palak lifafa

Ingredients to make palak  Lifaf

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup milk or as required
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• Salt to taste
• Oil/Ghee/Butter to cook the parathas
• 1 tablespoon corn flour mixed in 1 tablespoon water to seal the edges
• For the stuffing:
• 250 grams paneer/cottage cheese
• 1 and 1/2 cup palak/spinach, tightly packed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chat masala
• 1 Onion
• 3 green chilies
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon oil

Steps to make palak  Lifafa

1. In a mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour, salt, 1 tablespoon melted ghee and mix it well together. Next pour in the luke warm water little by little and knead the dough.
2. Knead till you get soft, smooth dough. (If you are looking for a softer texture, add only milk to knead the dough.) Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting we can make the stuffing. Pick and wash the spinach fine as possible. Grate the paneer and keep it aside covered.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds and wait till they turn slightly brown in colour. Add onions and green chilies and saute till the onions turn soft.
5. Next, add the finely chopped spinach and cook until the spinach looses all of its moisture. Add salt to taste. Once the spinach is completely dry, turn off the flame and keep it aside to cool down.
6. Now add roasted cumin powder, chaat masala into the grated paneer. Add the cooked spinach mixture and mix them all together. Note that this mixture should be dry. If you find any liquid in it, squeeze it out. Divide them into equal sized balls.
7. Knead the dough once again. Divide them into equal sized balls (lemon sized and roll it thin about 10 inch. Place it on a hot griddle/tawa and cook for 10 seconds on each sides, without oil. Then take it out of the tawa and repeat this process for the rest of the dough.
8. Now place half cooked rotis on a flat surface. Place once portion of the spinach paneer stuffing in the center. Spread the stuffing all over leaving out the edges.
9. Apply corn flour paste on the edges of the roti. Fold the two opposite corners of the roti over the stuffing. Now fold the remaining two edges and seal the filling well. This will look like a folded envelope.
10. Place this over hot tawa, dribble oil/ghee and cook on both sides until they turn brown on both sides.
11. Serve immediately with some curd and pickle.

My Tip: The folding technique: Place the filling in the center. Apply corn flour paste all over the edges. First, bring the 2 opposite ends over the filling and seal. In this fold the ends of the paratha will be overlapping each other. Next fold the other two ends. Please note that the folded ends will neither be touching the ones already folded nor will they be overlapping. Just fold it over the filling to make sure the filling is closed and intact in the center.