Lahsun Shev Recipe | Garlic Sev Recipe [Video]

Garlic Sev or Lahsun Shev is deep fried savory strings made of chickpea flour that has been flavored with garlic. Serve garlic sev as an evening snack during tea time. Garlic Sev is vegan.

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So how have you guys been? I'm making an appearance after a gap of few weeks now.

For the first time, it is not because I was busy with work, but because I was on vacation. Finally!! The last real vacation that did not involve attending weddings or meeting family was when we went to Bali in 2017 and we were both craving some "us" time. This year we kept it local and visited North East India.

Before I went on vacation, I shared the recipe of the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE ever!!! I hope you tried that out cause that's a keeper. But that cake, was what I wanted to make for Gee and Raj's birthday. They had asked me for totally different things.

Gee, not one with a sweet tooth and someone craving a certain savory for months now, asked me to make her Garlic Sev, the way they sell in Goa. She's been trying her luck to find something similar in Bangalore, but not succeeded. I thought I would attempt to make some for her. Whether it tastes exactly like the one she buys in Goa, it is up to her to tell, but I thought it was really really tasty and it was so simple to make.

Garlic Sev or Lahsun Shev is deep fried savory strings made of chickpea flour that has been flavored with garlic. The dough is very simple, just a few ingredients. The dough doesn't require any real kneading, just enough to combine all the ingredients together. Then you need a sev press or any press really that can shape the sev. Using the press, release the dough straight into the hot oil and deep fry until crisp.

The amount of garlic I used gives the sev a mild garlic flavor. To get a more prominent flavor, add more garlic.

Garlic Sev stores well for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container, but, I assure you it won't last that long for you to test. This thing is so addictive, it will be gone in a jiffy. Serve garlic sev with tea during tea times or just snack day long.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Garlic Sev Recipe | How to make Lahsun Sev

Garlic Sev or Lahsun Shev is deep fried savory strings made of chickpea flour that has been flavored with garlic. Serve garlic sev as an evening snack during tea time. Garlic Sev is vegan.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     45 minutes
Yield:                One small jar

Ingredients:

1 cup Chickpea Flour (Besan)
5 to 6 Garlic cloves
0.25 tsp Asafoetida (Hing) (Use gluten-free hing)
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste (Curd)
Oil for deep frying
Water as required

Method:

1. Blend the garlic, asafoetida, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and 1 Tbsp oil with a little water into a smooth paste. The mentioned amount of garlic gives a very mild flavor, add more garlic for a more prominent garlic flavor.
2. Take the chickpea flour/besan in a large bowl and add the blended garlic masala.
3. Knead until combined. Add more water if required. If it is too sticky, add a little more chickpea flour/besan. Adjust salt or red chilli powder as required.
4. Take a chakli press or a sev press and select the sev plate of the thickness you desire. Grease the plate and the press.
5. Add in a portion of the dough to the press and stuff it in tight.
6. Heat oil for deep frying.
7. Once the oil is hot, press the sev directly into it.
8. Allow the sev to cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat, then flip it.
9. Cook for 4-7 minutes until crisp and lightly browned.
10. Remove from heat and either place it on an absorbant paper towel or a collander.
11. Once the sev has cooled completely, gently break it into smaller pieces.
12. Store in an airtight container so that sev remains crisp.

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Shankarpole

Chakli

Baked Papdi

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Eggless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache [Video]

Rich, moist, indulgent, sinful and delectable eggless Chocolate Cake covered with a smooth dark Chocolate Ganache. This cake is perfect for birthdays and special occasions. It is easy to make and super delicious.

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This is the BEST eggless chocolate cake EVER!!!

And the family agrees.

This year when I asked both Raj and Gee if I should bake them a cake, both of them just shooed away the thought and asked for different things. I made those other things, but it did not feel like a birthday if I did not bake a cake. So here's the best Birthday cake I ever made.

