Punjabi Mooli Ka Paratha with Quick Safed Makhan
मूली का पराठा·(moo-lee kaa puh-raa-thaa)
Sunday Nashta: The Weekend Punjabi Breakfast Tradition
There is no shortcut to a proper Punjabi breakfast, but there is a grandmother's secret. You grate the daikon, salt it, and squeeze it mercilessly until dry, but you never throw away the pungent, peppery water. You use it to knead the dough. This simple act of culinary zero-waste infuses every bite with the essence of the radish, while a food processor makes quick work of churning heavy cream into luxurious, sweet safed makhan to melt over the charred, blistered flatbreads. It is the undeniable taste of home, engineered for a Tuesday night.
Before you start
Culture the cream for authentic tang.
If you have the time, stir a tablespoon of active yogurt into the heavy cream and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours before chilling and churning.
Ingredients
- daikon radish2 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- traditional Indian atta2 cup
- ghee1 tbsp
- Serrano chilies2 small
- knob fresh ginger1 small
- cilantro leaves1/4 cup
- tender radish leaves2 tbsp
- carom seeds1/2 tsp
- red chili powder1/2 tsp
- dry mango powder1/2 tsp
- chickpea flour1 tbsp
- heavy whipping cream1 pt
- ice water1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Extract the radish water.
Toss the grated daikon with kosher salt in a colander set over a bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes to draw out the cellular moisture.
- 02
Squeeze the radish entirely dry.
Take handfuls of the salted radish and squeeze as tightly as humanly possible, reserving every drop of the extracted liquid in the bowl beneath.
- 03
Knead the radish-water dough.
In a wide bowl, combine the atta and a teaspoon of melted ghee, then gradually pour in the reserved pungent radish water, kneading until a soft, pliable dough forms.
- 04
Rest the dough.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes to relax the gluten, ensuring it will stretch rather than tear during rolling.
- 05
Churn the safed makhan.
Pour the cold heavy cream into a food processor and blend on high for 3 to 8 minutes until the fat suddenly separates from the milky buttermilk.
- 06
Wash and seize the butter.
Pour the ice water into the processor and pulse to seize the butterfat, then gather the solid mass with your hands and squeeze firmly to expel the remaining liquid.
- 07
Spice the dry radish filling.
Add the minced chilies, ginger, cilantro, radish leaves, crushed carom seeds, chili powder, mango powder, and roasted chickpea flour to the squeezed radish.
- 08
Assemble and seal the parathas.
Pinch off a golf-ball-sized portion of dough, roll into a 4-inch circle, place three tablespoons of filling in the center, and gather the edges into a tightly pinched pouch.
- 09
Roll out the flatbreads.
Flatten the pouch gently with your palm to distribute the filling, dust with dry flour, and roll out with light, even pressure to a 6-inch diameter.
- 10
Roast on a hot tawa.
Cook the paratha on a hot cast-iron skillet for a minute, flip, smear with ghee, and flip again until both sides boast deep, blistered char spots.
- 11
Serve immediately.
Plate the steaming flatbreads with a generous, melting dollop of the fresh, unsalted safed makhan.
Notes
Do not prep the filling in advance.
The spices must only be mixed into the squeezed radish right before rolling; otherwise, residual salt will draw out unrecoverable moisture and ruin the dough.
Resting the dough is your insurance policy.
The radish-water dough can be kneaded up to two days in advance and kept in the fridge, making the rolling process significantly easier on a weeknight.