About this dal paratha recipe
Leftover dal paratha is a delicious and innovative Indian flatbread, made by incorporating leftover dal (lentils) into a dough to make crispy layered paratha. This dish is a clever way to repurpose leftover cooked dal, turning it into a nutritious and flavorful meal.
Recipe highlights –
- Punjabi style paratha
- Perfect for repurposing leftover dal
- Can be made with any dal
- Healthy & nutritious
- Kid-friendly for lunch boxes
- Option to make regular or crispy lachha parathas
To make this paratha cooked dal is mixed with whole wheat flour and various spices to create a dough. The dough is then rolled out and cooked on a tawa (griddle), resulting in a paratha that is soft, layered, and bursting with the rich flavors of the spiced lentils. The next time you find yourself with leftover dal, transform it into a creative and healthy meal with this recipe.
Reusing leftover dal
We’ve all been there — cooked a bit too much dal for dinner and now have a container of leftovers sitting in the fridge. While reheating it for another meal is an option, eating the same thing repeatedly can get monotonous.
Enter the leftover dal paratha! This delicious, nutritious and innovative dish breathes new life into your dal, transforming it into something even more delightful and satisfying.
The concept of leftover dal paratha is rooted in the traditional Indian kitchen’s resourcefulness, where nothing goes to waste.
By incorporating leftover dal into paratha dough, you not only reduce food waste but also infuse the paratha with rich flavors and nutritional benefits.
Why make leftover dal paratha?
Not only does it allow you to use leftover dal creatively, but this paratha often tastes even more delicious than regular parathas. The dal, already spiced and cooked to perfection, adds a depth of flavor to the paratha dough that plain flour just can’t match.
Dal is packed with protein, fiber, and essential vitamins. Incorporating it into parathas enhances their nutrition, making them a balanced and wholesome option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They are also a great choice for kids’ lunch boxes.
Quick and easy to prepare, this leftover dal paratha recipe is perfect for a fast, home-cooked meal using basic ingredients.
It’s incredibly versatile and can be made with any kind of cooked dal. Whether you have moong dal, masoor dal, or a mixed dal, each type lends a unique flavor to the paratha. Plus, you can customize the spices and herbs to suit your taste.
Main ingredients for dal paratha
The following are the main ingredients for making leftover dal paratha –
- Flour – Whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) is used for making the dough.
- Leftover dal – You can use any leftover dal like moong dal, sabut masoor dal or chana dal for this recipe. I have used yellow moong dal. You can lightly mash the dal to make sure its uniform.
- Fresh vegetables – I like adding some finely chopped onions, green chillies and coriander for some crunch and freshness. You can skip them, or add other vegetables of your choice, like fenugreek leaves (methi), spinach (palak), grated carrots, boiled peas etc.
- Spices – I have added spices like fennel seeds (saunf), coriander powder, red chilli powder etc. You can also add ajwain (carom seeds), chaat masala. amchur, mint powder or garam masala.
Serving suggestions
This leftover dal paratha is packed with flavors and tastes delicious even with just some butter or plain yogurt. You can also serve it with any raita like cucumber raita or mint raita.
The paratha also goes very well with pickles like mango pickle, carrot pickle or dates pickle. Fresh chutneys like mint coriander chutney or apricot chutney also complement the paratha very well.
If having the paratha for lunch or dinner, you can also pair it with some a vegetable curry, raita and salad for a complete meal.
To make leftover dal paratha at home follow the detailed step by step recipe with photos posted below.
Leftover Dal Paratha Recipe
Recipe Info
Nutrition
Ingredients For Leftover Dal Paratha Recipe
- 1.5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (Gehun ka Atta)
- 1 Cup Boiled or Leftover Dal
- 1/4 Cup Onion chopped
- 1/4 Cup Coriander Leaves (Cilantro or Dhaniya)
- 1-2 Green Chillies chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Saunf (Fennel Seeds)
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder (Kali Mirch)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
Step By Step Instructions for Leftover Dal Paratha Recipe
Preparing the dough
- Take whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl.1.5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (Gehun ka Atta)
- Add finely chopped green chillies, fennel seeds, coriander powder, black pepper powder, red chilli powder and salt.1-2 Green Chillies, 1 Teaspoon Saunf (Fennel Seeds), 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhaniya Powder), 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder (Kali Mirch), 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chilli Powder, 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Then add finely chopped onions and coriander leaves.1/4 Cup Onion, 1/4 Cup Coriander Leaves (Cilantro or Dhaniya)
- Add boiled or leftover dal to the paratha. I have added boiled yellow moong dal here.1 Cup Boiled or Leftover Dal
- Mix to make a soft dough. If the dal is liquidy, it should have enough water to make the dough. If there is less liquid, you can add a little bit of water as needed.
Rolling the parathas
- Divide the dough into 8 equal sized portions and make small balls.
- Slightly press the balls with your hands and dust them with whole wheat flour.
- Then flatten them out into a round disc. You can cook the paratha as is (skip to cooking the paratha section) or make a lachha paratha for a layered crispy flaky texture.
- To make the lachha paratha, brush some ghee on the top of the paratha.
- Sprinkle some whole wheat flour, red chilli powder and salt on top.
- Then start to fold the dough into thin strips starting from one end.
- Alternate the direction and continue to fold the strips downwards. You can also just cut the paratha into small strips and place them over one another.
- Finish rolling the whole paratha in alternating strips. Gently stretch it by pulling on both ends.
- Then start to roll it into a spiral shape.
- Finish rolling and press the end to seal and make a round shape.
- Gently flatten the spiral shaped dough with your hands.
- Dust with whole wheat flour.
- Flatten into a round disc again to make the layered paratha.
Cooking the parathas
- Place the dal paratha dough on a hot griddle or tawa on medium heat.
- Cook from one side for 1-2 minutes and then flip the paratha.
- Apply ghee on the top side. Cook the lower side for 2 minutes.
- Apply ghee on both sides and cook well till the dal paratha is golden brown and crispy.
- Leftover dal paratha is ready. Serve it with yogurt, raita, pickle or chutney.
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