Recently, my baking has been a little bit of a failure - super healthy cakes that tasted not so delightful, a tray of freshly baked brownies that saw the floor before they saw the mouth and a cake that tasted like groundnut more than vanilla thanks to the groundnut oil I used. So this cake had to be a success. It was, after all, the birthday of the two people who make up my life.

This cake is everything you ever imagined a Chocolate Cake should be. It is eggless, yet moist. It is rich, dark and deeply chocolatey. Top it with the dark chocolate ganache and the cake becomes sinful and indulgent. Basically, this cake kicks the ass of any other birthday cake.

To make this Eggless Chocolate Cake

Firstly, we need to bake 2 layers of cake. I do not use box mixes, so this cake is made from scratch.
The cake is made from simple easily available ingredients. A few things that make this cake rich and moist:

Oil instead of butter. We want a moist and dense cake instead of a light and crumbly cake. And my pro tip, use a flavorless oil, unless you like the flavor of oil. Last time I used groundnut oil and it had an aftertaste that I could not get rid off.

Condensed milk. This is my favorite egg replacer in all eggless cakes. The condensed milk manages to hold the cake together like nothing else does. I always use sweetened condensed milk, so I tend to use less sugar instead.

Yogurt. Again, this makes it moist while adding a creaminess to the cake. You will never taste the sourness of the yogurt, but it does add another dimension to the flavor.

Coffee. Coffee has time and again been used in dark chocolate cakes, and with good reason. Coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate and makes the cake taste more chocolatey. It enhances the darkness of the cake too, in flavor and color, if you know what I mean.

I baked the cake at night and frosted them the next day morning. The cakes need to completely cool before you frost them, else the ganache will melt. While all my cakes dome in the center, this one did not really. I mean it did, but ever so slightly. So while frosting the cakes, I sliced the top off to level them.

The cake tasted AH-MAZING with the chocolate ganache, so I really wish you make it too.

The ganache is made from only 3 ingredients, so be nice to me and yourself, and make it. Use the best quality dark chocolate bar, your favorite one. I used a regular sweetened dark chocolate bar that I eat and not cooking chocolate. I used Amul's Peru single origin dark chocolate bar and it tasted so good. Cut the chocolate into small pieces so it melts quickly. Heat the cream and pour it into the chocolate and mix it until the chocolate melts and has no lumps. If the cream isn't hot enough, the chocolate will not melt. In that case, gently melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

The chocolate I used already had sugar in it, so I added very little powdered sugar later. If you are using unsweetened or semi sweetened chocolate, add in more sugar (as desired). At this point the chocolate is molten, you can pour this over the cake if you plan to serve the cake as a single layer cake. If you want to make a two-layer cake like me, then cool the ganache slightly in the fridge so it hardens slightly and reaches a spreadable consistency. 15 mins were more than enough for me. This time may differ depending on the type of chocolate used. I suggest peeping into the refrigerator every 10 minutes. If it hardens up a lot, gently reheat it over the double boiler for a few seconds and add some milk and whisk it into submission.

I did not pipe the ganache into fancy shapes but just used the back of a spoon to create the pattern on the top of the cake. You can make any pattern you like.

The cake tastes best when slightly warmed up. Microwave any leftover slices for 10-20 seconds and enjoy an even more sinful dessert.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Eggless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Rich and delectable eggless chocolate cake topped with a dark chocolate ganache.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Total time:     70 minutes
Yield:                One 6" cake

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cake:

1.5 cups All Purpose Flour
0.75 cups unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 cup Powdered Sugar
0.5 cup Oil
200ml sweetened Condensed Milk
0.5 cup Yogurt (Curd)
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 cup hot Water
1 Tbsp strong Coffee Powder

For the chocolate ganache:

250gms good quality Dark Chocolate
1 cup full fat Cream
2-3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

Method:

To make the chocolate cake:

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder 1-2 times to remove lumps. Keep aside.
2. Take the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and add the oil. Whisk until the two are combined.
3. Add in the condensed milk, yogurt and vanilla essence and whisk until completely combined and smooth.
4. Boil the 1 cup of water and mix in the 1 Tbsp of strong coffee powder and add to the mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
5. Add in the sifted dry ingredients by the spoonfuls and whisk to combine.
6. Grease two 6" pans and either line them with baking paper or dust them with flour.
7. Divide the batter equally between the two pans.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180 degree Celsius until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
9. Demould the cakes and allow them to cool on a wire rack until completely cooled.

