Adding ghee too early stops the dough setting and gives a limp paratha.
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Fry to freckle
Now spoon ghee around the rim, press the paratha with a folded cloth and cook until it is freckled deep brown on both sides.
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Stack and steam
Stack the finished parathas in a covered box so they steam each other soft on the way to the table.
Why this works
Grated bottle gourd is the workhorse here — its moisture and pectin bind two millet flours that would otherwise crack when rolled. Dry-cooking first sets a skin so the ghee added afterwards fries the outside rather than soaking into raw dough, which is what gives the layers definition.
Make it your own
- Bottle gourd → Grated white pumpkin Slightly sweeter and even more moist; squeeze harder.
- Thick curd → Coconut milk Keeps it dairy-free with a faint sweetness.
- Sprouted Bajra Flour → Sprouted Ragi Flour Darker paratha with a malty edge in place of the pepperiness.
