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Jaggery was introduced to me when I was a toddler, as is the case with many children in Maharashtra/India. ‘Gool Toop Poli’ (jaggery, Ghee and chapati) is a staple for toddlers and young children. And why should it not be, considering that it is nutritious as well as quick to put together. Moreover, children always eat with more gusto, if the food is sweet. Well, at least I used to and so does my daughter. :)

Coming to these Parathas, I had found the recipe more than two years back in the supplement of a Marathi daily. I had cut it out then, but never really managed to try it out. When Kay asked us all Food-Bloggers to "try a recipe with jaggery that weve never tried before", I knew I had to grab that envelope,which carries all the recipe cuttings I have made from various sources. The original author has called this preparation Thalipeeth, which in my opinion is not the right word. Also, I have reduced the quantity of jaggery in it by half, because the Parathas would have become too sweet otherwise. The rest of the recipe is like this.

Makes approx. 8 Parathas of 12 cms. diameter

250 g. OR 3 medium carrots (approx. 2 cups when grated)

125 g. jaggery (approx. 1½ cups when grated)

1¼ cups wheat flour (Please refer to Step 6 for the quantity.)

some more wheat flour OR rice flour OR oil to roll the Parathas

a generous pinch of salt (or to taste)

6-7 tbsp oil

Ghee to serve the Parathas with

1. Wash, peel and grate the carrots. Grate the jaggery separately.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the grated carrots to it. Stir the carrot gratings and cover the pan. Let cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat.

3. Uncover the pan and add the jaggery to it. Stir to mix well.

4. Take the pan off heat as soon as all the jaggery has melted. Let the mixture cool completely.

5. Take the cooled mixture into a large, shallow dish or a mixing bowl and add salt to it.

6. Now add the wheat flour a little at a time and knead as you go. Add as much wheat flour as the carrot-jaggery mixture allows you to.

7. Knead well to make a dough similar to that of chapati. Add 2 tsp oil to it towards the end.

8. Divide this dough into 8 portions. Dust a rolling board with wheat or rice flour OR oil it. (I oiled the board and the rolling pin.)

9. Roll one portion of the dough to form a circle with a thickness of about ½ centimetre.

10. Roast this circle on both sides on a hot griddle or Tava until tiny, brown spots appear. Sprinkle a little oil on it, if you want the Parathas to become softer.

11. Make more Parathas like this with the rest of the dough.

Serve them warm or at room temperature with Ghee. They taste better after a few hours of making them.

Since these Parathas have no water in them, they keep well for several days. Although I must say that they do not last more than one day, because they are so tasty. :)

They are not only tasty, but highly nourishing too. Carrots provide the much needed carotene and jaggery brings along loads of iron. Wheat flour gives carbohydrates and the oil makes the absorption of some of the nutrients easier. Ghee stops the jaggery from increasing the bodys heat and also gives Omega 3 fatty acids.

I think they are great for growing children. Maybe Kay wants to keep this recipe for later? For when Meera grows up and comes home from school tired and hungry? :)