To make the chocolate ganache:

10. 30 minutes before you are ready to serve the cake, cut the dark chocolate and put it in a large mixing bowl.
11. Add in the hot cream and whisk until all the chocolate has dissolved and the ganache is smooth. If the cream was not hot enough and the chocolate did not melt completely, you can melt it gently over a double boiler.
12. Add in the powdered sugar as required and mix well.
13. Refridgerate the ganache until it hardens slightly and reaches spreadable consistency.

To assemble the chocolate cake:

14. To assemble, slice off the dome of the cake to level both of them.
15. Place one on a plate and spoon some of the ganache on it. Spread it around. Place the other cake on the first.
16. Spread the remaining ganache on the top and sides of the cake.
17. Cake is ready to serve.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Almond Chocolate Brownie

Eggless Pineapple Cake

Vegan Date and Walnut Cake

Blueberry Muffin

Almond Semolina Cake

Vegan Coffee Walnut Brownies

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Milk Rusk Recipe | Sweet Bread Rusk Recipe [Video]

Milk Rusk is a twice baked sweet bread. Milk Rusk is sweet and tastes best with a hot cup of tea. Rusk is a popular tea-time snack in India.

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How do you like your chai/tea? I like mine slightly strong with little milk and 1 tsp of organic jaggery powder, that brown chocolatey kind, with a rusk to dunk into it.

I LOVE dunking biscuits and rusks in my tea. I sometimes dunk cakes and bread too, but that's a story for another day. I've been dunking rusks for years and loved how the crispy hard rusk just melts once dunked. My snack box usually has a packet of rusk from the local bakery, coz those are the BEST!

So one Saturday, when I was relatively free, I decided to bake some myself. So there are sweet rusks and savory rusks. I am not sure if the savory one is native to only Bangalore and surrounding areas because I had never seen one before. But that's my least favorite one, so totally ignoring the existence of that one. There are 2 types of sweet rusks, the bread rusk and the cake rusk. The cake rusk is like a biscotti, where one bakes a cake first and then slices it and bakes again until it dries up and becomes a crisp sweet cake rusk. That's a recipe I still need to try. This time I tried the second recipe, which is of bread rusk. 

To make the bread rusk, one needs to bake a sweet bread first and then slice it and bake it again until it dries up to give the crispy hard rusk that we all enjoy.

About the Sweet Bread

• Bread rusk takes a considerably longer time to make because it includes the rise time of the bread. However, this is free time as you don't need to monitor it, just leave it in a warm place to rise.

• Sweet bread takes longer than regular bread to rise. The added sugar slows down the process, so you will have to wait longer. It took me around 4 hours to get a good rise out of the bread, it may take longer if you live in a cooler area. 

Once the bread is ready, it doesn't take very long to make the rusks if you have a large oven and a sheet pan. I had to make mine in batches, so it took me some time to bake them all.

But the wait was worth it! The satisfaction of dunking a home baked rusk exceeded the boredom of the waiting period. Happy Rusk Baking to you!!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Milk Rusk Recipe | Sweet Bread Rusk Recipe

Milk Rusk is a twice baked sweet bread. Milk Rusk is sweet and tastes best with a hot cup of tea. Rusk is a popular tea-time snack in India.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     6 Hours
Cook time:     1 Hour
Total time:     7 Hours
Yield:                Makes 20-25

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour
0.5 cup Milk Powder
3-4 Tbsp powdered Sugar
0.5 cup lukewarm Water
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Active Dried Yeast
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Milk
Water as required

Method:

