Methi (fenugreek) parathas

These methi parathas are a wholesome Indian flatbread made with fresh methi (fenugreek). They are delicious at all times of the day - for breakfast or for a tea time treat with some pickle and yoghurt. 

Fenugreek is a vegetable which is in abundance during the winter months in India - many dishes with methi crop up during this time, like aloo methi, sarson ka saag and methi thepla. These methi parathas are healthy and the fenugreek leaves impart a slightly astringent and bitter taste. If you want to remove some of this bitterness, soak the methi leaves in a bowlful of slighty salted water for 15-20 minutes. I personally love this fragrant taste - so I don't tend to soak them in salt water. I also like to flavour these parathas with cumin seeds and ajwain seeds. These methi parathas are easy to make as you don't have to making a stuffing for the parathas - just simply add finely chopped methi leaves to the dough and roll like you would a normal chapati or roti!

Methi parathas are some of my favourite varieties of parathas. If you are like me and love parathas then do check out some of my other paratha recipes like:

• Aloo parathas
  
  
• Leftover dal parathas
  
  
• Palak (spinach) parathas
  
  
• Lachedar (laccha) parathas

Ingredients 
1 large bunch fresh methi (fenugreek) 
2 cups (240g) atta (wholewheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp ajwain (carom) seeds 
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Water as required 
Oil or ghee for roasting the parathas


Method

Prepping the fresh fenugreek / methi 

• First, pluck the methi leaves from the stalks. This can take some time depending on how big your bunch is, so I sit down at the table and do this! 
  
  
• Transfer the methi to a sieve and rinse well to remove any dirt or impurities. 
  
  
• If you want to remove any extra bitterness, place the rinsed methi leaves in a bowl of water with a tsp salt and leave for 15 minutes before moving onto the next step. 
  
  
• Once rinsed, transfer to a food processer and blitz a few times until the methi is finely chopped. You can also use a chopping board and a knife to do this. Set aside. 
  
  

Making the methi paratha dough 

• Firstly, make the dough. Combine the atta, salt, cumin seeds, ajwain seeds in a large bowl. Rub the mixture through your fingers to ensure that everything is well distributed throughout the atta.
  
  
• Next, add the chopped methi leaves. Again, rub the mixture through your fingers to ensure that the methi is evenly distributed. 
  
  
• Add water a little at a time to form a smooth and soft dough. 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 methi parathas 

• After the dough has rested, knead again briefly and then divide into 8 equal pieces.
  
  
• Form each dough ball into a sphere. Take a dough ball, dust it with flour and flatten it. 
  
  
• Roll the methi 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. Roll to a diameter of around 12 cm.

Cooking, roasting & serving the parathas

• Heat a tawa or cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the methi paratha. Cook until light brown spots appear on the bottom. 
  
  
• Flip the 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 the paratha. Spread a little ghee or oil over the other side and flip again. Roast the other side until golden brown. To ensure even browning it is a good idea to keep flipping the paratha. 
  
  
• Roll and cook all methi parathas this way. Keep them warm in a casserole pan or on a plate covered with a lid.
  
  
• Serve methi parathas with pickle, yoghurt & chai!