Today I am going to share one of my favorite paratha recipe with you all. It’s Methi Dhebra or Paratha, a sweet and spicy flatbread containing two types of flours and fresh fenugreek leaves. And to make it more delicious jaggery, buttermilk, and other spices along with ginger garlic are added. These paratha’s stays fresh up to a week which makes it perfect food when travelling. The aroma and the taste of Methi Paratha’s is divine when made with fresh fenugreek leaves. Fenugreek leaves has some important nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin K, Vitamin B, and many antioxidants which acts as a natural remedy to treat many diseases. Fenugreek is also know for its excellent qualities to boost immunity during winters.
Green herbs like Methi, spinach, mustard, kale, amaranth, are specially taken during winters as they are packed with many vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that helps to fight disease. Though this recipe takes little time, but for yummy and healthy food you have to spend some time. If bajri flour(pearl millet flour) is unavailable then you can make the paratha’s with just whole wheat flour. Fenugreek leaves are little bitter in taste, so we add buttermilk and jaggery which will reduce the bitterness from the paratha’s. You may skip the jaggery if you have any food restrictions. In any form you will definitely love this variety of Gujarat.
I usually pack these Methi Paratha’s for my kid’s lunchbox who has long school hours and needs nutrition. I love the way my Mom makes it for me as they are loaded with just love and nothing else. I have tried hard to do justice to her recipe but as we all know, no one can beat ‘Maa ke haath ka khana’ (Food made by Mom). So lets not wait anymore, and check out the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Fenugreek leaves
1 ½ Cup of Whole Wheat flour
1 Cup of Bajri Flour (Pearl Millet Flour)
1 Tbsp of Jaggery
2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 Tsp Green Chili Paste
½ Tsp Ajwain (Carom Seeds)
1 Tsp Till (Sesame Seeds)
1 Tsp Red Chili Powder
1 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 Tbsp Oil + more to drizzle on paratha’s while cooking
Salt as per requirement
Method:
- Rinse few times fenugreek leaves with water to remove any dirt. Keep it aside in a colander to drain all water from it. Once all the water is drained, chop the fenugreek leaves and keep it aside.
- Sieve both the flours in a large and wide bowl.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, ajwain, till, ginger garlic paste, and green chili paste. Add oil and mix it well with your hands.
- Add chopped fenugreek leaves and jaggery to the flour. Mix it well.
- Now slowly add buttermilk to the flour, and form a smooth and firm dough.
- Cover the dough and let it stand for 20-30 minutes.
- Heat a flat pan/ tawa on medium heat.
- Now make palm sized dough ball and dust it with dry wheat flour.
- Gently roll the paratha of about 5-6 inch in diameter in circular using a rolling pin. Dust the paratha if it sticks.
- Place the paratha on the hot pan and cook on both sides till you see brown spots.
- Drizzle some oil on one side of the paratha then flip it. Using a spatula gently press all over the paratha, and now drizzle oil on the second side too then flip once again and press it gently with spatula. This way cook the paratha on both sides on medium heat.
- Repeat step 8-11 with the remaining dough.
- Methi paratha’s or Dhebra’s are ready to serve.
Hot and Delicious Methi Paratha’s are served with plain yogurt, Raita, Green Chili Pickle, or Aam Chunda. This recipe is very easy and popular in Gujarat during winters. The same recipe can be prepared by using only wheat flour. Or instead of bajri you can use rice flour and some amount of gram flour. But the combination of wheat flour and bajri flour gives the best output and the paratha’s can stay weak long. These paratha’s can be made for lunch, dinner, or just breakfast. We love to have Methi paratha’s with ghee(clarified butter) on it with our morning tea.
