Pudhina Paratha (Mint Flatbread)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup wheat flour/maida
• salt to taste
• 1 cup (finely chopped) mint leaves (dry/fresh)
• 1 Tbsp. oil/ghee for kneading the dough
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil/ghee for frying the paratha
• butter for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a clean bowl mix the flour with salt, 1 Tbsp. oil and half of the chopped mint leaves. Take some water and knead the dough properly. Allow it to rest for half and hour. Don't keep it open, apply little oil over it and cover it with a moist cloth.

Take portions of the dough and make a round ball, little bigger than chapatti (flatbread) roll it on a chakla (heavy stone used for rolling chapatti or bread). Roll it to make a medium sized round chapatti not very thin nor too thick.

Take 1/2 tsp. oil and rub on it, now sprinkle some more finely chopped mint leaves and sprinkle some flour on it (very little).

Make Layered Paratha: Fold the round chapatti, with mint on it, carefully like we fold paper to make paper fan each fold should be a max of 1 inch thick, just like when we make a paper fan. When you finish, it will be like the folded fan of paper, don't open it nor press too hard while making layers. Rotate it to the immediate adjacent side, such to see all the layers properly (don't flip it opposite)

Now carefully make a circle of it like a snails body. Stick the the last tip to the lower end and gently press the middle of the layered circle, so as not spoil the layers.

Now dust it with some flour and gently roll it to a paratha. Keep it a bit thick.

Frying the Bread: Heat a pan and cook it with help of some oil applying both sides one by one make it crisp. Remove when it is cooked properly.

Garnish: With chatka masala and serve with curd. Garnish the curd with red chilli powder (for red line) and roasted and crushed cumin seed powder (bhuna zeera) or black pepper (Kala namak)

By zubaida from Kolkata, West Bengal