Beetroot Paratha and LunchBox Mealplan

Its just funny how much my kids have started liking this paratha. Not just liking but this is probably on their list of favorites now, considering how they were put off by the mere idea of adding beetroot to anything. And then one day I just made “red parathas” for them, smeared some nutella on it, because you have to admit, anything tastes good with a little nutella on it, rolled it up and put it in front of them. 

Well it looked different. Lucky me, it was “good” different for them and they gave it those “red parathas” a chance. They loved it. Yay! So the vegetable that was a big no no for them suddenly became a favorite. Now the days I pack beetroot parathas in their lunchbox are happy days because the lunchbox always comes back empty. All I had to do was wrap the same food in a different cover and all they had to do was try!

Another thing I did what I think also made a difference was that I baked the beetroot this time instead of just pureeing it raw and that I think cut the earthy or slight bitter aftertaste and brought out the sweetness in it which by the way, I am addicted to! Baking also makes handling and specially peeling of beetroot much easier. So just wash the beetroot. DRizzle a little olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and bake until fork tender. Be sure to let the beetroot cool down a little bit before handling it. Once cooler, just drop it in the food processor.

I also used minimal ingredients for this recipe because, maybe its my secret addiction to baked beetroot but I feel beetroot in itself has flavors enough to take over this dish so adding too many spices or other strong flavors will only do an injustice to it. Parathas should have clean flavors and only one or two ingredients should dominate it because later you are also going to pair the paratha with some kind of a dip or vegetable preparation so cleaner flavors the better. But at the same time this beetroot paratha in itself can be a meal which I find very convenient specially when you are on the go or when you have to pack it in lunchbox. Just roll it up and enjoy. By the way, this might be unrelated (although not as much) but check out this post by Bon Appetite, read a few things that might be helpful when dealing with beets. 

If you follow my instastories then you might know that as part of my 2018 resolution of being more organized in work and personal life, I’ve been very religiously using calendar, making lists and meal plans. Everything from appointments to blogposts to what I am packing in my kids’ lunchbox. And that has been helping me immensely! So as promised I will be sharing my monthly #inherlunchbox meal plan for each month starting this month. In the beginning of each month you can come here and check out OR download a lunchbox plan for the month and hopefully that will make our lives a little easier, specially the mornings on weekdays. I will also try to share a grocery list from next month so that shopping gets easier for us too. Lets do it together. It’ll be fun!

Please find a meal plan for February 2018 and do let us know your feedback. That will help us improve.

Ingredients:

Beetroot- 1 medium sized

Whole Wheat Flour- 1 1/2 cups

Fennel Seeds- 1 teaspoon

Salt

Water

Ghee or cooking oil of pan frying

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 350 deg. F.

Wash the beetroots. Pat dry. Chop the leaves and ends off. Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes until fork tender.

Pull out of the oven. Let cool before peeling the skin off. Chop. Transfer to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients. OR, puree the beetroot if you do not if you do not have a food processor.

Mix all the ingredients together and add water to knead it into a smooth dough, either in the food processor, standing mixer of with hands. The dough should resemble that of a roti or paratha.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Knead the dough for another minute to make it smooth. Divide the dough into 8-10 parts. Roll them into balls.

Dust the rolling board with flour. Dust one dough ball liberally with flour. Roll it into a flat circular disk. Repeat the same with all the dough balls. Cover with a damp cloth.

Heat skillet on medium high. Place rolled dough onto skillet. Cook for 18-20 seconds or until dough turns darker and small bubbles break the surface. Flip. Cook for 18-20 seconds. Brush ghee/oil on surface. Flip. Cook for 15-18 seconds or until golden brown spots appear on the surface. Flip. Repeat. Remove from skillet when both sides are cooked.
Serve hot with a side of curry, chutney or raita.