Cauliflower paratha / Gobi paratha is a stuffed paratha made with a mildly spiced grated cauliflower filling. Very few ingredients are used to make this amazing dish. It suits best for simple lunch / dinner. Easy to prepare and delicious to taste.

I learnt this dish during my Hyderabad days from my best friend and neighbor Aparna Bhupesh. She is one of my inspiration and has been a constant support for the past 8 years. She taught me what life after marriage really is and what living independently really meant. Glad that I spent quality time with her for 4 years at Hyderabad and we still maintain our friendship through phone calls and messages. My cooking journey began in Hyderabad and she was one of the reasons I started taking cooking seriously.

We used to have intercom in our apartment. She used to call me in the noon and tell me not cook anything for dinner as she will prepare “cauliflower parathas” for our family as well. I will be happily doing other chores. During dinner time, she will make hot parathas and immediately bring it to our house. Also she used to tell, “stop all the work you are doing now, just eat it hot”. We will just enjoy the parathas as such without any side. It will be so soft, mild and hearty. Those parathas were more than enough for a happy and full tummy.

I was a complete newbie to kitchen 8 years back and it was after marriage I started to learn cooking. Though I used to call my mother and ask for recipes and the procedure, Aparna used to guide me to use the stove and all other kitchen equipment and teach me cooking. I used to struggle like anything in the kitchen during the first 3 months after marriage. She was my constant support and she was there for me during most of my tough times. She made me understand that life is not a fairy tale and it pops up with lots of surprises and how to overcome them.

We both teamed up together and spent most of our time discussing about food / sharing food, baking together, home remedies, kids, life lessons and tv programs. Lots of cooking happened in Hyderabad. We fix a final recipe of a dish after various trials and share it with our family and everyone would try it out and give us feedback. We used to try family recipes that are followed in both our homes, as well as food from other cuisines. We had a gang in the apartment and used to share food from each other’s homes. I miss the gang. Those people gave me the best memories in Hyderabad! Hoping to meet them soon!

I wrote each recipe which we tried in my cookbook. We used to take care of each other’s kids, prepare food when we are back from a long vacation or even everyday, have found support in each other when depressed / down and discussed a lot about the real world. She made me feel that homemaking is a cakewalk and I can do anything on my own. That is how I began doing almost everything by myself.

Leaving her and moving to the US was totally unexpected and I never thought I will have to leave her. We cried badly. It hurt me emotionally, but slowly I recovered. Thanks to technology, we are still in touch. I am glad that I found a friend like her, who constantly motivates and who always stays positive. We respect our differences, which I feel is vital for any relationship. If you are surrounded by such people, there is no place for negativity. Thanks for that motivation and love towards me! Thanks for treating me like family! This post is for you!

As today is her birthday, I definitely miss spending time with her. So, I would like to dedicate this dish to her. This is Aparna’s recipe and our family favorite dish. Hope this dish finds love at your home too!

Cheers to our Friendship!!

Ingredients

• Grated Cauliflower – 2.5 cups (Soak cauliflower florets in water+1 tsp salt mixture for 15 mins. Drain in a colander. Grate using a grater or food processor)

• Big Onion – 1 (Chopped)
• Whole Jeera – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp
• Coriander leaves – 3 tbsp (Chopped)
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Pepper – 1/2 tsp
• Oil – 2 tbsp

Cauliflower filling

Procedure

• Add oil to a pan.
• Once the oil is warm, add in jeera and let it splutter.

• Add in onion and cook till it is translucent.

• Add in the grated cauliflower and saute for 2 mins. Add in coriander powder, salt and pepper and mix well.

• Cook in medium flame till the cauliflower is done. This takes around 5 mins.
• Add coriander and mix well. Switch off the flame. Cool down the cauliflower filling completely.

Wheat Dough

• Prepare the wheat dough for making parathas. In a wide bowl, add in wheat flour, salt and add water slowly and combine everything together. Knead it to a smooth dough. Cover it with a damp cloth till use.

Cauliflower Paratha

• Pull out a small piece of dough and make a ball. Flatten it a bit and coat it with some dry wheat flour. This helps in easy rolling and prevents sticking.
• Using a rolling pin, flatten it to form a small circle. Scoop 1.5 tsp of the cauliflower filling and keep it in the middle. Seal the dough with the filling inside.

• Again flatten it a bit and roll it in dry wheat flour.
• Using a rolling pin, gently roll and form a paratha without the filling coming out.

• Heat a chapathi / roti pan, cook the parathas on both sides in medium flame. Smear ghee on both sides.

• Serve hot with some curd and pickle or with your choice of gravy.

Notes

• Leftover filling can be used as a poriyal / side dish or can be eaten as such as “flavored cauliflower rice”. Try using it in wraps too.
• Add red chilli powder or green chillies for a spicy version. You can also add your favorite spice powders too.
• I have tried adding red chilli powder + garam masala. Tastes nice and different.
• The wheat dough should be firm enough to hold the filling. Be cautious while adding water to the dough while kneading.
• Smearing ghee on both the sides of the paratha makes it taste rich. If you are concerned, you can substitute ghee with oil.