Cabbage-Carrot Paratha- Kids Lunch Box

Hello Sweeties!!! Love is in the air. Know what I mean. Its February and The V day buzz has already started in Ashland. Boys are busy with the lists for the friends, making cards and sticking a cute heart lollipop to it and writing messages to all their class friends. Munchkin's school has set up a post box, where anyone can mail cards, letters special messages to the kids. One class take the job of sorting and delivering mails. Then the teachers read out the mail. Wish we had such cute things in our school. School then would have been little fun at least. But FYI, I was an expert in faking tummy aches and falling on steps that they always send me home. More of my school and dislike tales in later posts.


As you know school and kids lunch has become my obsession lately. What do I give them that will result in empty lunch boxes in the afternoon. Such a quest is never ending. My boys love eggs, bread and Parathas. Not much to work with if I close my mind and go the traditional way. Yet it opens a  world of possibilities, if I learn to use it wisely and mix and match few things. These 3 food items are truly like the red blue and yellow primary colors. If you know about colors and art that I know we all learnt in school and use it wisely,  in different proportions; we can create and make variety of  colors. With this logic in mind, I set my mind to work and today I bring to you one such dish that made me happy. Never have I been so happy to see empty boxes. Please help me out with ideas and lunch box items that have worked for you and your kids.

To make the Parathas;

You will need;

2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup cabbage Finely Grated

1 Carrot- Finely Grated

* Use the small hole on the box grater.
( Munchkin literally means no strings attached to his food, so I grate everything using the smaller garter on the box grater)

Salt to taste

1 tsp Red chili/cayenne powder

1 tspn Haldi/Turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 Amchur or dry mango powder

1tsp Sugar

1 tsp Garam masala

2 tbspn oil to knead the dough

Water as needed to make the dough soft.

In a wide bowl, take the carrot and cabbage and the dry powders and add salt and sugar, add oil and mix well, now start adding the flour and start mixing in the flour. Add teaspoon by tea spoon water till you have a soft pliable dough. Once  the dough is soft enough, cover  and let rest for 15-20 mins.

After the dough is rested, roll out the parathas like you would make roti's( make small balls  of the dough and roll out thin round tortillas dusting flour if the tortillas stick to the surface). Heat a griddle or tawa on medium heat and cook the partahas on one side. Flip the parathas and spray oil and cook the other side. Repeat on side one and cook both sides. Serve hot with some ketchup. or green chutney or any curry of your choice.

If making it for kids lunch, I usually scramble an egg with milk and make a small frankie of the egg with the paratha, in this way.

Kids love it with ketchup on the side, and I love it that they actually eat a wholesome lunch at school.