food 4 tots

Cauliflower paratha

cauliflower, ghobi, gobi, paratha, flatbead, Indian, tortilla, food for toddlers, recipe for toddlers


My son was playfully nicknamed “Chapati” (Chapathi) by my Indian friend, Mrs R because of his chubby face. Hearing her constantly calling out for my son’s “nickname” has led me wanting to learn how to make chappati from her. After some discussions, she suggested teaching me her kid-friendly paratha instead.


So, you may ask what’s the difference between chappati and paratha. A check on Wikipedia revealed that chapati is a plain flatbread like Mexican tortilla, whereas paratha is a stuffed flatbread.


cauliflower, paratha, gobi, ghobi, flatbread, Indian, food for toddlers, recipe for toddlers, tortilla


However, do not expect the paratha recipe featured here as authentic. Mrs R’s paratha is a simplified modified version created out of her 15 years of experience making her version of paratha for her family. The ingredients used in this recipe is based on Mrs R’s estimation. So you need to do some experiments when making them.


Today let me bring you to her kitchen to take a peek on how she makes her paratha. I always thought that making paratha at home would be difficult and time consuming. But after watching her making them, I realized that it is incredibly easy (and cheap) to make fresh, hot and nutritious parathas at home. All she did was mashed her cooked cauliflowers, and then kneaded it with flour before rolling them into a flat disc. According to her, this method produces paratha that has a smoother texture as compared to those original stuffed paratha without compromising the taste.


cauliflower, paratha, flatbread, Indian, tortilla, gobi, ghobi


I love the way how she “sneaks” the vegetables into her parathas. It’s definitely a brilliant idea if you want your picky eaters to have some greens. The recipe is also very healthy as very little oil is used when pan-frying the paratha. Also, melted butter is used as a substitute for the greasy “ghee” commonly used in authentic paratha recipe as my Indian friend’s family members preferred the buttery taste of paratha. If you prefer a healthier choice, then you can use ghee or olive oil instead. Surprisingly, even though100% whole wheat flour (atta) is used to make the paratha, it’s texture is not hard at all, but a little bit chewy instead. As the recipe is without any Indian spices, I’m sure it will be well accepted by most toddlers. You can either eat it on its own or dip in any sauce or soup. It can even be used as a wrap like tortilla. Be creative and enjoy!


Update:
This post was featured in The Kitchn – Today’s Delicious Link (Top 4) 14 June 2010


>>> Click on PAGE 2 below for recipe and step by step photos for cauliflower paratha……………..


cauliflower, paratha, gobi, ghobi, flatbread, Indian, toddlers, tortilla


UPDATE:recipe for toddlers, food for tots
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71 Comments

  1. You made me seriously hungry! These flatbread are utterly gorgeous!

  2. Pei-Lin says:

    Hey! Thanks for sharing such an informative post! I’ve seen many ways how we can sneak veggies and fruit into our food! Isn’t that fabulous? This post has given me so many ideas … Thank you! Have a nice week ahead, yea? 端午節快樂!

  3. Jason Wong says:

    an alternative to the plain old paratha which is only carbs and calories.

  4. Joanne says:

    Oooo very sneaky! Now if only I could get my non-veggie eating family to eat Indian food, these would be perfect!

    Although since I love both veggies AND Indian food…I won’t have a problem gobbling all of these up.

  5. This is a fantastic, healthy snack for adults and kids alike. I’m really excited to try this for my family.

  6. gertrude says:

    This paratha will be great with dhal curry. I was thinking of making this the other day but made Naan instead.

  7. tigerfish says:

    I did not know paratha is stuffed flatbread. To me, seems that chapati and paratha are usually “un-stuffed” and their difference is in the flour. I thought chapati is made from semolina flour? Anyway, you know what, I recently made some bread+cauliflower combination dish too! Woo….we seem to be making the same food. Then eggplants, now bread+cauliflower…..lol

    • food-4tots says:

      Tigerfish: I’m new to both chapati and paratha too. My Indian friend told me that she used semolina flour in making flatbread but I’m not sure which type. What a co-incidence! I think we have one common interest here – Indian cuisine, agree? 😉

  8. Alice says:

    Wow! :O so healthy and nutritious! My son loves tortilla, what more to say… I am going for this homemade Cauliflower Paratha! Thanks! 😉

  9. Little Inbox says:

    Thanks for the paratha making lesson. 🙂

  10. Ah LK what a gorgeous post.
    I love your pictures, especially the first one, and I love the font you used on that picture. Highly appropriate!
    And this looks gorgeous, and reminds me of a corn fritter recipe I used to like making… Maybe I’ll go make that soon… or your paratha… or both!

    So many dishes.. not enough time!

  11. meg says:

    these look fantastic but i have two questions
    1. is whole wheat the same as whole meal? in the ingredients you list whole what but in the notes you mention whole meal
    2. also, i understand that there’s not going to be an exact measure of flour, but could you give me a ball park idea? i’ve never made a flat bread like this & don’t want to mess it up.
    thanks!!!

