Mooli Paratha Recipe

Punjabi Mooli Paratha is a hearty, stuffed flatbread from North India that’s loved for its flaky layers and bold, earthy flavors. 

Filled with spiced grated radish (mooli), this paratha is not only satisfying but also packed with wholesome ingredients, making it perfect for a comforting meal.

Unlike naan or roti, parathas have a unique flaky texture that sets them apart. Whether enjoyed with a side of vegan yogurt, pickles, or chutney, mooli paratha is a versatile dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

If you’re ready to explore the rich flavors of this classic dish, we’ve got you covered with a simple step-by-step recipe to make Punjabi Mooli Paratha at home. Let’s get started!

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Mooli Paratha?

• 4 cups of grated mooli (radish).
• A pinch of salt.
• 3 tablespoons of oil. 
• ¼ of a teaspoon of ajwain.
• ½ of a teaspoon of cumin seeds.
• 1 teaspoon of ginger paste. Or used freshly grated ginger.
• 2 whole green chilies.
• 1 teaspoon of red chili powder.
• ½ of a teaspoon of red chili powder.
• ½ of a teaspoon of amchur powder.
• 1 and a ½ cups of whole wheat flour.
• A pinch of salt.
• ½ of a cup of water.

How Do You Make Mooli Paratha?

Once you have gathered up all of the necessary ingredients, you can get started on putting the dish together. Here’s how!

Step 1 – Prepare The Grated Mooli

If you have not yet grated your mooli, make sure to do that now! Once the mooli has been grated and placed into a separate bowl, sprinkle in a little bit of salt, and then allow the mooli to rest for around 15 minutes.

Once 15 minutes have elapsed, grab the mooli, and carefully squeeze out the water. The reason you will want to do this is that the water from the mooli will soak into the paratha, which will cause it to tear!

To extract the water, simply use any device that can softly squeeze the mooli. We recommend using a potato masher and just carefully pressing the mooli, within a strainer, to remove the water. 

Step 2 – Get Started With The Spices

Grab a frying pan, pour some of your oil in, and set the stove to medium heat. Allow the oil to heat up, and once it becomes hot, drop in your ajwain and your cumin seeds. Allow them to sizzle for a while until they begin to make a distinct popping noise.

After around a minute of sizzling, you will then want to drop into the pan the green chilies, your ginger, and the mooli, before giving it all a really good mix. Ensure that the mooli gets completely covered by the spice mixture to create an even flavor experience. 

Once the mooli has begun to sizzle slightly, grab the rest of your spices, including the red chili powder, amchur powder, and garam masala, and mix them in.

At this point, you may still have some oil in the pan as you stir away at the ingredients and even some moisture from some of the ingredients. The key here is to keep stirring, allowing the ingredients to fry until there is no moisture whatsoever. 

Once the mixture has become totally dry, remove it from the heat and place it into a bowl to cool down completely!

Step 3 – Finishing Creating The Mooli Mixture

Once you have placed the mooli mixture into a separate bowl, sprinkle in a little bit of flour, salt, and oil, and mix it into the mooli until it is totally incorporated. Allow the mixture to continue cooling while you work on making the paratha dough!

Step 4 – Start On The Paratha

Grab your dough and begin kneading it slowly, incrementally adding small sprinklings of water to its surface. This helps to keep the dough from going dry and tearing as you knead it.

Keep kneading the dough until it is smooth, before then covering it, and placing it to the side to rest for around 15 minutes.

Step 5 – Continue With The Mooli Mixture

After working on the dough, you should notice that the mooli mixture is completely cooled. Once it is cooled, begin dividing it up into around 6 equal portions and then setting each portion aside. 

Once the dough has been allowed to cool for around 15 minutes, begin dividing it into 6 equal portions and roll them up into smooth ball shapes before flattening them between your palms. 

Once you have created 6 individual dough portions, roll each of them into a circle with around a 4-inch diameter. Generally, you will want to keep the edges much thinner than the centers. 

Step 6 – Begin Stuffing

Now that you have created 6 individual circles grab the 6 portions of mooli mixture and carefully spoon them into the very center of each of the circles. 

Once you have placed the mixture into the dough, grab the edges, pull them toward the center, and pinch them into one shape. Then, press down on the center, lightly flattening the dough with the mixture still safely contained within. 

Step 7 – Roll The Stuffed Paratha

This step can be quite difficult and can very easily lead to tearing, so make sure to take your time when doing this. 

Scatter some flour over your kitchen surface, and then drop each of the paratha onto the flour and slowly roll them out. It is crucial to spread the flour ahead of trying to roll the paratha, as it helps to keep the dough malleable, which prevents it from tearing.

Roll each of the parathas until they are around 6 inches in total diameter. Place each one carefully to the side, ready to be cooked up to perfection.

Step 8 – Begin Cooking

Again, grab your pan, pour in a small dash of oil, and place a single paratha in to cook. Allow the paratha to sizzle for a while until you notice bubbles beginning to form on the top. Once you notice the bubbles forming on the top, you will then want to flip the paratha over quickly. 

You should notice that the side that has been in contact with the pan has turned a delightful brown color. Simply keep cooking the paratha on the other side until it also turns brown.

At this point, we recommend sprinkling some more oil onto the paratha to help it cook more evenly before flipping it over a few more times. You generally want to keep cooking until the paratha has plenty of crispy and brown patches all across the surface. 

Once the paratha has turned a lovely golden color all over, simply remove it from the pan and place it onto a separate plate to cool down slightly.

All you then need to do is repeat the process with all the other paratha until you have a set of delicious mooli paratha ready to be served out! 

How Should You Eat Mooli Paratha?

The best way to experience your mooli paratha is to cut each one into around 4 distinct slices and then dip them into a variety of different dipping sauces. 

We strongly recommend serving your mooli paratha with some plain yogurt, as the slightly bitter taste of the yogurt and its creamy texture will mingle perfectly with the spicy flavor of the paratha! 

It also goes perfectly with some fresh and tangy raita, which you can dip the mooli right into. 

Will Mooli Paratha Last In The Fridge?

Yes. If you want to save your mooli paratha for later, you can easily place it into the fridge, where it can then last for a further week. Make sure to place the paratha in a sealed container to keep them fresh.

When you are ready to eat the paratha that you have stored away in the fridge, just reheat it on a hot frying pan for a few minutes to allow the insides to warm up! 

Final Thoughts

There you have it! Mooli paratha is an amazing way to enjoy the best of Indian cuisine, as it takes the traditional paratha recipe and stuffs it with plenty of delicious grated radish, which is coated in all kinds of spices and extra flavors! 

While it may take a little more skill to create this dish for yourself, it is more than worth it!