Paneer Paratha

Check out how to make paneer paratha, a popular Indian flatbread stuffed with paneer, aka Indian cottage cheese. A perfect breakfast, brunch, and lunch dish. 

When it comes to parathas, you cannot skip aloo paratha and paneer paratha. Earlier this week, I shared aloo paratha, and now its time for the paneer paratha. 

While I love to make my paneer paratha with fresh homemade paneer, some days when I don’t plan for it properly, I end up using a store-bought paneer. And today’s recipe is also with store-bought paneer. 

I made all the elaborate thalis for the mega BM first and pushed this paratha thali for later. But then the shelter-in-place happened, and all the stores were closed, and we were using our groceries very carefully. I did not dare to use my precious milk to make homemade paneer.

Luckily I had store-bought paneer and went with that. Trust me, folks, store-bought paneer equally works well as well.

PS – Ok, didn’t I say I struggle with perfect round shaped paratha, and in this one, you can clearly see it. I actually wanted to make a circle, a square, and a triangle. In the end, I made not-so-perfect squares and circles. 

Paneer filling-

Like cheese paratha, it’s easy to make the paneer paratha filling, especially if you are using a store-bought paneer. All you need to do is just grate the paneer and add in the spices and mix. That’s all. 

I don’t follow a set recipe for the paneer paratha filling. I just add spices and herbs on a whim. But this particular ingredient set is something we really love, especially with store-bought, and that’s what I am sharing today. 

Kasoori methi / dried fenugreek and paneer are combo made in heaven. I always add a few dried mint leaves and dried fenugreek leaves to my paneer, and it just intensifies the flavor.

In today’s recipe, this is what I added along with paneer – carom seeds, dried mint, and fenugreek leaves, red chili powder, fresh cilantro, and salt.

You can always adjust the amount as per your taste.

The other variations that I go for are-

• If I use fresh paneer, I add some onions, red chili powder, turmeric, fenugreek, and garam masala.
• I have also tried paneer filling with South Indian sambar powder and vaangi bath powder. We liked the vangi bath flavor combination than the sambar powder one.
• Somedays, I skip dried fenugreek and mint and add the same set of spices that I add for the aloo paratha. 

The sky is the limit when it comes to the paratha filling. 

Always make some extra paneer paratha filling-

I always make some extra paneer filling, and I use it for sandwiches also. The potato filling, paneer filling, and cauliflower filling can be used for making sandwiches. Just smear some green chutney and sweet chutney on the bread and add the filling and grill it. I shared this on my Instagram as well. You can check this post for the paneer sandwich. 

Now without any further ado, let’s get straight into the paneer paratha recipe.

Paneer paratha recipe with step-wise pictures-

Prepare the dough-

• I prepared my dough in the Nutril mill artiste. You can prepare it any stand mixer or knead it hand also. 
• In a mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour, oil, and salt. First, mix it and then slowly add water little by little and knead into the soft dough. 
• If you are using the stand mixer, follow the instructions accordingly. I first add all the dry ingredients in my artiste, including wheat flour, salt, and oil, and mix it in pulse mode. This time, I used 1.5 cups of flour, and I used about 3/4 cup of water. 
• I first added a 1/2 cup of water and mixed it using pulse mode. Then I added 1/4 more cup of water and kneaded the dough at speed 3 or 4 for 5 to 7 minutes.
• After kneading, let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Make sure you cover the dough. 

• Divide the prepared dough into equal parts and roll them into smooth balls. I divided my dough into 6 balls. 

Prepare the paneer paratha filling-

• In a mixing bowl, add the grated paneer, carom seeds, dried fenugreek leaves, methi leaves, salt, red chili powder, and cilantro. Mix well and set it aside. 

Stuff and roll the paneer paratha-

• On a dusted surface, take one ball and roll it out into a small circle, 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Do not roll it too thin. Now place 1 to 2 tbsps of the paneer stuffing in the middle. Add the filling according to your dough size. It will be difficult to roll if you overfill. The paratha might tear. 
• Bring all the edges in a pleated/folded fashion towards the center. Usually, all the recipes call to pinch off the excess dough as we fold and bring the edges to the center. But I don’t do that. I just press the excess dough and flatten it. 
• Now using the rolling pin, evenly roll the paratha into your favorite shape. As you can see, this time I tried square and triangle and not-so-perfect circles. Roll it gently and apply equal pressure when rolling. Shake off the excess flour. 
• Similarly, make all the parathas and keep them ready. If you are getting started with parathas, roll all the parathas first. As you become a pro, you can roll and cook simultaneously. 

