Leftover Dal Paratha

Leftover dal paratha is healthy Punjabi style flatbread made from leftover dal (lentils curry), whole wheat flour, spices, and veggies. It is perfect for breakfast, or brunch with a side of yogurt, pickle, or your favorite curry.

I find it quite exciting to prepare an altogether new dish from the leftovers in the fridge. Its a win-win moment for me. 

Leftover Dal Paratha is one such recipe that I learnt from my MIL.

I usually make these paratha's from leftover Maa Chole ki Dal (Yellow Gram & Split Black Lentils Curry) but you could use any dal of choice. 

It's delicious, healthy & so easy to make that I find myself making extra dal (lentils curry) just so that I can make these dal parathas the next morning.

It's a great breakfast/brunch option ready in no time so perfect for a weekend as well as a weekday. 

This Dal Paratha is

• Punjabi style flatbread
• great way to use leftover dal
• healthy and nutritious
• can be made ahead of time
• great for breakfast, snack
• Makes a protein-rich lunchbox for kids.

Paratha is an Indian flat-bread made with whole wheat flour (also known as atta in Hindi) and dal is lentils curry so dal ka paratha means Indian flat-bread made from lentils curry. 

Dal paratha is an easy Punjabi-style paratha (without stuffing) recipe made by kneading dal (lentils curry) with whole wheat flour (atta) and spices.

I generally prefer using leftover dal to make Dal Paratha as it is a great way to use it up and turn it into super delicious and nutritious paratha.

The dal is already seasoned with spices but when mixed with flour, it may taste bland so I always prefer adding additional spices, salt, and some lemon juice or amchur to boost up the flavor.

In addition to spices, I also always add finely chopped onions, ginger, green chili, and cilantro.

These are already present in your dal so feel free to skip it but I like the flavor these raw ingredients bring.

This is one of those recipes which you cannot go wrong with and is highly customizable so let see how to make dal paratha recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

Leftover dal: Lentils curry. I have used Maa Chole ki Dal but any leftover dal will work like chana dal, dal makhani, dal fry, moong dal. Just make sure to mash the dal so its uniform.

Flour: Use whole wheat flour (atta) to make the dough.

Veggies: These are optional but I always add some finely chopped onion as I love that crunch in my paratha. In addition, to make it more nutritious you can also add grated carrot or finely chopped spinach.

Dry Spices: ajwain (Carom seeds), turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, chaat masala and garam masala (optional).

Aromatics - I prefer using ginger, green chilies, and cilantro. You can also add garlic, I normally don't add.

Oil and ghee/butter: For cooking

Step by Step Instructions

To make the dough

1 & 2 - In a large bowl or the stand mixer bowl combine all the ingredients, like whole wheat flour, leftover dal, onions, cilantro, spices (ajwain, turmeric powder, red chili powder, chaat masala, garam masala), salt, and oil. 

3 - Knead into a soft pliable dough. You may need little to no water depending on your dal consistency. I didn't have to add any. 

4 - Smear little oil on the dough and knead again. Cover the dough with a lid or plastic wrap & let it rest for about 10-15 mins. 

To roll the paratha

5 - Divide the dough into 8-10 equal size portions and roll them into smooth balls.

6- Working with one ball at a time, roll it in dry wheat flour, and place it on the rolling board. Flatten it with your fingertips

7 - Using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a 6-7 inch circle slighter thicker than roti.
Use dry wheat flour as required to roll the paratha. 

The paratha should be slightly thicker than the regular chapati/tortilla. 

8 - Heat a griddle (tawa) or pan to medium heat. Once it's hot, lift rolled out paratha and transfer it to the hot griddle.

To roast the dal paratha

9 - Cook the dal paratha on one side and flip when you start seeing some bubbles form on the surface.

10 - While the second side is cooking, apply some butter or ghee to the top (roasted) part of the paratha.

11 - Again flip & let the side with ghee/butter roast. Repeat the same step with the other side too. 

12 - Once both sides are well cooked, remove from the griddle onto a plate and apply more ghee on top.

Repeat the above steps to make as many parathas you want to eat, keep rest of the dough refrigerated.

Serving suggestions

Serve paratha hot smeared with ghee or topped with butter with a side of achar (pickle) or ketchup or chutney along with spiced yogurt (curd) or raita, and a cup of hot tea for breakfast. Yum!

You can also pair with your favorite curry to make it a meal.

Slather more butter and roll it to make an excellent option for kids lunchbox.

Storage

Dough: This leftover dal dough can easily stay in the fridge for 2-3 days or you can freeze it for 1-2 months.

To thaw, just keep it in the fridge overnight or leave it on the counter for 3-4 hours and you should have a soft pliable dough ready to roll.

Refrigerated dough might get sticky. You can still use this dough, just use more whole wheat flour while rolling.

Leftover Paratha: Allow these to cool completely and then store them covered in a parchment-lined container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also separate each paratha by parchment paper.

Reheat them on a hot griddle flipping until both sides are heated through. Careful not to overheat else they will turn hard.

Alternately you can microwave them in 10 seconds intervals until heated through.

Recipe Tips

Amount of flour: Depending on the dal consistency, you may need more flour. I've used thick dal for this recipe, if you are using a thin consistency dal, add flour as needed.

Type of dal - These parathas can be made with any leftover dal like Maa Chole ki dal, chana dal, dal makhani, dal fry, moong dal, Toor dal, moong dal.

Dough: Let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes. The gluten will develop and it will be easier to roll. The tough dough will result in hard and dry parathas and too much water will make the dough sticky to roll so the right consistency is important.

Make pooris out of these by kneading the dough firm (add more flour).

Adjust spices: to your taste, you can't go wrong with this recipe.

Add more veggies: for that nutritional boost. Spinach, methi, kale, grated carrots all go really well with this paratha.

Roasting: Let the pan get hot before adding the paratha to cook. Roast the parathas flipping frequently and for shorter duration to get soft parathas.

Stack them on top of each other after roasting to keep them soft. Also, keep them covered.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Paratha Recipes

Hope you enjoy this Dal Paratha Recipe !! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️ ! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what's cooking in my kitchen!!

Recipe Card