Indian Paratha with Raita

One of the reasons I love Indian food is because it's all about mixing the flavors. Indian breads, whether they are naan, paratha, roti or chapati, are all perfect compliment for a flavor heavy Indian dish. I love to pile the curries and sauces onto the breads. I had some left over cilantro in my refrigerator so I decided to use it to make some paratha. I didn't really know what I was doing and I definitely plan to make this again and experiment with different spices and flours. I chose to make a raita for the paratha which was the perfect cool spread for this hot-off-the-skillet bread. The two recipes follow.

Indian Paratha
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour (plus more for kneading)
3/4 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek style non-fat)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in cilantro. Then add the yogurt and mix until small clumps form. Then add in more flour and/or yogurt, kneading the dough until it holds together and is smooth.
2. Pull off small handfuls of the dough to roll into balls and using your palms, smoosh the ball so they are like little pancakes.
3. Heat olive oil on medium high in a skillet and place the chapati patties in the skillet and cook until golden brown and puffed on each side. About 3 minutes a side.
4. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess oil and serve warm with raita.

Raita

(makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek style non-fat)

1/2 cup chopped cucumber (try to chop it into as small as pieces as possible)

1 handful fresh chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons chopped scallions

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and cover and chill until ready to serve.