Methi paratha
Vegetarian
मेथी पराठा · methi paratha
Fresh fenugreek leaves kneaded straight into spiced wheat dough, then rolled, folded into layers and griddled. Pleasantly bitter and aromatic — the Punjabi cousin of Gujarati thepla, thicker and flakier.
Methi paratha is a Punjabi bread from India, ready in about 1 hour 4 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and fresh fenugreek leaves. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 24 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 4 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 247
Ingredients
For the dough
For cooking
Method
Step 1
Mix the chopped fenugreek with the salt and leave it for 5 minutes to wilt. Add the atta (opens in a new tab), ajwain (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab), chilli powder, green chilli (opens in a new tab) and oil, then knead with water, a little at a time, into a soft dough — the leaves release moisture, so you need less water than usual. Rest 15 minutes.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Divide into 6. Roll a ball into a 12 cm round, brush with a little ghee (opens in a new tab) and dust with flour, fold in half and in half again into a triangle, then roll it out to an 18 cm triangle.
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels Step 3
Lay a paratha on a hot tawa or heavy pan over medium-high heat. When small bubbles appear (about 30 seconds) flip it; after another 30 seconds brush the top with ghee (opens in a new tab), flip again and press the edges with a spatula (opens in a new tab) until golden-brown patches form. Brush and cook the second side the same way — 3 to 4 minutes per paratha in all.
- 24 min
- medium-high heat
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
- Spatula (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Punjab and North India, India · Commonly attributedA winter paratha across North India; related to, but heavier than, Gujarat's thepla.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
- Dish
- Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried
- Taste
- bitter, aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Everyday · Portable / lunchbox
- Cook more with
- Whole-wheat flour · Ajwain · Turmeric · Cayenne / chilli powder · Green chilli · Ghee
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Kneading
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
- Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
247 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 102 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 11%
- Carbohydrate 56%
- Fat 33%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 247 kcal | 243 kcal |
| Protein | 7.2 g | 7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 36.9 g | 36.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 31.1 g | 30.6 g |
| Sugars | 0.3 g | 0.3 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 5.8 g | 5.7 g |
| Fat | 9.5 g | 9.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 4.5 g | 4.4 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg | 17 mg |
| Sodium | 209 mg | 206 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.5 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 284 mg
- Calcium
- 37 mg
- Iron
- 2.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 83 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 138 µg
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 55 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): ajwain.
- Fresh fenugreek leaves: No fresh fenugreek-leaf entry in FDC SR Legacy; raw spinach is the closest leafy green (fenugreek leaves are somewhat higher in protein and fibre).
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Use only the leaves and the thinnest stems; thick stems taste harsh.
Common mistakes
- Adding all the water at once — the leaves make the dough sticky as it rests.
Serve with
- Serve with dahi, aloo sabzi or a dal; good cold for travel.
Storage
- Keeps 2 days at room temperature wrapped in a cloth, or 4 days in the fridge.
Reheating
- Reheat on a dry tawa over medium heat for about a minute a side until crisp and hot through.
Variations
- With kasuri methi: Out of season, use 2 tbsp crushed dried fenugreek leaves instead of fresh.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Structure
For the dough
- Whole-wheat flour300 g
- Salt0.5 tsp · 3 g
- Neutral vegetable oil2 tsp · 9.1 g
- Fresh fenugreek leaves, leaves only, washed, dried and finely chopped100 g
- Ajwain0.5 tsp · 1.2 g
- Turmeric0.25 tsp · 0.8 g
- Cayenne / chilli powder0.5 tsp · 0.9 g
- Green chilli, finely chopped1 piece · 6 g
- Water150 ml · 150 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 49 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 15 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
- Start to finish: about 1 h 4 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-wheat flour | Flour | 300 g | 100% |
| Water | Water | 150 g | 50% |
| Fresh fenugreek leaves | Other | 100 g | 33.3% |
| Neutral vegetable oil | Fat | 9 g | 3% |
| Green chilli | Other | 6 g | 2% |
| Salt | Salt | 3 g | 1% |
| Ajwain | Other | 1 g | 0.4% |
| Cayenne / chilli powder | Other | 1 g | 0.3% |
| Turmeric | Other | 1 g | 0.3% |
- Total flour
- 300 g
- Hydration
- 50%
- With milk, eggs…
- 50%
- Wholegrain
- 100%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Stiff dough (under 55% hydration) — firm, easy to roll; typical of bagels, pretzels and many flatbreads.
- Salt 1% — on the low side (1.8–2.2% is typical for bread).
- 100% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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