RUZVIN . . . and INDIAN STUFFED PARATHAS

In 2010, Bryan and I stayed at Lord’s Hotel in Matheran, a hill station in India.  There we met a lovely couple:  Ruzie and Farookh, and their delightful children:  Rhea and Rohan.

They invited us to join their family at Rohan’s special ceremony in Mumbai.  

Ruzie and I have stayed in touch ever since, and she’s okay with my sharing some of her recent pictures from India.

GWALIOR FORT

        Ruzie says Gwalior is a small town, but the fort and temples were amazing.  

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Before trying to make Stuffed Parathas, Bryan first made plain Parathas from Mary Atwood’s book A Taste of India.   Then, he used Mary’s instructions for Stuffed Parathas but, for the filling, he had a recipe given to him, years ago, by an Indian colleague. 

The result was so good that it’s probably going to join the roster of Family Favorites!

STUFFED PARATHAS

      Ingredients for Parathas

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

½ cup white flour

¾ tsp salt

2 ½  tbsps. Melted butter

¾ cup water

        Ingredients for Ground Beef Filling

½ pound ground beef

1 clove garlic chopped

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp chilli powder

1/8 tsp turmeric

½ tsp salt

1.    PREPARE PARATHA DOUGH

-      Stir together flours and salt.

-      Mix in the butter.

-      Stir in water to make a soft dough.  Knead well.

-      Cover and let rest for an hour.

2.   PREPARE FILLING

-      Pan fry the ground beef with all the other ingredients until the meat is cooked.  Set aside to cool.  Filling should be cold before use.

3.    PUT TOGETHER THE PARATHAS

-      Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.

-      Roll out each piece into a very thin pancake.

-      Divide the filling equally among only 4 of the pancakes.

-      Cover each pancake with another one, sealing edges with a little milk.

-      Pour oil into a large frying pan to the depth of one-quarter inch and put on high heat.

-      Fry parathas on both sides until crisp and brown.

For a light, but very satisfying meal, serve with a salad and beer (or an Indian tea).  It’s like having an Indian Calzone!

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 at Man Mandir Palace in Madhya Pradesh

 built from 1486-1516 A.D.

(All the pictures taken in India are Ruzie's.)