Cooking with Leftovers- Part 1 - Dal Parata - Unleavened Bread made of Lentil and Wholewheat

What do you do with the leftovers?


It is a question that every woman is constantly needs to ponder on before pushing it into the fridge saying "Oh well, Ill eat it tomorrow" and sometimes the tomorrow never comes :)


As always these leftovers then come out as a part of the weekly or fortnightly fridge cleanup and are usually thrown. Aren't you giving me that smile now.. okay..may be there are some of you who really utilize leftovers effectively. I personally try my level best but do sometimes end up the way I explained above.


Now I thought I will start a series of sort. You know what I mean where I will post some recipe that can be made from leftovers. This is the first in the series and I do promise to continue this.


Okay, now just a note before I start for all the mothers out there who constantly try to ensure that their kids have "Dal". I know it can be very difficult. So even though this post is about leftover for all those who have children complaining of "No Dal Mom" this is a great way of giving them their daily dose of proteins without them knowing :) Ready to go into the Lunch Box!




I am talking about masking cooked lentils i.e the Dal into the whole wheat rotis or paratas that you prepare. You can use any Dal that is leftover. It could be Masoor Dal or the Red Lentils, Toor Dal or Yellow Lentils or Moong Dal.


You will need:

• Left over Dal -1 Cup
• Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups
• Salt
• Oil - 1/2 tsp
• Water - 1/2 Cup approx (to knead the dough)

Method:

1. Take the dal and the Flour into a wide bowl.
2. Add Salt and slowly add water little by little kneading the dough by hand. That's how we traditionally do it here in India. You can use a Food Processor /Kitchen Aid.
3. Knead for some time till you get soft pliable dough. Adjust the water based the dough consistency. It needs to soft to touch. At the same the dough should not stick to your hand.
4. At this point you can either add a few drops of oil and knead some more till you get a soft dough.
5. Once done let it rest for some time.
6. Take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a ball.
7. Flatten it on some flour and then using a rolling pin roll into a neat round.
8. Heat the Griddle or Tawa and once it is hot put the roti on the tawa and fry on both the side using oil of your choice.

Alternatives:

1. You can fill this roti with mashed potatoes seasoned with some salt and make it into a stuffed parata as you see in the picture above. Enjoy!!