Gobi Paratha / Cauliflower Paratha

Gobi paratha is an Indian flat-bread made with a spiced cauliflower stuffing. It is a meal in itself, with the curried vegetable stuffed inside a hearty disc of flat-bread made with whole-wheat flour. The only painstaking part of this process is grating the cauliflower before it is fried/cooked with spices. If you have a food processor or a special automated gadget, then, please use it. Else, employ someone in the household :)

This is my favorite paratha! Simple, flavorful, and wholesome!

Ingredients (makes 10 medium-sized parathas):

The filling:

1. 2 cups worth grated cauliflower 
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil / vegetable oil
3. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds / jeera
4. 2 green chillies, finely chopped
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
6. 1 teaspoon coriander powder / dhania
7. 1 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala of your choice
8. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
9. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparing the filling:

1. Heat oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds. Wait for it to sizzle. Add turmeric powder and green chillies and fry for a minute. 
2. Add cauliflower and fry on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. The aim is not to cook the cauliflower, but to evaporate the moisture in it so that it is not soggy in the stuffing.
3. Add spices - coriander powder and garam masala and salt continue to fry for another 2 minutes until the cauliflower begins to roast and brown slightly and any moisture released from the addition of salt has evaporated. 
4. Remove from heat and mix cilantro. Let it cool. When cool, test if the filling is moist, if so squeeze out the moisture before stuffing.

The dough:

1. 2 cups whole-wheat flour / aata
2. 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil / sesame oil / vegetable oil / clarified butter (ghee)
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 3/4 cup (approximate) liquid at room temperature or slightly warm (use water/ yogurt / a mix of the two or whey - the liquid that drains from non-fermented cheeses like paneer or ricotta)

Preparation:

1. In a wide, flat-bottomed bowl/pan, mix flour, salt, and a tablespoon of oil. Slowly add the liquid and knead to form a soft dough with no dry cracks. If the dough looks wet, just keep kneading until the moisture is absorbed. If it continues to be sticky, sprinkle some flour. When the dough comes together, knead for 5 more minutes, and bring to a smooth ball. Smoothen the top with a teaspoon of oil, cover with a damp cloth/paper towel, close the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This allows the gluten to develop.
2. After 20 minutes, knead the soft dough for an additional 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some water if the dough looks dry. Make even sized lime-sized balls of dough.

Making the parathas:

1. Take a ball of the dough and roll it into a circle of 4 inches diameter (approximately). Lightly dust the board and the rolled out dough with some wheat flour to avoid sticking. Do not sprinkle too much flour - it will burn and make the parathas dry while cooking them.
2. Place up to 2 tablespoons of stuffing in the center of the rolled out dough and close it by bringing up the sides and twisting them together to make a pouch. Gently pat it to flatten into a thick disc and roll it into a circle of 5-6 inches of diameter or up to 1/4 inch thickness (parathass will be thicker than rotis). Sprinkle some wheat flour to aid the rolling. If the paratha tears a little and the stuffing pokes out, that's good! The crisped stuffing will taste better. But be gentle while rolling because you don't want huge tears that cause the filling to fall out and the paratha to lose shape.
3. Heat a cast-iron skillet (preferably) on medium heat. When it is hot, transfer the paratha onto it and cook on either sides by applying 1/4 teaspoon of oil (or more on each side) and pressing down gently on the paratha to help it cook evenly. Cook the paratha on both sides until there are golden brown spots. Transfer to a hot-pack or insulating container, or serve immediately.

Serve with pickle, spiced yogurt/raita, or plain yogurt.