    • food-4tots says:

      Meg: Thanks!! Below are my answers:
      1) It should be whole wheat flour (please refer to the the packaging photo I attached in page 2). Sorry for the typo error.
      2) Please refer to the amended recipe as a guide. Try to feel the dough texture when kneading. It must neither be too sticky nor too dry. Hope it helps. Let me know how it turns out. Happy trying! 😉

  12. lingzie says:

    what a fantastic recipe! and yes i do love the way veggie is ‘sneaked’ into this dish! lol can’t wait to try it out soon! 🙂

  13. I like them loaded with a large amount of cauliflowers, and you have made the recipe sounds easily, thanks.

  14. This looks absolutely special for me! Must give this a try. Thanks for sharing. Now I could make my sandwich with this paratha instead of the normal bread 🙂 Good sharing, cheers!

  15. noobcook says:

    looks really superb! your Indian friend will be really proud of you. Love the photos too =)

  16. My mother-in-law makes these for my daughter all the time. I need to learn. Thanks for this.

  17. LCOM says:

    Great one, I can certainly dip this in curry! Not to say healthy too.

  18. sweetlife says:

    great recipe, sneaky but yields such a delish result, my daughters would enjoy these, they would instantly think they were tortillas..ha ha thanks for sharing..

    sweetlife

  19. What a great idea! and they look so pretty!

  20. kittysparkles says:

    You do know that ghee is actually clarified butter, right? And it’s said to be healthier than using pure butter.

    • food-4tots says:

      Kittysparkles: Thanks for your kind comment. I do agree that glee is healthier (technically) than butter. But I believe that moderation is the key. The reason I mentioned butter is because it is preferred by my Indian friend’s family. So it can be used as an alternative for those who do not use glee in their cooking. Thus, I had amended the paragraph accordingly. Sorry for the confusion caused.

  21. The cauliflower in the flatbread sounds like a great idea! They look delicious, and I’ve always wanted to try making flatbread. I’m inspired again.

  22. It’s great that you can have an Indian friend to teach you how to make paratha on the spot. The paratha looks very gorgeous. And it’s a clever way of hiding veggie inside.

  23. Quinn says:

    Congrats on the new site!!! The paratha looks lovely. I am so tempted to substitute it with broccoli and see how it would look and taste!

  24. Dora says:

    This is so special! I wish i have a bite or two to try. 🙂

  25. felicia says:

    never seen anything like it!
    but it sounds and looks amazing.
    love your photography LK!

  26. balina says:

    Tried making the califlower paratha but turned out to be too hard. What went wrong?

  27. Becca says:

    Oh wow! This looks very simple and delicious! I’m bookmarking your recipe for future use. Thanks for posting!

  28. balina says:

    Pilsbury atta flour. Is it right?

    • food-4tots says:

      Balina: Yes, the flour is fine. After discussing with my Indian friends, we think the possible reasons that can cause your paratha to turn very hard are as follows:
      a) Adding too much flour during rolling
      b) The paratha may be too thin
      c) Pan-frying the paratha for too long or the heat is too high
      d) Didn’t rest long enough (less than 20-30 minutes)

      Hope it helps. If you still have any queries, please let me know. Thanks for your kind feedback. 😉

  29. balina says:

    Thank you for listing out the possibilities of my ‘first hard paratha attempt’. As it was my first attempt, didn’t really know how to gauge if i used too much flour while rolling, paratha was too thin or was it frying for too long or heat was too high, but i remembered leaving it for 30 minutes before frying.

    I love bread like this and will definitely try again. Will keep you posted of the outcome. Thanks.

  30. balina says:

    I DID IT! Softer paratha made last night. This time without cauliflower (as there were none at home), just flour and water. I paid special attention to the pointers you’ve given and kneaded longer. Thank you so much, we enjoyed our dinner last night. I will try it with cauliflower next time.

    BTW, I have success with all your recipes so far. Keep it up!!!

  31. […] my Asian-veggies-broccoli-capsicum-carrot rut. I used 3/4 of it for the cauliflower paratha. I used this method but replaced the atta flour with wholemeal flour and left out the cilantro. I also didn’t […]

  32. Wow! This looks so yummy and looks easy to make. Hmmm… I will try out this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  33. laurel says:

    I made these tonight: they are really amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe 🙂

  34. Irene says:

    Love your cauliflower cheese and cauliflower paratha – can’t wait to try them for my kids

  35. JC says:

    I tried making this too…. Outcome is fine but I find it very bland eating it on it’s own. What do u think will compliment it nicely?

  36. Nevine says:

    Made this today and loved it! My one year olds also enjoyed it a lot.

    I’m in love with your blog, great and creative recipes and instructions that are very easy to follow.

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