Sweet potato and squash parathas

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This wonderful paratha recipe is made from a blend of sweet potato, butternut squash and amchur powder – a fruity spice powder made from dried unripe green mangoes. The cooking method gives the flatbread a similar finish to stuffed parathas, but involve much less work.

First published in 2016

These aren’t your typical stuffed parathas: instead they’re more like Scottish tattie scones in which mashed potato is mixed with flour to make flat griddle scones, although these are much thinner. This recipe is quicker and easier than making stuffed parathas, but has the same comforting result.

Recipe and images extracted from Summers Under the Tamarind Tree: Recipes & Memories from Pakistan by Sumayya Usmani, photography by Joanna Yee. Published by Frances Lincoln, £20.00.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Sweet potato and squash parathas

Method

1
Mix all the ingredients together, except the ghee, in a large bowl. Slowly add the ghee a little at a time, mixing until all of the ingredients begin to come together to form a firm dough-like consistency
2
Knead it for a few minutes until all the ingredients come together, then turn out onto a floured work surface and knead the dough until smooth
3
Divide the dough into tennis ball-sized portions and shape into round balls. Keep the balls covered with a damp cloth
4
Heat a flat griddle pan, tawa or frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add a little ghee then reduce the heat to medium
5
Roll out each ball into a 5mm/¼ inch flat round paratha on a floured surface. Carefully place in the hot ghee and cook gently, pressing down the corners of the paratha with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper to ensure that it browns evenly
6
When one side is cooked, after about 3–4 minutes, turn over and cook the other side. Repeat until all of the parathas are made. Serve immediately with yogurt, raita or pickle. They are also lovely with some hot tea
7
When making any flatbread, using a large piece of foil to cover the cooked breads will keep them soft and warm. Put it over a plate or roll up the breads into the piece of foil completely until ready to eat
First published in 2016

Sumayya Usmani is a cookbook author, writer and cookery teacher who specialises in Pakistani cuisine.

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