Increase the protein content and make your flatbreads look pretty with this pink Beetroot Tofu Paratha recipe.
I invented this Beetroot Tofu Paratha recipe purely out of a need to use up my old tofu, which was dangerously close to going bad in a week. I love tofu, and I often add it to my veggie stir-fries to increase my protein intake. However, sometimes, I’m either not in the mood to eat a stir-fry or a tofu curry, or the tofu is just too watery (and I have no patience to press it). In these cases, I just look to crushing the tofu into crumbles or a paste and using it up in a recipe that’ll mask the texture.
And my go-to dishes include Tofu Tikki (also known as patty or croquette) or Tofu Veggie dumplings. On this day though, I neither had veggies to make the dumpling filling nor did I have cornflour or breadcrumbs to make the patties. And so I decided to simply crush it and add it to my paratha dough, wondering if it would make my paratha rolling experience easier or more difficult. While making the dough, I also chanced upon a can of beets that I wanted to use up, so threw those into a blender and added that puree to the dough.
To my pleasant surprise, the dough came together beautifully, and it was a breeze rolling the parathas in my favorite triangle shape. Now I don’t want you to take this recipe as a rule but use this as a guide to experiment with your roti and paratha recipes by adding vegetable purees or crushed tofu or paneer to the dough.
While I didn’t flavor the dough with any other spices or aromatics, you can absolutely add some chilies, grated ginger or garlic or other spice powders and masalas. Generally, when I have a veggie side dish to go with my parathas, I keep them fairly bland. And when I only have a chutney, sauce or pickle to go with it, I then add spices & aromatics to the paratha dough.
Here’s the recipe video on how to make the beetroot tofu paratha –
Beetroot Tofu Paratha
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chopped Beetroot (raw or canned)
- 2 Tbsp Water, to blend the beetroots in
- 1/4 block Tofu (30-40 grams)
- 1 cup Whole-wheat flour (or refined flour)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed Carom Seeds (ajwain)
- Water, to make a dough (can vary)
- Cooking Oil
Instructions
The Dough
- Add beetroot to a blender along with a couple tablespoons of water. Blend to a smooth puree. Alternatively, you can also grate the beetroot and add that to the dough.
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, crushed carom seeds and mix well.
- Add the beetroot puree and crushed tofu. Mix well with the flour.
- The amoun of water needed will depend on how wet or firm your tofu is, so add 1-2 spoons of water at a time.
- Knead to a soft dough. Add to a bowl. Brush with some oil. Cover and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes (or upto 2 hours).
Making the Beetroot Tofu Paratha
- Divide the dough into equal portions, roll into neat balls. Keep them covered and work one at a time.
- You can make this liek a usual round roti.OR – roll into a circle, fold in half (to a semi circle), then fold that into half to form a triangle. Now roll this triangle to thin it out.
- Add to a pan or tawa, cook on medium heat with a little oil. Press down and cook until the paratha is cooked and you see golden spots on the surface.
- Serve them hot with any pickle, condiment or curry you prefer.
- If you make them ahead of time, place in a casserole dish or an airtight container. Cover them with a clean kitchen cloth to keep them soft.
Video
If you liked this recipe, make sure to check out some other flatbreads –