Cook the paratha-

• Heat an iron tawa and make sure it is hot. Make sure the heat is at medium to medium-high. Tawa should always be hot. 
• Place the rolled paratha on the hot tawa. Let it cook for 30 seconds or so, spread 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges, and cook for 30 seconds.
• Now flip the parathas and spread some oil (1/4 tsp) on top of the paratha. Gently press the paratha with the spatula and cook until you see the brown spots like below. Parathas will puff up too, and that’s a good sign. :-)
• Note – Make sure you press the edges so that it cooks well. Add oil as required and flip the parathas as required. Basically, we need to cook until the parathas are crisp, and brown spots appear. 
• Place the prepared paratha separately and apply a small layer of butter. This step is optional. Skip it if you want to keep the paratha vegan. I did not add any butter this time; also, I used minimal oil. 

Recipe Notes-

• Adjust the salt and spices for the filling according to your preference.
• Check out the filling variations on the blog posts. 
• Do not overfill the stuffing and press evenly for soft and crisp parathas. 
• Make sure your tawa is hot while cooking the paratha. 
• This time I went with minimal oil and did not use any butter. So the paratha might look dry in the picture, but it was soft and delicious, even if say so myself.  

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5 from 4 votes

Paneer Paratha

Check out how to make paneer paratha, a popular Indian flatbread stuffed with paneer, aka Indian cottage cheese. A perfect breakfast, brunch, and lunch dish.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: North Indian

Servings: 6 yields 6 parathas

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Rolling Pin
• Tawa or Griddle

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1 tsp=5ml;

For the dough-

• ▢ 1.5 cups wheat flour
• ▢ 3/4 cup water or as required
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp oil

For the filling-

• ▢ 2 cups paneer grated
• ▢ 1/2 tsp carom seeds seeds
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried mint leaves
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• ▢ 3/4 tsp red chili powder
• ▢ 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt

For the paratha-

• ▢ 3 to 5 tbsp oil approx 1/2 to 3/4 tsp for each paratha

Instructions

Prepare the dough-

• I prepared my dough in the Nutril mill artiste. You can prepare it any stand mixer or knead it hand also.
• In a mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour, oil, and salt. First, mix it and then slowly add water little by little and knead into the soft dough.
• If you are using the stand mixer, follow the instructions accordingly. I first add all the dry ingredients in my artiste, including wheat flour, salt, and oil, and mix it in pulse mode. This time, I used 1.5 cups of flour, and I used about 3/4 cup of water.
• I first added a 1/2 cup of water and mixed it using pulse mode. Then I added 1/4 more cup of water and kneaded the dough at speed 3 or 4 for 5 to 7 minutes.
• After kneading, let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Make sure you cover the dough.
• Divide the prepared dough into equal parts and roll them into smooth balls. I divided my dough into 6 balls.

Prepare the paneer paratha filling-

• In a mixing bowl, add the grated paneer, carom seeds, dried fenugreek leaves, methi leaves, salt, red chili powder, and cilantro. Mix well and set it aside.
• Stuff and roll the paneer paratha-
• On a dusted surface, take one ball and roll it out into a small circle, 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Do not roll it too thin. Now place 1 to 2 tbsps of the paneer stuffing in the middle. Add the filling according to your dough size. It will be difficult to roll if you overfill. The paratha might tear.
• Bring all the edges in a pleated/folded fashion towards the center. Usually, all the recipes call to pinch off the excess dough as we fold and bring the edges to the center. But I don’t do that. I just press the excess dough and flatten it.
• Now using the rolling pin, evenly roll the paratha into your favorite shape. As you can see, this time I tried square and triangle and not-so-perfect circles. Roll it gently and apply equal pressure when rolling. Shake off the excess flour.
• Similarly, make all the parathas and keep them ready. If you are getting started with parathas, roll all the parathas first. As you become a pro, you can roll and cook simultaneously.

Cook the paratha-

• Heat an iron tawa and make sure it is hot. Make sure the heat is at medium to medium-high. Tawa should always be hot.
• Place the rolled paratha on the hot tawa. Let it cook for 30 seconds or so, spread 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges, and cook for 30 seconds.
• Now flip the parathas and spread some oil (1/4 tsp) on top of the paratha. Gently press the paratha with the spatula and cook until you see the brown spots like below. Parathas will puff up too, and that’s a good sign. :-)
• Note – Make sure you press the edges so that it cooks well. Add oil as required and flip the parathas as required. Basically, we need to cook until the parathas are crisp, and brown spots appear.
• Place the prepared paratha separately and apply a small layer of butter. This step is optional. Skip it if you want to keep the paratha vegan. I did not add any butter this time; also, I used minimal oil.

Notes

• Adjust the salt and spices for the filling according to your preference.
• Check out the filling variations on the blog posts.
• Do not overfill the stuffing and press evenly for soft and crisp parathas.
• Make sure your tawa is hot while cooking the paratha.
• This time I went with minimal oil and did not use any butter. So the paratha might look dry in the picture, but it was soft and delicious, even if say so myself.

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Calcium: 365mg | Iron: 2mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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