This Bathua Paratha, a hearty Indian breakfast made in desi ghee is incredibly crispy and rich in flavor of earthy green bathua leaves!
Bathua Paratha is one of the most popular parathas (flat-breads) of Indian cuisine. I believe we all wait for winters to show as we get amazing choices of greens to include in our daily meals. Winters for a Punjabi-born like me mean parathas as breakfast: Stuffed Aloo/ Gobhi/ Mooli parathas or Methi paratha, Palak Parathas.
Due to an agricultural evolution, many vegetables are available throughout the year but I being a typical Desi Foodie, would eat fresh ones always. So, for me winters are really special.
Made from scratch, each component of Bathua Paratha Recipe is fresh and oozing savory spicy flavors. Blanching bathua leaves, kneading them in whole wheat flour along with spices, green chilies is a simple recipe that gathers in no time.
Trust me, they taste far better if they are fresh and not preserved. The whole process of sorting the leaves, washing them under tap thoroughly is like a therapy. Its a huge task but its rewarding at the end.
You May Also like: Aloo Bathua Saag, Bathua Raita, Pumpkin Paratha and Ragi Paratha, Saag Paneer, Easy Roti Recipe.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurement of the ingredients.
- Bathua Leaves: The essential ones are the fresh Bathua (Chenopodium Album) leaves. Bathua can be replaced by Methi (Fenugreek) leaves, Palak (Spinach) or Kale leaves.
- Wheat Flour: I am a big fan of wheat flour. We get wheat flour from a near by Chakki (Mill). I have kneaded the leaves with the wheat flour. One may fell free to stuff the leaves as well.
- Desi Ghee: I highly recommend making these flavor packed paraths in desi ghee. For a vegan swap, you may use olive oil or any vegetable oil of your choice.
- Salt & Spices: Use of green chilly (chopped) in the dough definitely adds the perfect heat. I add salt, Carom seeds, Red chilly powder, Garam Masala and Amchur/Lemon Juice also in the dough.
How To Make Bathua Paratha
Step 1 Sort and Boil Bathua Leaves
Sort Bathua leaves. Wash them thoroughly and boil them in water in an open pan. Make sure to soak leaves in water. It takes around 10 min for leaves to soften up and change to a dark green color. Sieve the boiled leaves and let it cool off.
Tip
I take two large utensils and soak the leaves in one utensil and keep changing water while swapping utensil. If you notice, dust settles down in the water after a while. Then I take a colander and wash leaves under the tap.
Tip
Boil the washed leaves till they change color from light green to dark.
Step 2 Knead Dough
Take a large parath (steel broad pan). Add wheat flour, boiled leaves, green chilies, red chili, salt, ajwain and knead a slight stiff dough.
Step 3 Roll Dough Balls to make Flatbread
Let dough rest for 15 min. Then take a small ball and make a flat bread (chapati) on rolling pin after dusting some flour. Place it on hot iron tawa and let it cook on simmer. It takes around 2-3 min to cook from one side.
Flip and cook from other side. Apply desi ghee when flipped and if you wish to make a chapati instead of paratha (avoid ghee at this step)
Step 4 Serve It
The crispy and spicy bathua paratha are ready. Serve with your favorite achar and curd.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to cool off the boiled leaves before adding them to wheat flour for kneading or else the dough would not be enough tight.
- Since the leafy veggies leave water, the dough should be made a bit tight and little water gradually or else dough would not be easy to roll.
- Make sure the Tawa is hot before placing rolled paratha on it. Simmer the flame and cook on slow flame for a crispy paratha.
- Iron tawa is the best. Its a myth that paratha would stick to it. You need to cook on slow or medium flame and not High flame for best results.
Variations
- Bathua Raita: The boiled Bathua leaves can be used to make bathua raita, a popular curd recipe for winters to keep you warm. This savory curd is not just delicious but healthy too. When I boil Bathua, I store some of it for making raita too. Our Bathua Curd recipe is super amazing!
- Bathua Aloo Paratha: Dunk the boiled and mashed potatoes along with bathua leaves.
- Try another Green: Spinach, methi or kale can be used in place of Bathua and the same recipe works for them too.
- Make bathua saag is a very popular Indian dish and is teamed with Makki Roti or wheat paratha.
Recipe FAQs
Dry sorted leaves can be stored in a clean kitchen cloth or wrapped in a neat newspaper in refrigerator upto 3-4 days in winters.
The boiled leaves are good for 1 or 2 day max.
Owing to its dense and non-juicy texture, it might taste slightly bitter to beginners. The new and tender leaves can be used without boiling but old ones shall be boiled before use.
