Peas Paratha – Matar Paratha
Jun 23, 2014, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Matar Paratha is Indian whole wheat flatbread stuffed with green peas.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
When it comes to food, winter always reminds me of 2 things – gajar halwa (carrot pudding) and matar ke parathe (green peas stuffed flatbread). These two vegetables are available in abundance during winters in Delhi and are made quite often in every household. Paratha is Indian flatbread which is made with whole wheat flour and stuffed with practically everything. There’s lentil parathas, all veggies that you can imagine and even chocolate paratha! They are usually eaten as breakfast in northern states of India and I make it very often in my kitchen.
Sweet peas mixed with spices and then stuffed inside the flatbread always remind me of chilli winter days back home. Mom would always make rice kheer (rice pudding) with these parathas and I would happily gulp all down in few minutes. Now the thing with green peas paratha is that they have to be made using fresh peas. There’s no way you can use frozen peas, I mean if you want you can but they aren’t remotely similar in taste to parathas made using fresh peas.
Here I don’t usually get to see fresh peas at the grocery store. But few weeks back we went to the farmer’s market where there’s a lot of locally grown produce on display and there I was able to find fresh and beautiful green peas. I thought of making matar paratha as soon as I laid my eyes on them because I had been craving for it for past few days.
And so here it is my matar paratha recipe, exactly the way it’s made at my home.
Method
Take the whole wheat flour (aata) in a bowl. Start adding little water as you try to bring everything together. Knead to a soft dough, smear 1/2 teaspoon of oil on top. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
While the dough is resting make the peas stuffing for the paratha.
Take out the seeds from the peas, and put them in a pan of hot water. Simmer on medium flame till peas are soft. You obviously can skip this step if using frozen peas [which I do not recommend at all]. Take out the peas from the pan, drain the water and set aside. Now you can either blend them using a blender or crush/mash them using a pestle. I prefer crushing them with pestle because that way some chunks remain and like biting into them as I eat my paratha. If you want a completely smooth paste, you can use your blender.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
Once the cumin seeds crackle add the chopped garlic and saute till the raw smell goes away. Next add the crushed peas, salt, red chilli powder and mix. Cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes till the aroma of spices, garlic is all well incorporated into the peas. Switch off the flame, take out the stuffing in a bowl and set aside.
To make the paratha, take a small amount of dough (size of a big lemon) and shape it round. With the help of rolling pin roll the dough into a circle of around 1/8 inch thickness. I am actually pretty good at making perfectly rounds parathas and rotis but just when I had to click the pic this had to happen! I know this isn’t exactly round but you get the idea. Apply 1/4 teaspoon of ghee/oil all over.
Place around 1.5 tablespoon of filling in the center, or as much you like just don’t over stuff. Gather all the edges and pinch them together forming a seal. Flatten using you fingers and roll again into a circle of approx 1/8 inch thickness. Place the paratha on heated tawa/griddle. Once there are light brown spots on one side, flip the paratha and apply ghee/oil.
Flip again and apply more butter/ghee/oil on the other side now. Cook till paratha has brown patches all over.
Serve hot with yogurt, sliced onion and pickle.
* I didn’t use any dry spices in this paratha (except little red chilli powder) because that’s how mom makes it and I love it that way. The paratha gets its flavor from garlic and cumin seeds. But you can add as many spices as you want.
* Paratha’s made with ghee taste best but you can obviously make them using olive oil too if you are really scared of eating a ghee laden paratha. I always make my parathas with ghee.
* You can substitute 1/2 of the flour with all purpose flour but generally parathas in India are made using 100% whole wheat flour.
* You can also add chopped onions to the stuffing mixture.
* These parathas are vegan if you skip the ghee and use oil instead.
Peas Paratha - Matar Paratha
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- water as required to knead
- ½ teaspoon oil
Stuffing
- 1 cup peas boiled and coarsely mashed
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ghee to roast the parathas
Instructions
Dough
- Take the whole wheat flour in a bowl.
- Add water little by little and knead to a soft dough.
- Smear 1/2 teaspoon of oil on top.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
Stuffing
- Take out the seeds from the peas, and put them in a pan of hot water.
- Simmer on medium flame till peas are soft.
- Take out the peas from the pan, drain the water and set aside.
- Now you can either blend them using a blender or crush/mash them using a pestle. I prefer crushing them with pestle.
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
- Once the cumin seeds crackle add the chopped garlic and saute till the raw smell goes away. Next add the crushed peas, salt, red chilli powder and mix.
- Cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes till the aroma of spices, garlic is all well incorporated into the peas.
- Switch off the flame, take out the stuffing in a bowl and set aside.
Make the paratha
- To make the paratha, take a small amount of dough (size of a big lemon) and shape it round. With the help of rolling pin roll the dough into a circle of around 1/8 inch thickness.
- Apply 1/4 teaspoon of ghee/oil all over.
- Place around 1.5 tablespoon of filling in the center.
- Gather all the edges and pinch them together forming a seal.
- Flatten using you fingers and roll again into a circle of approx 1/8 inch thickness.
- Place the paratha on heated tawa/griddle.
- Once there are light brown spots on one side, flip the paratha and apply ghee/oil.
- Flip again and apply more butter/ghee/oil on the other side now. Cook till paratha has brown patches all over.
- Serve hot with yogurt and pickle.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
hi Manali,
i’ve been waiting so long to make this recipe, but i’ve never found fresh peas in USA. maybe once in an indian store.
Where do you think i can find them? and do you happen to know the season?
Mansi you should check out farmers market, especially during spring/summer..they do have fresh sweet peas..Trader’s joe has fresh peas but its not sweet and for this parathas peas have to be sweet! Just try your local farmers market during spring/summer!
I can’t get over how incredible these look!
Thanks Rachel! They taste amazing too!