Recently when I was reading this, I realized just how well we, my daughter and I, fit into the foodie mom-picky eater child paradox that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I often resort to sneaking vegetables and fruits, vegetables mostly, so that my almost-five-year-old gets her nutrition while fussing less about new food she’s not comfortable eating or even touching.
To accomplish that, many times I turn to my partner of trust, not Mr. K in this case, but hearty Parathas. Many vegetables and leafy greens easily make it through the lunch box time without being rejected or cared less for, when Parathas and dal are on the lunch menu, one of the very few lunches guaranteed to be eaten up by my discerning little one. This paratha happened to me on one of those kind of days that I wanted to add some novelty in her run of the mill paratha meal.
I can say with confidence that with all of its buttery goodness, this will be one of the softer parathas you would have ever made. The flavors are clean and ingredients are simple. Roasting intensifies the sweetness of the butternut squash. The recipe calls for no water at all as the roasted squash pulp contains sufficient moisture to bind with the whole wheat flour.
And the delicate flavor of Kalonji (pronounced kuh-lawn-gee) is to die for. I fell in love with it when I first began cooking with Paanch phoron, the five spices where Kalonji is one of the star ingredients. Later on, I borrowed the idea of making parathas sprinkled with Kalonji from an Indian cookbook. That is also the time when my respect for cookbooks went up and I converted. Unfortunately, I can hardly recall the title or the author.
Call them by any name – black seeds, black caraway seeds, onion seeds or nigella seeds, but do not mix them up with Kala jeera or black cumin. They are not. The seeds may closely resemble black sesame seeds in size, color and shape, but they can be identified by their obtuse prism like shape with clear edges. Kalonji come with a strong earthy smell, a crunchy bite and a distant faint lemony bitter aftertaste. Apparently, the seeds have extensive medicinal uses both as an herb and oil.
Pair them with any wholesome side or dal and these buttery soft Parathas make for a good meal. We relished them with a mixed vegetable side in poppy seeds and dried coconut gravy.
How do you like to use Kalonji in your cooking?
Super soft Indian style Parathas made out of roasted Butternut Squash and flavored with Kalonji or nigella seeds
- 1 small organic butternut squash
- 1-1/2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour or Atta + 1/4 cup more for dusting
- 1 tbsp kalonji / Nigella seeds aka black caraway seeds or onion seeds
- salt to taste
- oil for pan roasting
- baking tray and aluminium foil
- rolling-pin and board prefer wood, steel or stone
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Preheat oven to 400° F or 200° C
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Wash, towel dry and cut the butternut squash in half. scrape out the seeds and pith with a spoon or peeler tip.
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Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and place the squash halves face down on the sheet with space in between them. Bake for 30 minutes or until the skin is browned (also juices start running).
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Remove from the oven and wrap the foil to cover to let it cook in its own steam for 10 mins. Unwrap, let cool and scoop out all the pulp into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt and kalonji and mix well. Add whole wheat flour little at a time mixing it with squash pulp until all the flour is incorporated. Add more flour if required until a pliable non-sticky dough is formed. Knead for a couple of mins, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 mins before making parathas. Resting makes the dough absorb all the moisture and become softer.
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If not for roasting, alternatively, either steam the squash halves or cook in just enough boiling water until soft and follow the remaining steps. This method needs more flour as the water content is more. Or, simply stir fry with a drizzle of oil until soft, purée and use.
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Knead the resting dough again for a few mins. Pull a small portion of dough, the size of a small lemon and roll it into a ball. Dust this dough ball with dry flour on both sides and roll out flat into a small circle with a rolling-pin. Fold into quarter, dust and roll out again to a triangle shape. Roast on a heated griddle or ‘tava’ on medium-high heat until brown spots appear on both the sides. Drizzle a few drops of oil on either sides. Remove parathas and keep in a covered container to preserve softness. Repeat with the remaining dough.
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Serve hot with a drizzle of ghee with a side dish of your choice, pickle and yogurt on the side.
This recipe works equally well with pumpkin and sweet potatoes.
Also, white s sesame seed and/or kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) can be used with great success in case you don't ve kalonji on hand.
You can even spice it up with jeera powder or ground cumin, red chilli powder, black pepper as required.
