Bathua Paratha

Winter greens. Well, we’ve written and spoken about them a lot on this blog and there is still a lot of ground to cover! Bathua/baathu/lamb’s quarters/goosefoot is a leafy vegetable that is considered a weed and grows like one in many parts of India in the mild winter season. In fact it is this ease of growing it that makes it a common ingredient in Saag in the north. Fast spreading goosefoot/lamb’s quarters isn’t a farmer’s friend except if that is their main crop! Which means it has to be continually eliminated and one good way to do that is to eat it – cooked into a saag, in a raita, or even a paratha. It is also widely understood to be healthy like most greens. Bathua paratha, to me, is very similar to making palak ke parathe. So, feel free to follow the recipe and switch out lamb’s quarters/baathu for spinach.

Like any flatbread, it is all about the dough in this paratha too. Once you have a good, cohesive and bouncy dough, the rest is easy.

Time ~ 40 minutes, Prep ~ 20 minutes, Active cooking ~ 15 minutes

Ingredients for Bathua Paratha

• Baathu/Bathua/Goosefoot ~ 1/2 cup cooked and blended (~ 3 cups raw)
• Adrak/Ginger 1 one inch piece, washed and chopped
• Lehsun/Garlic 3-4 cloves, peeled
• Hari Mirch/Green chillies 2-3, washed and trimmed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Atta/Whole Wheat flour ~ 1 cup
• Besan/Gram flour ~ 1 tbsp
• Ajwain/Carom seeds ~ 1 tsp
• Olive oil/ghee ~ 1 tbsp for the dough
• Optional Other spices – haldi (turmeric), laal mirch (chilli), garam masala, bhuna jeera (cumin powder)
• Onion 1/4 to 1/2 – chopped, for the dough (Optional)
• Water for the dough, if needed
• Canola oil for cooking ~ 2-3 tbsp or as needed

You’ll need a pressure cooker/instant pot or stock pot, a food processor or stand mixer, a flat griddle/pan/tawa.

First, Prepare Baathu

The first step is to cook goosefoot/lamb’s quarters leaves. Though it is possible to use tender stem and leaves raw, I suggest steaming the greens for this dough. In the Indian subcontinent it is often the case that greens – whether spinach, mustard or bathua – are consumed after they’ve been cooked. It is a matter of hygiene. Processed leaves – the kind of salad ready packs available in the west and other developed markets – are still a rare thing in most cities and towns. We typically buy our greens fresh from farmer’s markets, called a mandi, with the roots, dirt still on from the harvest earlier that day. Farm to table via the market, daily! Here, in the US, I occasionally find baathu at the local Indian grocery store. The bunches I buy here also need a similarly through treatment – multiple water baths to remove dirt and then a quick steam to cook them. I describe the process of cleaning any and all greens in the posts on Haak Ka Saag and Methi Aloo.

Clean and steam bathua

Once clean, steam the leaves in either a pressure cooker or instant pot, or blanch them in a large stock pot. I prefer steaming because that means I can also add ginger and garlic along with the leaves. This quick cooking steeps the greens in the flavors ginger and garlic. To get 1/2 cup of puree at the end of this process you’ll need to begun with approximately 3 cups of raw goosefoot/baathu. More the better!

To pressure cook, add leaves in the cooker on medium high heat. Allow the greens to sweat some moisture. Add ginger and garlic, and green chillies, if using. You could also season with salt and pepper at this time. Then close the lid and cook on high for about 5 minutes or until the first whistle. Remove from heat and allow steam to escape naturally before opening. This will likely take a few minutes. Once cool, blend into a thick smooth puree with either an immersion blender or in a food processor.

Make the dough

After cooking the greens, it is time to make the signature green dough for bathua paratha. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer or food processor. Add 1 cup atta/whole wheat flour (I prefer Indian brands like Ashirwad), bathua puree, ajwain, olive oil/ghee and gram flour. If using, now is the time to add chopped onion. Knead until you get a pliant, soft dough that it not very sticky but slightly moist. Use water if moisture from the puree isn’t enough to make the dough but do so with caution. Add only a teaspoonful of water at a time. Too much and the dough will become wet and sticky. The only way to remedy that is to add more dry flour. Remove dough from the mixer/food processor and let it rest for a few minutes while you set up your mise en place for cooking parathe.

Cook Bathua Paratha/Parathe!

Put a tawa/griddle on the stove at medium high heat. Warm it up until you can heel the warmth rising from it. I usually hover my hand a few inches above the surface to feel this. Lower the heat and start rolling out the dough. I use a cast iron skillet as my stand in for a tawa/griddle. Cast iron holds heat for a long time. That is why I warm it up while I set up my mise en place with chakla-belan, palethan and oil, then lower the heat and start rolling out parathe with the skillet ready to receive them. Sakshi shared the image above that shows her mise en place for Besan ka Paratha. Most people set up the same way.

Roll the dough and make parathe

Break off small balls of dough and roll in the center of your palm as you would cookie dough before transferring onto a baking sheet. Then dunk in some dry flour/palethan. Place and center on the chakla/rolling board and flatten with a rolling pin/belan. Do this gently to roll into discs that are as thin as possible. Flip mid way, sprinkle a pinch or two of dry flour to avoid any sticking and roll out some more. You should end up with flat discs that are anywhere between 5 to 7 inches across. This dough should make 8 to 12 parathe depending on size and thickness. I make only as many as need at a time and refrigerate the dough for later, using it up within 3-4 days.

Ballooning parathas are the best ones!

Just like a missi roti, these parathas are cooked with a dab of oil or ghee on either side. If you want, you could laminate the inside as well. I use canola oil for this part of the process since it has a higher smoking point than olive oil. As the paratha cooks, oil will smoke. Create good ventilation by turning on the chimney/exhaust and opening windows if you do not have one.

For the simpler process of cooking bathua paratha, place rolled out paratha on the griddle on medium heat. Cook until some bubbling occurs. Flip, so that the just cooked side is on top. Spread about 1/2 tsp on oil on this side. Wait another minute or so and flip so the second side is on top. Oil it. You’ll see brown spots. Gently press down on the edges of the paratha using a long spatula. Moisture in the dough will turn into steam and there will be come ballooning of the paratha. This is great and precisely what you want! Gently press down to spread the steam inside the pocket of dough so that all parts are cooked. Keep an eye on the color and heat. Cook on medium high heat most of the time, lower when things get too smoky or there is burning. Once both sides have cooked evenly, remove from the griddle and store in a cloth napkin or paper towel lined bowl or insulated bowl.

Enjoy Bathua Paratha as a meal or part of one

Serve fresh parathe with sabzi, dal and dahi for a meal or with achar, mathaa and chai for breakfast. These kinds of breakfasts with mixed flour flatbreads are my favorite! Try it and share your feedback.

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Looking for a winter snack?

Try Gur-Chana. A mix of roasted black chickpeas with broken jaggery. Spiced or not, it is easy and delicious.

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