recipe for lazy man - Ajwain Paratha

I'm back with a crunchy, tasty and healthy recipe for my dear Lazy friends! This shall be proved to you in the next few lines...

It is the Ajwain Paratha in the Smoky Kitchen today. What! I love the most about this particular Azwain Paratha recipe, is the combination of the sunrise golden color crispiness of the paratha/bread and a strange an amalgamation in crunchy grainy texture due to semolina added. A strong aroma of the raw Ajwain Seed (carom seeds) is simply matchless to any spice found in the kitchen. Amazingly, a little amount of Ajwain Seeds actually dominates the flavor of the dish.

Whenever I make this paratha with all the quick skills…I instantly breathe life!  SO let's proceed our experience with some detail on Ajwain Seeds and then followed by the ingredients with the making of the recipe.

Ajwain also known as (Ajowan caraway, carom seeds or mistakenly as bishop's weed), is an uncommon spice except in certain areas of Asia. Ajwain smells almost exactly like herb thyme. Ajwain is originated in the Middle East, possibly in Egypt. In India, the major Ajwain producing states are Rajasthan and Gujarat, where Rajasthan produces about 90% of India's total production. Interestingly, it is believed as aids in digestion. (ref. wikipedia)

~ Easily Serve: 2-3 pax.

Ingredientsfor Making Ajwain Paratha:

• Whole wheat flour: 1½ cup (Shall make 6-8 paratha)
• Semolina (Sugee): ½ cup,
• Gram flour (Besan): 1 tablespoon,
• Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon,
• Red chilly powder: ¼ teaspoon
• Coriander (dhania) powder: ¼ teaspoon
• Carom (Ajwain) seeds: 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste.
• Oil for making parathas
• Water to knead the dough

Method of Making Ajwain Paratha:

• Take the semolina (sugee) on to the pan on low flame and slowly roast them dry until it turns golden brown.
• Now add all the ingredients with the semolina in the Bowl. Mix it well.
• Than take sufficient water and add into the mixture slowly little by little to make dough and strongly knead into nice smooth dough. You may use around ½ cup of water.
• The dough shall be smooth and soft. Cover and leave the dough with a tissue/cloth and set aside for about 5-10 minutes (if in hurry, than no need to set aside).
• To make paratha/flatbread, divide the dough into balls. Take the size large as of a large lemon. Take a ball, dust with flour and roll out to a flat thin disc.
• Heat a tava/pan (griddle). When well heated, place a paratha on the tava. Roast on medium flame both sides using the oil.
• Please refer to the link (cooking Parathaa on Tawa).
• Serve hot with any sabzi or curry along with curd/raita.

NOTE:

• If you are in sheer hurry, skip roasting the Semolina (sugee), add it directly to the mixture to make dough.
• To make the ajwain(Carom seeds)- paratha, soft, add two tablespoon of curd while making dough. To keep the parathas crisp, skip the curd.
• You might also like to add the (chickpeas flour) gram flour 1tablespoon with the flour while kneading to add earthy flavor. Perhaps it’s optional! However I like to add it :)
• Play with different aromatic spices. After all it's Indian Kitchen.
• Active your senses and add the ingredients according to your flavor.

And as I have always believed in the perfect quote,
“Never leave Hope in dismay, until dismay leaves you”.
...So, never leave the Hope in cooking even if your kitchen turns into smoke and mess. Believe me, the moment it’s a mess, you will learn from the mistake and next time, the best you will perform ever since then...Wish you all the best in the kitchen and hope you enjoy making and relishing the Paratha!