Though I have used a small squash, the best ones to buy are those that are big and heavy for their size. Make sure that the griddle or tawa is hot enough before pan roasting parathas. If the heat is very high or very low, parathas end up becoming burnt or hard.
Refrigerate remaining dough and thaw on the counter before making parathas again.
The breakfast at my house consists of parathas almost daily. And I stuff it with various veggies or knead the dough with different things to make it more nutritious. I had never tried kaddu paratha and this is a great recipe you have shared which I am surely going to try soon.
We are alike in this. Parathas come in all combinations of all kinds of vegetables and leafy greens and spices in my kitchen too..
Let me know how you like it.. Better yet, I’d love to see a picture if you do.
Love stuffed parathas and the flavors you have going on here. Yum 🙂
It’s a great idea to incorporate squash in paratha. I usually add leafy vegetables but never thgouth of squash. Thanks for the idea.
Lail, It is the same concept, extended to squash. That’s all. Goodness doubled…
a very innovative recipe of adding squash to parathas. the parathas are looking soft from the pics.
I can’t wait to make those parathas. They look amazing!
Meredith, Please do. Rest assured, you will like it.
I only wish I could crochet with ease like you do!
The light is beautiful and so are the parathas
Thanks Kulsum. If you say so, the light must be good. I always love the light and mood in your photographs!
I’ll vouch for the parathas.. 🙂
I love the dark mood in the photos and kalonji is one of my fav spice after ajwain. This is definitely a great paratha to give a try!
The parathas look so warm and comforting. My son loves butternut squash. I made parathas out of every vegetable and sometimes I mix in avocados or tofu.
Oh nice Viji.. I do exactly the same too.. At least that way she’ll eat those without a fuss!
Loved your photographs Radhika. They are beautiful. The parathas look so delicious!
You have a lovely eye for colors and design!
Pratiba, Thank you for your kind words..
It looks DELICIOUS and I love your photos !
Thanks so much for sharing 😉
I’ve always been intrigued by Nigellla seeds they are so pretty and not something I see often.
True Sylvie. Nigella or Kalonji is almost non-existent in South Indian cuisine. I learnt about it only a couple of years before..
It is only when I come outside of the country that I was exposed to a wider variety of Indian cuisines through the ingredients…
Yum! What a great excuse to use both b’nut squash and nigella seeds, which are sorely underused in my spice cupboard. And great photos!
tinykitchenstories, So good to see you.. It’s been a while..
Hope you do try if you have them on hand. They are worth it.
I know! I moved house and am finally settling into a new routine. My bloggers are being neglected! This one definitely caught my eye. Maybe tomorrow for these…yum!
Your photos and recipes are striking, Radhika! Thank you for your visit and your kinds words! Looking forward to getting to know you better via your blog.
Thank you Kay.. Look forward to the same, likewise..
I love Kalonji paratha, make it allll the time with Paneer sabji! Never tried butternut squash with Indian spiced before, need to give it a try. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi,
Found your blog through foodgawker and I was gawking at your beautiful pics. I must say I love the light drizzling in to your kitchen..is it an late evening light??/ where do you get such rustic blue wooden tops? they look so beautiful and homely! Great parathas. I have never used nigella…shd try them soon.
Shobha
Thank you Shobha..
It is an afternoon light around 1:30 pm, coming from the south east side. Those wooden boards have been painted at home.
If I can do, anyone can do it.
Nigella seeds or Kalonji are supposedly full of medicinal value. Including them should be a good idea. Hope you try it.
Hi Radhika… I havent made this as yet, but will surely take a picture and post it when I do!
lovely post, absolutely loved the pictures and yes am on your mailing list now
Reblogged this on Be Blessed & Fruitful 🙂.
love your recipe as well as the photos! 😀
I came to your blog by chance and was surprised to find you incorporate the squash into the dough [I have done this as well]. You can also use a thick dal in the same way. You are calling these parathas but I think they are more folded roti. Before each fold, brush with a little oil, butter or ghee and in this way you will get some flaky layers. I like the idea of kalonji which I happen to have. I have just cooked butternut squash so I was looking to see if anyone uses this for a filled paratha [they do]. You can also freeze the dough and make some later. Toby, Salt Spring island, BC