5 cooking tips to make Parathas healthier and tastier

Sunday morning. Stuffed Aloo Parathas. Pickle on the side. Piping hot cup of chai. We are sure this is enough to make your mouth water and crave parathas almost instantly. Parathas are a staple food of North India and are mostly relished for breakfast. It can be paired with curd, pickle, chutney and tastes finger-licking good. If you often make parathas at home, then here are some tricks that will come in handy to make them healthier and tastier. (image credits-istock)

To make parathas healthier, be picky about the kind of oil used along with the quantity of oil used. Avoid using ghee and refined oil while cooking parathas, and instead opt for olive oil, which is a much healthier alternative. Since olive oil has a mild flavour, it doesn’t hamper the taste of the paratha.

When it comes to using the oil, don’t pour oil on the paratha using a spoon, instead use a brush and grease your parathas lightly while cooking. If you use oil judiciously, you can make one whole paratha in just 1 spoon of oil.

Also Read: Is the ‘oil-free diet’ actually healthy?

Who doesn’t love a piping hot aloo paratha? If you are diet conscious and don’t want to have a carb-rich paratha, then you can opt for other healthier fillings like cauliflower, onion, radish and even protein-rich paneer filling.

To give a unique and healthy twist to the dough, you can add some methi leaves or spinach puree while kneading. Have some leftover dal from last night? Add it to the dough and make yummy dal parathas.

One kitchen hack to make softer parathas is to add some warm milk while kneading the parathas. This will make the dough softer and will also give a nice slightly sweet taste to the paratha. You can also add fresh malai while kneading the dough.

Also Read: The right way to cook and eat chapati to lose weight

Keep in mind to always sieve the flour before you start kneading. This trick not only makes the kneading process easier but also gives you a much softer dough. Use lukewarm water while kneading and always add a spoonful of ghee to it. Once the dough is kneaded, place it in a bowl, grease it with some oil and cover with a muslin cloth.

Make sure the tawa is hot enough before placing the paratha on the tawa. Placing it on a cold or warm tawa will make the paratha harder. Also, while cooking the paratha, keep the flame low-medium. Very high flame while cooking will burn the paratha from the outside and leave it uncooked from the inside. Press the paratha gently with a spatula to cook it evenly from all sides.

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