Gobi Paratha Recipe (Punjabi Cauliflower Paratha)

This delicious Gobi Paratha is a recipe that you will make again and again. Also known as Cauliflower paratha, these unleavened whole wheat flatbreads are stuffed with a savory, spiced grated cauliflower filling. Being one of the most popular Punjabi paratha recipes, Gobi paratha is loved by many folks. There are so many ways to make these flatbreads, but here I show you an authentic heirloom Gobi paratha recipe that is much loved in my family.

About Gobi Paratha Recipe

I first learned to make these cauliflower stuffed flatbreads from my mother-in-law. Of course, I knew how to make Aloo Paratha (potato stuffed flatbread) but not gobi paratha. I always thought making these parathas were difficult and honestly never ever tried to make it.

It was after I saw my mom-in-law making the gobi parathas, did i realize that making them is easy and not that difficult.

I make these the same way as it was made for so many decades in the family and have not changed or adapted any ingredient or style of cooking.

The crispy, tasty Gobi paratha are usually made for breakfast, but of course you can make them for lunch or dinner. They can be served with white butter or curd (yogurt) or mango pickle.

Gobi paratha is often made for breakfast in Punjabi homes as well as served in restaurants and Punjabi dhabas.

We love to have them for breakfast and specially during winters as you get the best tender cauliflower in India during winters.

Why This Recipe Works

In Punjabi homes, while making gobi paratha, the cauliflower is not sautéed, stir-fried or par-cooked earlier. The fresh, raw, grated cauliflower is added straightaway in the stuffing.

When you cook the cauliflower and then use it as stuffing, the taste of these parathas are different. You do not get enough moisture in the filling and they taste somewhat dry and insipid.

The paratha made with the raw, grated cauliflower mixture has a lovely taste, texture, flavor and are better than the parathas made with cooked gobi.

Since I have made both ways I know the difference. So to get the best awesome taste in the gobi paratha I would suggest not to cook the cauliflower.

To make this Punjabi gobi paratha recipe, the cauliflower is grated finely. I usually use a hand grater for this purpose and avoid grating in the food processor which I have.

For some reason, the food processor gratings are larger than the hand grated ones. The cauliflower has to be grated finely or else when rolling, the parathas break.

I have learnt and saw my mother-in-law making so many paratha varieties. I came to know that are many varieties of stuffed and savory paratha recipes. I have shared some of them like:

How to make Gobi Paratha

Make Cauliflower Filling

1. Firstly rinse ½ of a cauliflower head very well. Check insects and worms in the cauliflower and if there, then discard that part.

Rinse very well in fresh running water. Then drain the water very well. You can wipe dry the cauliflower with a kitchen towel as well.

2. Then grate the cauliflower pieces using a fine grater. If using a food processor, make sure that it grates the cauliflower finely.

3. Keep the grated cauliflower in a bowl.

4. Add 1 finely chopped green chili to it (about 1 teaspoon finely chopped). Uniformly mix the green chilies with the gobi. Keep aside.

For a spicy taste, you can add 2 green chilies.

Knead Paratha Dough

5. In a bowl take 3 cups whole wheat flour along with 1 teaspoon salt (or as required).

6. Add 1 tablespoon ghee or oil.

7. Next add 1 cup water or as required.

8. Knead the wheat flour with water to a smooth and soft dough. Cover and rest the dough for 20 to 30 minutes.

Fill Paratha with Gobi Stuffing

9. Later take 2 small to medium sized balls from the dough.

10. Dust them with some flour on the rolling board.

11. With a rolling pin, roll both the dough balls to a size of about 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

12. Now spread some ghee (clarified butter) or oil over one of the rolled disc.

13. Top it with a few tablespoons of the grated cauliflower mix and keep about 1 inch empty space from the sides.

14. Sprinkle 1 to 2 pinches of salt, red chili powder and garam masala powder all over on the grated cauliflower. You can add a few more pinches of the red chilli powder if you prefer.

A tip, which I also follow, is to mix 1 teaspoon each of red chilli powder, garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Mix it and sprinkle a few pinches of this spice mix on the cauliflower filling.

15. Also sprinkle some wheat flour. As the grated cauliflower tends to be moist, sprinkling little wheat flour helps the parathas not to be moist and sticky when rolling with a rolling pin.

16. Cover with the other rolled dough.

17. Press and seal the edges very well with your fingertips.

18. Dust some flour on the stuffed paratha and start rolling the paratha. I find this stuffing technique easier than the one where you fill the cauliflower stuffing in a rolled dough ball. But you choose what is easier for you.

19. Now with a rolling pin, roll very gently and lightly till you get the paratha to a size of a chapati or roti – about 6 to 8 inches. You have to be a little quick enough to roll out the paratha as we have added salt to the gobi and thus it releases some water.

Cook Gobi Paratha

20. So before the juices are released from the gobi, your paratha should be on the hot pan. Place the paratha on a hot skillet, tawa or flat pan.

The skillet has to be hot and on medium-high to high heat. Trust me making gobi paratha is easy and not at all difficult. Once you get the knack, you will be a master in making any parathas 🙂

21. Let the paratha cook partly, about ¼.

22. When the bottom side is ¼ cooked, flip the paratha using a spatula and spread ghee or oil on the cooked side. Be liberal with the ghee.

A paratha is not complete without ghee and especially good amounts of ghee, so don’t be a miser. You can also use oil instead of ghee.

23. Flip the second time. So now the side, where ghee is applied goes at the bottom.

24. Apply ghee or oil on the top side.

25. Flip for the third time and then a fourth time making sure that the gobi paratha is cooked evenly and well browned. 

Make sure that the edges of paratha are cooked well. You can also press the edges with a spatula or spoon. If the gobhi paratha is roasted properly then it will slightly puff up.

26. Roast the gobhi ka paratha very well till you see golden or brownish-black blisters on top. Make all paratha this way. Stack the parathas in a roti basket.

I multitask when I make these. So I stuff and roll the parathas and cook them at the same time. If you cannot multitask, then take a help from your family when cooking these.

I would not recommend to roll all the parathas and then later cook, as the cauliflower releases moisture and it can be difficult to lift the paratha if there is too much moisture in it.

27. Serve Gobi paratha hot or warm with curd, pickle or white butter. They can also be packed for a tiffin box.

They can be had for any time of the day but usually had during breakfast or packed for lunch box.

As you see in the photos, you can optionally eat them with raw green chillies. But ensure that the green chillies are not very pungent or spicy. These chillies which are served with gobhi paratha or any paratha do not have a sharp pungent taste and are mild.

Expert Tips

• Cauliflower: Ensure to use fresh tender cauliflower. Do not use frozen or blanched cauliflower as they leave too much water when grated – which makes it difficult to stuff and roll the paratha.
• Spicing: For a spicy taste, increase the amount of green chilies. You can also add some chopped coriander leaves to the stuffing, but the taste changes.
• Grating: Make sure that the cauliflower is grated finely. Larger gratings or shredded cauliflower won’t be easy to fill in the paratha and will tear it while rolling.
• Scaling: You can easily make a small batch or a large batch of these flatbreads.
• Stuffing: Keep in mind not to overstuff or under-stuff the paratha. Overstuffed paratha will break and tear while rolling. While an under-stuffed paratha will lack the flavor of the savory cauliflower stuffing.
• Dough: For the crisp and smooth texture in your paratha, knead the dough to a smooth and soft texture. A dense dough will make up for chewy and dry paratha. While a sticky dough won’t be easy to roll and also won’t hold the stuffing.

Gobi Paratha recipe from the archives was first published on November 2011. It has been updated on December 2024.