Pumpkin paratha or kaddu paratha is a nutritious, tasty, soft flatbreads made with wheat flour, yellow pumpkin and simple ingredients. In this post, let's see how to incorporate this vegetable in fun way that will be a great choice for your or your kid's lunch box and tiffin.
You can make this anytime of the year as it is available through out, but during fall, when pumpkin are in season, do give it a try.
Check out my other soft avocado paratha and yellow pumpkin dry curry recipe for rice in this website.
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I have seen kaddu ka paratha versions earlier but was not this tempted seeing this chapati video. Somehow the colour, simplicity of the recipe and texture pushed me to try immediately and wanted to share here too for you all to try.
Turns out really soft and stays soft, so perfect for your kid's lunch box. Nutritious and best way to include goodness of pumpkin in diet.
Here are few health benefits of yellow pumpkin
- Rich in beta-carotene, so good for eyes.
- Rich in nutrients, supports overall health and boost immunity.
- Anti-inflammatory
- Has vitamins and antioxidants for a healthy skin.
- Magnesium and potassium helps with maintaining strong healthy bones.
Pumpkin paratha Ingredients
I wanted to keep the ingredients really simple and used minimal. See recipe card for quantities.
- Yellow pumpkin - Known as Kaddu in Hindi, parangikkai in Tamil. Star ingredient of the recipe. I used the one we get here in Singapore Fairprice.
- Wheat flour - I used store bought atta. You can use whole wheat flour or homemade flour too.
- Oil - Apart from using it for cooking, I added some to the dough as well to bring softest results.
- Sugar - Just a little to enhance the taste
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step images
- Peel the pumpkin firstly and remove seed part. Wash well and cube roughly.
2. I place the pieces in a steamer plate and gave it a whistle in small pressure cooker. You can also cook any way you want.
💡Add 1 cup water to the pressure cooker. Place the steamer / trivet over it, close lid with pressure valve and pressure cook for one whistle in medium-high heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
3. Once done, take the cooked pumpkin in a mixing bowl.
4. Then mash it well smoothly, with a sauce whisk or potato masher.
5. To it, add wheat flour, salt, sugar and oil.
6. Mix well using a spatula firstly. Then knead well for a minute.
7. I transfer to my bread maker and left it to do the job.
8. Cover properly and give 15 minutes standing time.
9. After that, knead again to smooth well.
10. Then divide into 8 equal sized balls. Keep covered always.
11. Dust the counter top and take a dough portion. Furthermore, dust well with flour (I use all purpose flour for dusting) Spread like we usually do for chapati.
12. Then smear with a few drops of oil and sprinkle little flour.
Start rolling from top firstly.
Roll tightly furthermore till end.
13. Then using a knife split the roll into two, leaving one end intact.
14. After that, coil it in twisted way, tightly pressing.
15. Then, dust and start spreading it.
16. I like to spread thinly than we usually do for lachha paratha.
17. Then heat a tawa/ griddle/ pan and place the rolled paratha over it.
18. Cook furthermore in medium heat. Smear little oil both sides.
19. Once you apply oil, it gets browned fast, so keep it in check. Press gently to ensure all parts are cooked properly.
20. Finally, when you see golden spots on both sides, take off and store in a hot pack. Repeat to finish.
You can serve with any vegetable sabji or your favorite side dish. Even simply with chutney, curd and pickle.
Substitutions
- Pumpkin - instead of fresh pumpkin, you can also use canned puree. You can try with ½ cup puree and then add more if needed. I have not tried this personally but sure it will work.
- Wheat flour - use all purpose flour or mixed of both if you like to try. But this itself turns out super dream soft.
- Gluten free - Replace with bajra or other millet flour to make it without gluten.
Variations
- Spicy - add red chili powder or chopped green chilies, turmeric powder, garam masala, chaat masala, cumin powder, coriander leaves, ajwain or roasted cumin powder for a chatpata twist.
- Deluxe - add chopped and sauteed palak to the dough (Indian spinach)
- Kid friendly - Make a cheese stuffed paratha with mixed Italian herbs.
- Use 2 tablespoons plain yogurt if you have less pumpkin puree.
- Using the same dough, you can make pumpkin puri too.
Storage
You can store the dough in fridge for couple of days. Oil the surface and cling wrap tightly and keep in an airtight container.
The paratha stays soft even after cooling down, so perfect for lunch box.
You can refrigerate the leftover cooked pumpkin paratha in the fridge.
To reheat paratha after refrigeration, you can heat them over tawa in low flame or microwave for few seconds. You can also steam shortly.
Top tip
- You have to peel the pumpkin properly, to ensure it is cooked evenly. This gives smooth texture when you mash.
- Adding oil and mashing the pumpkin while it is hot and making dough immediately ensures soft paratha.
- Make sure to knead well smoothly and for a while to get the texture soft.
- If the dough is too wet and sticky to handle, sprinkle more dry flour to make it non-sticky.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with kaddu ka paratha:
Recipe card
Pumpkin Paratha | Kaddu Paratha Recipe
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Wheat flour atta
- 1 & ¾ cups Yellow pumpkin cubed
- 1 - 2 tablespoon Oil to add to the dough
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- Salt
- Oil for smearing
Instructions
- Peel the pumpkin firstly and remove seed part. Wash well and cube roughly.
- I place the pieces in a steamer plate and gave it a whistle in small pressure cooker. You can cook any way you want.
- Once done, take the cooked pumpkin in a mixing bowl.
- Then mash it well smoothly, with a sauce whisk or potato masher.
- To it, add wheat flour, salt, sugar and oil.
- Mix well using a spatula firstly. Then knead well for a minute.
- I transfer to my bread maker and left it to do the job.
- Cover properly and give 15 minutes standing time.
Make Kaddu ka paratha
- After that, knead again to smooth well.
- Divide into 8 equal sized balls. Keep covered always.
- Dust the counter top and take a dough portion. Dust well with flour (I use all purpose flour for dusting) Spread like we usually do for chapati.
- Then smear with a few drops of oil and sprinkle little flour.
- Start rolling from top.
- Roll tightly furthermore till end.
- Then using a knife split the roll into two, leaving one end intact.
- After that, coil it in twisted way, tightly pressing.
- Dust and start spreading it.
- I like to spread thinly than we usually do for lachha paratha.
- Then heat a tawa/ griddle and place the spread paratha over it.
- Cook in medium heat. Smear little oil both sides.
- Once you apply oil, it gets browned fast, so keep it in check. Press gently to ensure all parts are cooked properly.
- Finally, when you see golden spots on both sides, take off and store in a hot pack. Repeat to finish.
Video
Notes
- You have to peel the pumpkin properly, to ensure it is cooked evenly. This gives smooth texture when you mash.
- Adding oil and mashing the pumpkin while it is hot and making dough immediately ensures soft paratha.
- Make sure to knead well smoothly and for a while to get the texture soft.
Shilps says
My dough was extremely sticky! I kept adding more and more flour and it didn’t help. Overall, I feel there is no advantage to making these over regular parathas, because after adding all the flour the amount of kaddu in each paratha is too small to have any health benefits.
Raks Anand says
Thanks for your feedback, I guess there was too much water content in your dough. There are many other south Indian kaddu recipes in my website, hope you will give it a try 🙂
Sehar says
Just made it. Excellent recipe!
Raks Anand says
Thank you 🙂