Leftover dal parathas

Dal is of course a regular feature here in my home. I love experimenting with different types such as masoor (red lentil), toor dal (pigeon pea lentil), chana dal (spilt bengal gram), moong dal and urad dal (black gram).

Quite often, I end up making too much dal, and then I have leftover dal in the fridge which I don't really feel like having with rice the next day. So I usually make dal parathas! They are a hit with Yogesh and they taste great with pickle, yoghurt & a cup of chai. You also have them with curries if you prefer. 

What kind of dal can I use in this parathas? 

You can make these leftover dal parathas with many different kinds of dal. I made these will leftover moong dal after I made my moong dal fry recipe. You can also make these dal parathas with toor dal, chana dal or even masoor dal. Dal dishes that would work well would include dalitoy, dal tadka & palak dal. 

How much dal to use? 

This really depends on how much dal you have leftover. Anything from 1/2 cup - 1 cup of dal is suitable to 2 cups of atta. Just make sure the dal is thick and not too runny. As dal usually thickens up anyway in the fridge - the consistency is usually perfect for making these parathas. Using thick dal means that you have more control of the consistency of your dough and you can add water if necessary.

What extra ingredients can I add? 

As the dal is already flavoured with spices, I tend to keep the additional ingredients in these dal parathas to a minimum. I added a few cumin seeds and fresh coriander. You can add other spices like chilli powder, turmeric and coriander if you like. 

Lets make some dal parathas! 

Ingredients 

Makes 8-10 parathas 

2 cups / 250g atta (wholewheat flour) 

1/2 cup / 125ml letftover dal If you have more that is no issue, I used around 3/4 cup in this recipe

1 tsp cumin seeds 

2 tsp oil 

Pinch salt 

Handful coriander leaves, finely chopped 

Water, as required 

Vegetable oil or ghee for cooking

Method 

Prep & cook time - 1hr 

Making the leftover dal dough

• Firstly, make the dough. Combine the atta, salt, cumin seeds & oil in a large bowl.  Rub the mixture through your fingers to ensure that everything is well distributed throughout the atta.
  
  
• Next, add the leftover dal. Again, rub the mixture through your fingers to ensure that the dal is evenly distributed. Add the coriander leaves and distribute them evenly throughout the mixture.
  
  
• Add water a little at a time to form a smooth and soft dough. You will need less water than normal as the dal will already have some moisture in it. Knead for around 5-7 minutes until smooth and slightly stretchy. 
  
  
• Grease with a little oil, cover the dough and let rest for 20 minutes.

Rolling dal parathas 

• After the dough has rested, knead again briefly and then divide into 8-10 equal pieces. I made 10 parathas out of this mixture, but if you prefer the parathas to be bigger, then divide into 8 pieces. 
  
  
  
• Form each dough ball into a sphere. Take a dough ball, dust it with flour and flatten it. 
  
  
  
• Roll the dal parathas in the same way that you would roll out a roti or chapati. Start rolling out the flattened dough ball, applying a little pressure. Keep turning the dough disc and ensure that the to ensure that the final paratha has a round shape. Aim for a diameter of around 12 cm if you divided the dough into 10 pieces and 15cm if you divded the dough into 8 pieces.

Cooking, roasting & serving dal parathas

• Heat a tawa or cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the dal paratha. Cook until light brown spots appear on the bottom. 
  
  
• Flip the dal paratha. On the partially cooked side spread a little ghee or oil and then and wait for brown spots to appear on the other side.
  
  
• Flip again and roast for 10 seconds. Spread a little ghee or oil over the other side and flip again. Roast the other side for another 10 seconds.
  
  
• Roll and cook all dal parathas this way. Keep them warm in a casserole pan or on a plate covered with a lid.
  
  
• Serve dal parathas with pickle, yoghurt & chai! You can also have them with your favourite curries.