Bathua Paratha (Healthy Bathua Recipe)

5 from 4 votes

Bathua Paratha (Healthy Bathua Recipe)

Bathua Paratha is a healthy Indian whole wheat flatbread made with bathua leaves, whole wheat flour (atta) and spices. Bathua is also known as Chenopodium Album, Melde, Lamb's Quarters, Goosefoot or Fat-Hen and is a common leafy green, especially used to make a variety of dishes in the North Indian cuisine repertoire.

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Total Time50

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

4 cups bathua leaves - 175 grams (Chenopodium Album, Melde, Lamb's Quarters, Goosefoot)
⅓ cup water - for cooking bathua leaves
1 potato - medium to large, 110 grams - optional
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds or cumin powder
1 to 2 green chilies - chopped, optional
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
½ teaspoon salt or add as required
½ tablespoon oil
oil or ghee for roasting, as required

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cooking bathua leaves

First pluck the leaves from the stems of bathua greens. You will need about 4 cups of bathua leaves (175 grams). Rinse the leaves very well. Drain all the water.
Take the leaves in a pan. Add ¼ cup water and mix.
If you plan to add potatoes, then cut them in small cubes and cook with the bathua leaves. You can add about ½ cup water if using potatoes.
Keep the pan on the stovetop. Cover it with a lid and cook the leaves on a low to medium-low heat until the leaves have softened and wilted.
In between do check if the leaves are done.
When the leaves are wilted, turn off the heat and keep the pan aside.

Kneading dough

In a another bowl, take the whole wheat flour, carom seeds, cumin seeds or cumin powder, a pinch of asafetida (hing) and ½ teaspoon salt or add as required.
Mix very well.
Now strain the leaves using a colander and drain all the water. Add the cooked bathua leaves to the flour.
Add chopped green chilies and ½ tablespoon oil.
Mix very well first and begin to knead. If required, then only add water.
Knead to a smooth dough.
If you have used potatoes, then you won't need to add any water while kneading the dough. The moisture from the bathua leaves and potatoes will be enough to bind the dough.
Cover dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Making bathua paratha

Now make small to medium sized balls from the dough. Take a ball and dust it with some flour.
Roll to a 4 to 5 inches circle. Spread some oil or ghee on the rolled circle.
Fold one side and bring it in the center. Make another fold overlapping the first fold. Spread ghee on these folds too.
Next fold sideways from both sides.
Sprinkle some flour on the folded paratha dough. Roll to a square paratha.

Cooking bathua paratha

Heat a tawa or flat skillet and place the rolled paratha on it. Roast on a medium to high heat.
Flip when the paratha is ¼ᵗʰ cooked. Spread some oil or ghee on the paratha.
Flip again when the second side is ½ cooked. Spread ghee or oil on this side too.
Flip a couple of times and cook till the parathas are evenly roasted.
Serve Bathua Paratha hot or you can even stack them in the casserole and serve warm.
Roll and roast parathas in batches. These parathas can be served hot or warm with a side of curd (yogurt) or some vegetable curry or with mango or lemon pickle.

Notes

You can add about 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped. You can skip green chilies if you want and about ½ teaspoon red chilli powder.
The same dough can be used to make Bathua ki Puri. But remember to knead the dough until firm or semi-firm and you may need to add some more flour to get a firm dough.
Drain the water from the cooked leaves very well before adding it to the flour.
This recipe can be scaled to make a small batch.

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