Look at me! I'm puffed up!

Look at this yummy paratha in the midst of a good puff. I filled this whole wheat paratha with garlic mashed potatoes seasoned with chopped mint and basil. I think I will add cumin seeds next time to this recipe, but I love the combo of basil and mint.
I got my new cookbook yesterday, the classic Lord Krishna's Cuisine, the Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. I had been wondering why I never saw basil used in any of the traditional Indian recipes that I have encountered. According to Lord Krishna's Cuisine, basil is widely grown in India, but it is used for devotional purposes (on altars and the like) and not for cooking. So, that was an interesting little tidbit of information.
I also made some spiced sweet potatoes and did the vegan version of the sesame cashew cookies (see yesterday's post and the recipe page). The vegan cookies, I must say, were quite good. They retained the subtle buttery taste from the combo of the cashew butter and sesame seeds. It's the cardamom that makes these cookies POP.
So, back to Lord Krishna's Cuisine. It is encyclopedic. 500 recipes and interesting information. I don't know why I waited so long (it came out in 1987), to add this to my collection. When I started this project, I realized I needed to get this book and I'm so glad I did. It is organized basically according to the various components of an Indian meal. Rice, breads, salads,chutneys, dals, raitas, etc. It also gives recommended accompaniments to each recipe so you can put a great meal together. At some point, I will put together a whole meals with 6-10 items. I'm working my way up to that. OK, enough from Lisa, here's what Michael has to say today.

Tonight was like the classic scene in the film Big Night. So many wonderful things to eat. Every time I finished one thing and though the meal was over I was awed by what came next. One exception for me though, the pineapple chutney. I love pineapple and associate it with a bright yellow; seeing it in brown bits is disorienting. I couldn't bring myself to try it yet; but, I will before the project is over. If Louie Prima sang about Indian food it would a little something like this "Hey mambo, mambo Indian-ano... "

Garlic mashed potato paratha with basil and mint

dough
1 cup whole wheat flour
1t salt
1/2 cup water (apx)
more flour for kneading

Potato filling
1 large russet potato
2 or more cloves of garlic
fresh basil and fresh mint to taste (2T or more of each)
1t cumin seeds

Oil for brushing


To make the dough combine the flour and salt and add enough water to make a stiff dough. Knead until soft and pliable( about 5 minutes). wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 30 min. You can also make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a day or two.

To make the filling, cut the potato into quarters and boil in salted water until tender. When cool, take off most of the skin (or not, if you prefer) and place into a mixing bowl. Chop garlic and saute it in a bit of oil or ghee until fragrant but not browned. put it in the bowl with the potatoes. Fry the cumin seeds in a small bit of oil or ghee until fragrant (one minute should do it); into the bowl with the potatoes. mash the potatoes well with a masher, making sure to get out any large chunks. Do not let the potatoes get gummy, mask only until mostly smooth (Ok to have some texture). Mix in the chopped herbs.

To make the parathas, cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into balls. flatten each ball into a disk about 3 inches across. take some of the potato mixture and form into a ball about the same size as the dough balls. Place the potato ball into the center of the dough disc and pull up the sides of the dough around the filling to make completely surround the filling. This dough is so sturdy, that you can smoosh it together at the top to seal it. then, gently roll out the filled ball so that you have a flat circle about 6 inches across. Try not to tear the dough or it may not puff. I form all the balls first, and set them aside. While I am cooking one paratha, I roll out the next one.

To cook the parathas, heat a skillet (I use non-stick, but cast iron works nicely) until a drop of water dances on the surface. Place a filled, rolled paratha onto the skillet and cook until brown spots start to show on the bottom. Flip it. At this point it will start to puff (you can help it along by ever so gently pressing it with a spatula). brush the top with s bit of oil and flip again. Press down firmly with a spatula to ensure even cooking. Brush again with oil and flip and cook until you feel like it is done.

Repeat with the remaining parathas. Don't eat them all at once! STOP, save some for someone else! I mean it; don't eat that!