Bathua paratha with this recipe has about 188 calories. For reducing calories, you might wish to make it as a chapati with less ghee than paratha.
Stories From Kitchen
I had hated all winter greens most of my life and now I love them! Do you know what changed my feelings?
Well Its a long story for and I would cut it short for you. It was this family recipe that was the reason of this flip-flop. The elegant way of eating greens in which you wont get leafy bites (which was a repelling enough for me) made the same bathua paratha delicious for me.
If you have fussy eaters like me in your family, now you know the game changer trick!
You may also like:
More Indian Recipes:
- Kala Chana Recipe (Black Chickpeas Curry)
- Baingan Bharta Recipe (Eggplant Bharta)
- Makki Ki Roti (Punjabi Maize Flour Flatbread)
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Bathua Paratha Recipe- Indian Flatbread
Equipment
- pan for boiling leaves
- steel wide pan for dough
- sieve/colander
- Iron Tawa for making paratha
Ingredients
- 200 gm Bathua leaves sorted leaves would weigh less
- 1.75 cup wheat flour
- 2 small green chillies
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- 1 teaspoon garm masala
- 1 teaspoon Amchur powder (dry mango powder) can use 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon desi ghee while kneading flour
- 2 tbsp. desi ghee for making tawa parathas
- ½ cup water can adjust
- salt as per taste
Instructions
- Sort Bathua leaves. Wash them thoroughly and boil them in water in an open pan. Make sure to soak leaves in water. It takes around 10 min for leaves to soften up and change to a dark green color.
- Sieve the boiled leaves and let it cool off. Take a large parath (steel broad pan). Add wheat flour, boiled leaves, green chillies, red chilli, salt, ajwain and knead a slight stiff dough.
- Let dough rest for 15 min. Then take a small ball and make a flat bread (chapati) on rolling pin after dusting some flour. Place it on hot iron tawa and let it cook on simmer. It takes around 2-3 min to cook from one side.Flip and cook from other side. Apply desi ghee when flipped and if you wish to make a chapati instead of paratha (avoid ghee at this step)
- The crispy and spicy bathua paratha are ready. Serve with your favorite achar and curd.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to cool off the boiled bathua leaves before adding them to wheat flour for kneading or else the dough would not be enough tight.
- Since the leafy veggies leave water, the dough should be made a bit tight and little water gradually or else dough would not be easy to roll.
- Make sure the Tawa is hot before placing rolled bathua paratha on it. Simmer the flame and cook on slow flame for a crispy paratha.
- Iron tawa is the best. Its a myth that paratha would stick to it. You need to cook on slow or medium flame and not High flame for best results.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 2 | |
| Servings: 8 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 188 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 9.8g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat 5.3g | 26% |
| Cholesterol 13mg | 4% |
| Sodium 648mg | 28% |
| Total Carbohydrate 22.7g | 8% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.1g | 15% |
| Total Sugars 1.2g | |
| Protein 4.7g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 53mg | 4% |
| Iron 2mg | 11% |
| Potassium 174mg | 4% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Kalpana Sharma says
Made these Bathua paratha with your recipe and everyone loved them. I made them using ghee for the first time and I can surely notice the difference in taste! thanks
Deepti says
So glad to know this Kalpana! Keep visiting for more such recipes. thanks
Girija says
Awesome recipe!! And We also make these green parathas in winters...Thanks.
Deepti says
So happy to know! Thanks Girija for stopping by!
Prakarti Ahuja says
Perfect recipe for my kids. turned out so well. gone are the days they shied away from greens. Thanks so much:)
Deepti says
Thanks Prakarti for sharing your views. Yes, if I could change and started having greens after marriage, kids can surely adapt sooner.
Kiara Sabbharwal says
I made Bathua Paratha using your recipe and it was a hit! The use of desi ghee made it amazing! Thank you!
Deepti says
So glad to know this, Kiara. Thanks for sharing.
Laura says
Looks amazing!
Deepti says
Thanks, Laura. Let me know how this bathua paratha turned out for you.
Joanne says
I found this recipe online and I've never heard of Bathua leaves here in the U.S. - do you think I could find them in a specialty store, or should I just sub in kale? I have tons of kale.
Deepti says
Hi Joanne, While bathua leaves can be replaced by Kale or spinach, Bathua leaves are also available in the U.S. They are called Lamb's Quarters and grow like a weed. Let me know when you try this recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
Jomelyn Mauermann says
I can't wait to make this with spinach and kale. It looks delicious and nutritious.
Deepti says
Thanks for the kind words, Jomelyn. Let me know how it turned out with kale or spinach.
Tressa says
Perfect with eggs and achar. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Deepti says
So glad to know this, Tressa! Thanks so much.