Dal Paratha With Video Playful Cooking

Dal literary translate to lentils and cooked lentil Indian dishes are also referred to as dal

My take on Dal Paratha

My take on Dal Paratha actually came from my Mom, who would always cook the leftover lentils into a crumbly texture. It is popularly known as shukno dal in Bengali. The Bengali shukno dal is then enjoyed with steamed white rice with some mustard oil on the side. I took the same approach of making the shukno dal like my Mom but instead of enjoying with rice, I made stuffed paratha with it. Occasionally I also use the same lentil preparation and stuff in wheat dough to make poori, similar to Koraishuti Kochuri

Ingredients for Dal Paratha

Cooked Lentils - You want to use the kind of lentil that would cook to creamy consistency. Chana Dal is always the most common choice, but Whole Masoor Dal and Toor Dal will work too. I like to make it leftover lentils that gets to thicken by sitting in the fridge overnight. Spices - You can definitely add your choice of spices. I like to add just nigella seeds and asafoetida (hing). Fresh green chili - I like the subtle heat it adds to the filling. You can definitely use chili powder too for the heat. Tamarind concentrate - Ma always uses Tamarind concentrate to make shukno dal and I always liked the mild sour tastes it adds.

Ingredients for the paratha dough

Whole Wheat Flour - You can use multigrain or all purpose flour too. Carom Seeds - Carom seeds add a beautiful aroma to the paratha. It is however optional. Oil and Ghee - A little about of oil is added in the dough to get a soft texture of the dough. While making the paratha, I like to add some ghee, but you can use oil too. Hot water - Key to a soft dough that works best for paratha, is to use hot water when kneading the dough. The exact measurements for the ingredients can be found in recipe card below

Steps to prepare the filling

Step 1: You need cooked chana dal. I often make this with leftover dal. If you are cooking fresh dal, remember to add less water, as you want the consistency of the dal to be thick with less moisture. Step 2: In a heavy bottom pan, add oil and once it heats up, add nigella seeds and asafoetida. Stir it around for a few seconds. Step 3: Add the cooked dal, turmeric powder, tamarind concentrate and keep cooking the dal by stirring frequently, so it doesn’t get burnt at the bottom of the pan. You want to cook out all the moisture. It will take roughly 15 minutes. Step 4: Layer the dry dal mixture on a plate and let it cool it out completely. You can make this as a part of meal prep and store in the refrigerator for a few days.

Steps to prepare the Dal Paratha

Step 5: Prepare the dough using wheat flour or all purpose flour. Add carom seeds, salt and oil. Step 6: To knead the dough, always use very hot water little by little and keep kneading to bring the dough together. It should feel soft and pliable. Step 7: Divide the dough into small portions and roll them into a disc shape. Step 8: Flatten the disc to put the stuffing. Remember to always keep the edges thin as you flatted the small portions of the dough. Step 9: Very gently, stuff the filling and seal the edges by pressing the dough together. Then roll it into a ball shape. If there is too much water content in the lentil mixture, it will be difficult to stuff it. Step 10: Roll the stuffed paratha thin by dusting a little flour. Step 11: Cook the rolled paratha in a medium hot skillet. It will take roughly 2 to 3 minutes. You can pour ghee or oil as you cook the paratha. Step 12: If you roll the dough evenly without any tear, it will puff as you cook in the skillet. Sometimes it might puff and then tear as it continues cooking. Enjoy cooked paratha soon after preparing with yogurt, garlic achar or aam ka achar or your choice of achar and fresh butter. Watch the video in the recipe card below to understand the steps better