1. Add the 1 tsp of sugar and the active dried yeast into the lukewarm water and mix well. Keep is aside for 5-10 minutes to bloom.
2. Take the flour, milk powder and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
3. Add the yeast and mix well.
4. Knead into a smooth dough using water.
5. Coat the dough with the oil and cover and keep aside to rise until doubled. This may take 2-4 hours.
6. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and knead it gently for 2-3 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into 2 and shape into rolls. Cover and keep aside to rise again.
8. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
9. Once the loaves have doubled, brush the loaves with milk and bake for 30-40 minutes until done.
10. Allow the bread to cool completely, then slice into rusk slices.
11. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
12. Place the rusk in a single layer in a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes.
13. Flip the rusks after 10 minutes.
14. Cool on a wire rack.
15. Store in an airtight container. Serve with tea or coffee.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Fruit Biscuit

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Chhole Pulao | Chickpea Pilaf [Video]

Chhole Pulao is a spicy rice main made with chickpeas or kabuli chana. This vegan and gluten-free rice is made by cooking fragrant Basmati rice with a spicy tomato based masala and boiled chickpeas.

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Chhole Pulao - a combination of two of my favorite dishes - chhole and pulao, now encompassed into one dish! Growing up, this was our Sunday lunch (mostly). My mom made her famous Pulao and Chhole on Sundays and on special occasions. It was a family favorite. The idea of combining both and making one dish originated from Instagram. A long time ago, one of my favorite Instagrammers, thegutlessfoodie posted her meal of a Chhole Pulao, albeit without chickpeas in there. I loved the idea and took on to making this dish. It has been a success. 

This Chhole Pulao simply put, is made by cooking a dry version of our regular Chhole or chickpea curry and mixing in cooked Basmati rice. It is an easy to make meal and it can be prepped well in advance. You can cook the chickpeas a few days ago and store them in the fridge, for an even easier approach, just buy canned chickpeas. The Basmati rice also can be cooked in advance and stored in the fridge. You can also make it with leftover rice, any variety you have. I personally like cooking the masala fresh, because it really doesn't take much time, but you can also make this in advance and on the day of the meal, just combine the three.

For the past two weeks, I have been stressed with very little time at my hands to cook a meal. It is at times like this, that recipes like Chhole Pulao come very handy. As far as I prep everything on the weekend, the weekdays seem easier.

Since the Chhole Pulao is a carb-heavy dish, so it ends up satiating you. I call it comfort food. Chhole Pulao is a plant-based meal that fits well into the Vegan lifestyle. It can be served as a main dish at festivities and celebrations. 

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Chhole Pulao Recipe | Chickpea Pilaf Recipe

Chhole Pulao is a spicy rice main made with chickpeas or kabuli chana. This vegan and gluten-free rice is made by cooking fragrant Basmati rice with a spicy tomato based masala and boiled chickpeas. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup Chickpeas, boiled
0.75 cup raw Basmati Rice
0.75 cup Tomato Puree
2 Onions
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 Tbsp Chhole Masla
1 tsp Coriander Powder
2 Tbsp Kasuri Methi
Coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

1. Wash the Basmati rice 4-5 times until the water runs clear. Soak the Basmati rice in water for 15 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes, boil 1.25 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling water. Cover and cook on low heat until the rice is cooked. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Heat oil in a large kadhai and add in the cumin seeds.
4. Once the cumin seeds splutters, add in the sliced onions. Fry until the onions are golden.
5. Add in the ginger-garlic paste. Saute until fragrant.
6. Add in the chhole masala and the coriander powder and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add in the tomato puree and cook on low heat until the liquid evaporates and the masala thickens.
8. Add salt to taste and mix well.
9. Add the cooked Basmati rice. You can also use any leftover rice instead of Basmati rice.
10. Mix well until completely combined. You can adjust seasoning at this stage.
11. Sprinkle kasuri methi and mix well.
12. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
13. Serve hot with raita.

