Roll Baby Roll

This month Rooma made us do some extra rolling exercises, when she chose “Rolling” as the topic for MBP. This is the second time I am participating in MBP. For blog events, I always try to make something that I have never tried before. I had seen a few interesting recipes and they were in my “Must-try” list. MBP gave me a chance to make and savor them.

Introduction to the rolling pin: A rolling pin is a wooden cylindrical utensil, with handles at both ends to roll out dough. Don’t mess up with the person handling the rolling pin or it may come swirling at you:) Rolling pins are used daily to roll out chapattis. Other uses include making parathas, theplas, puris, and papads.


I was introduced to the rolling pin when my mom was after my life to learn chapattis. She used to keep aside some dough everyday and make me roll out at least 2 chapattis. And I would use all my strength to roll out the dough. I can still imagine her standing next to me giving all those instructions, “Roll a bit on the edges”, “Don’t roll more in the center”, “Don’t use so much pressure” and on and on. What used to start out with a small round chapatti soon used to loose all shape and turn into a perfect amoeba:( That is when I started dreading the rolling pin. I stayed as far away from it as possible. I have to admit that I did not cook anything on a regular basis till I came to the US. Here, I learnt the knack of using a rolling pin and am quite comfortable with it now. Here are my two experiments using the rolling pin.

Aloo Gobi Paratha

Well, I make chapattis daily but still hadn’t tried making stuffed parathas. MBP gave me a perfect opportunity to experiment with veggies in the dough. My dear friend Manasi presented Aloo Paratha as her entry for the JFI. I made these with some variations.

1.I added half cup shredded cabbage to the mashed potatoes.
2.Secondly, I heated oil and added mustard seeds, asafoetida, and turmeric powder to it. Then I added some curry leaves and poured this mixture to the mashed veggies. I also substituted green chillies with red chilli powder.

Results: The experiment was totally successful. P was a bit skeptic about adding the cabbage, but became happy when he tasted the parathas.

Vegetable Frankie

I was introduced to this Mumbai snack in my school days. I used to go out with a couple of friends for a round of Shivaji Park. Our evening used to end with a visit to the Tibbs stall near the park. While my friends used to munch on their chicken frankies, I used to enjoy my veggie Frankie. The stall-version contained extra oil and used to come wrapped in paper. Frankie is basically, veggies rolled into a roti and then fried together. When I described this snack to my mom, she came up with a recipe of her own. Mom used to make them on weekends when we used to get bored eating chapattis. When I had described her method to my hubby, he demanded his mom-in-law to treat him with this snack. And, he had completely loved it. Later, I browsed through Nupur’s blog and found her recipe for Frankie. I combined my mom’s and Nupur’s recipe and made delicious veggie Frankies this weekend. I had asked P to bring Spinach from the store and I wanted this to be a surprise for him. Whilst I was busy with the preps, he was standing next to me playing a guessing game. He took at least 15 guesses before he guessed it right, and by that time I was almost done with the snack:). Yes, this recipe does take a lot of time, but it’s worth the effort. Here's the recipe:

For the paratha
1.1 cup cut spinach
2.2 cups wheat flour
3.3 tsp besan
4.½ tsp red chilli powder
5.¼ tsp turmeric powder
6.¼ tsp ajwain
7.¼ tsp ginger paste
8.¼ tsp garlic paste
9.Salt to taste

For the vegetable stuffing
1.2 medium potatoes
2.1 big onion
3.½ capsicum
4.½ cup peas
5.½ tsp mustard seeds
6.Pinch of asafoetida
7.Salt to taste
8.¼ tsp ginger paste
9.¼ tsp garlic paste
10.½ tsp red chilli powder
11.¼ tsp turmeric powder

For the paste
1.1 tbsp all purpose flour (or corn flour)
2.Water

Making the stuffing
1.Boil the potatoes and peas. Mash them together. Finely chop the capsicum and onion.
2.Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, and turmeric powder. Add the onions and fry till light brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste.
3.Next, add capsicum, mashed potatoes and peas, red chilli powder, and salt. Fry for some time.

Making the parathas:
1.Mix together all ingredients and make firm dough. Use enough oil.
2.Make small balls of the dough and roll out parathas.
3.Semi-cook both sides of the paratha on a pan.

Assembling the Frankie
1.Make a paste of all-purpose flour and water.
2.Add some cooked vegetables on top of one paratha.
3.Spread the vegetable on the paratha. Don’t spread more on the edges.


4.Roll the paratha and seal one end with the paste. You can also seal the bottom on one side.


5.Heat a pan and add some butter. Fry the assembled Frankie on both sides till it is crispy.


6.Add some chopped onion and chat masala on the Frankie and serve hot with ketchup.


Results: Super-successful and savory. A must-try if you haven’t tasted this before. Definitely better and healthier than the street stall Frankie.
Thanks Rooma for hosting this MBP!