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Methi Rice

Tava Pulao

Chana Masala

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Schezwan Paratha Recipe | Szechuan Paratha Recipe [Video]

Schezwan Paratha is a Chinese inspired stuffed Indian wholewheat flatbread. The paratha is stuffed with a spicy cabbage, capsicum and onion stuffing.

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When normal people think Paratha, schezwan paratha doesn't even pop up in the head. But for a foodie, anything is possible and this schezwan paratha possibly popped in some Indo-Chinese food-obsessed North Indian foodie. Just to let you know, this is not my idea. Na-ah. But the recipe is definitely my own.

Six years ago, I watched a Gujarati cooking show that showed the making of a schezwan paratha. I didn't understand the language, but as they say, food has a language of its own. And that's what happened, I got the gist of the dish while I didn't understand a word of the instructions. And after a few attempts, this paratha was here to stay.

Schezwan Paratha is a perfect fusion of two styles of cuisine. The Chinese inspired vegetable mix is stuffed inside a whole wheat dough, rolled and pan-fried until crisp. The paratha satisfies several cravings - craving for Chinese food, craving for comforting Parathas, the craving for spice and of course, the basic craving for some delicious and new food.

Any stuffed paratha has 2 parts, the stuffing, and the coating. The coating, in this case, is a regular dough made of wholewheat flour, a pinch of salt and water. The dough is kneaded the same way one would for chapati or other parathas. If you want you can add some maida or all purpose dough as well while kneading the dough. The soft dough is stuffed with a spicy mixed vegetable stuffing. The stuffing, in this case, is made with julienned vegetables such as onions, capsicum, and cabbage. You can also add carrots. The vegetables are cooked down with a spicy homemade garlic-chilli sauce that is ready in 15 minutes.

Paratha is generally as breakfast item as it is filling and it gives you energy to cruise through the day. But parathas are also a great dinner option. Pair paratha up with some homemade yogurt (Dahi) and pickle and you are all set to lull yourself to a food coma.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Schezwan Paratha Recipe | Szechuan Paratha Recipe

Schezwan Paratha is a Chinese inspired stuffed Indian wholewheat flatbread. The paratha is stuffed with a spicy cabbage, capsicum and onion stuffing.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Makes 4 Parathas

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

3 cups shredded Cabbage
0.5 Capsicum, julienned
1 Onion, julienned
8-10 dry Red Chillies
1 Tbsp chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp Vinegar
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required

For the dough:

2 cups Wholewheat flour
0.25 tsp Salt
Water as required
Oil to fry the parathas

Method:

1. Soak the dry red chillies in hot water and keep aside.
2. Add the salt to the wholewheat flour and knead into a smooth dough using water as required. Cover and allow it to rest until the stuffing is ready.
3. Drain the red chillies. Deseed the red chillies if you don't want a very spicy stuffing.
4. Blend together the red chillies, chopped garlic, 0.5 tsp salt, and vinegar into a smooth schezwan sauce. Add little water if required to help the blending process.
5. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a kadhai and add in the sliced onions. Cook until the onions are golden.
6. Add in the julienned capsicum and fry for 1 minute.
7. Add 1-2 Tbsp of the schezwan sauce or as required. Fry for 1 minute.
8. Add in the shredded cabbage and salt for taste. Add more schezwan sauce if required. Cook until the cabbage is soft.
9. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
10. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll into balls.
11. Dust the counter with a part of the remaining flour and roll out the dough into small circles.
12. Divide the stuffing into 4 equal parts and spoon onto the dough. Seal the parathas.
13. Dust flour on the counter as required and roll out the parathas as thin as possible.
14. Heat the tava or a flat pan and grease it. Place the rolled paratha on the tava and spoon oil and spread well.
15. Flip the paratha and cook until the it is cooked on one side.
16. Flip the paratha again and cook until the second side is cooked. Press with a spatula so that the paratha is cooked evenly.
17. Serve the parathas hot along with either butter,  or curd (yogurt).

If you liked this, you may also like:

Sweet Potato Cheese Paratha

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