Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha Recipe | GitaDini Product Review and A Giveaway

Learn how to make Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha ~ Spicy Indian flatbread made using sweet potato mash and assorted Indian spices

There is always a new gadget to add to the kitchen to brighten up the décor, ease cooking prep, or to store things more efficiently. These days the market is flooded with hundreds and thousands of kitchen gadgets, available in various size, shape and budget to suit every need. There’s a lot more to product design than simply making something look good! For me, a good product is one that I find easy to use, it does the thing that it says in the label, something meets my needs, something that I like to use regularly and lastly, the look is appealing to me. For me, GitaDini products tick all the boxes and easily fit the bill of a good product. This post is about my experience of using GitaDini kitchenware and cookware extensively in my kitchen for the last two months. You can scroll down to find the details about how you can enter a giveaway to win this beautifully crafted kitchenware from GitaDini!

GitaDini is a US based family business founded by a dynamic husband and wife team, Jitu and Gita Patel. Apart from their wide range of home décor and furnishing line, they have a beautiful collection of kitchenware which I will be reviewing here. I’ve always worked with brands which I find best fit for my blog readers, mainly related to food and cooking. I usually take couple of weeks to extensively test the products in my kitchen before posting an honest review as I don't believe in misleading the blog readers with false information. It has been close to two months since I started using the GitaDini kitchenware and I am in a stage where I can happily share my experience.

I received a well packed box of GitaDini Yin-Yang style storage box, Rotito rolling board set and a 2-quart medium saucepan in mid-December by their PR agency here in the UK. They were individually packed in a beautifully custom designed gift boxes. All the products came with an instruction manual, called as an inspiration card by the company, which gives a brief details about their products, what inspires their designers and also the instructions for using and cleaning. At first glance one will not fail to notice that the products are designed for modern Indian kitchens without compromising the quality and the usability of traditional Indian kitchen gadget. These beautifully crafted products are quite sturdy and I have a feeling that they will last for a very long time.

GitaDini Yin-Yang Style Storage Box

GitaDini 2-Quart Medium Sauce Pan

The Yin-Yan style storage box comes with or without 12 individual dishwasher safe steel containers to store all the spices. It is a modern take on the traditional Indian Masala Dabba that can be found in many Indian kitchens to store the basic spices used in everyday cooking. The storage box is made of odourless high quality plastic and has an air tight lid to keep the spices or condiments fresh by sealing their flavour. It also includes two plastic scoops/spoons to measure out the spices. With three colour choices; brown, blue and black ‘n white, the elegant designed storage box can not only be used for storing spices, but also for storing condiments, organising sewing materials or desk supplies, storing costume jewelleries or other small items.

Unlike the traditional steel masala dabba, which sometimes gets jammed and I find difficult to open, I found the GitaDini storage box easy to open and close without a hitch. Also the lid of the steel masala dabba I have been using for the past 5 years has developed a crack on the lid and it can break anytime in the future making it unfriendly to store the spices. I don’t see the problem with the GitaDini spice box with its unique airtight lid which makes it ideal for using it day to day kitchen gadget. Although the outer plastic container is not dishwasher safe, it is very easy to wash and clean it. As the Yin and Yang represent opposites existing in perfect balance, this beautifully crafted spice storage box is sure to inspire every passionate cook to create a perfect balance of flavours. 

The GitaDini 2-quart medium sauce pan is made up of stainless-steel and has a long comfort grip handles making it easy to hold and pour the liquid. It has a two deep pouring spout and a built-in strainer on the left making it one of the well-designed milk pan or tea pan I have ever come across. The man of the house loves the Masala Chai, a spiced Indian tea, and this sauce pan has been put to vigorous test by him for the last two months. Now that he has declared it as his favourite tea pan, and brews his Masala Chai only in this pan is a proof enough to show how much it has become an integral part of our kitchen. Apart from using it to boil milk or make tea, this medium sauce pan is very useful in cooking the pasta or vegetables with its useful inbuilt-strainer and hence doesn’t require a separate colander. It has a thick capsulated bottom which helps in even distribution of heat making it ideal boiling milk or melting the butter or chocolate. The long handle doesn’t get heated up and makes it easy for pouring. This sauce pan is dishwasher safe which makes it ideal for people with busy lifestyle.

However, it is not suited for induction stovetops which may put off some people. I found the inbuilt strainer not quite useful when using loose tea leaves to brew the chai and I had to use the tea strainer separately. Also the spout with inbuilt strainer is on the left hand side which may not be ideal for left-handed people. I know that it is sold as a sauce pan and not as cooking pot, but I found it bit tricky to use it with a lid, especially when I wanted to speed up the cooking of vegetables or pasta, as the in-built strainer doesn’t allow the lid to sit snug. Although the product says it is ideal for cooking pasta or vegetables, I find myself using this pan mostly for boiling milk or to make chai. I hope the people at GitaDini will find a way to make it more user-friendly after reading this review as I genuinely like the product and feel that it can only get better if they can incorporate some of the feedback to make it one of the best products in the market!

GitaDini Rotito Rolling Board Set

The last product that went through the vigorous test is the Rotito Rolling Borad Set, named after Indian flat bread ‘Roti’, is available in three beautiful colours; red, grey and brown. The non-skid bottom makes it easy to use it on any surface. The set comes with a rolling board, a choice of rolling pin either a dishwasher-safe rolling pin of heavy-duty, FDA approved ABS-plastic in a matching Rotito color, or a wooden rolling pin (hand wash only) available in three sizes, and a stainless steel flour container that easily fits under the rolling board for easy storage saving you the much needed storage space if you have a small kitchen like me. The board is quite sturdy and provides additional height over the counter top for ease of rolling the dough and its textured surface makes it easier to roll out the dough with less oil or dusting flour. It can also be used as a chopping board or to serve pizza or pie. It is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning and the two holes on the stand makes it easy to store the rolling pin or simply hang on the wall.

To be frank, I was not expecting much from the Rotito and to my pleasant surprise; it not only exceeded my expectation but also fulfilled a need I didn’t know I had. Like most Indian homes, I have the traditional wooden rolling board and wooden rolling pin. The problem with the wooden rolling board is that it absorbs the water when washed and the water penetrates the surface making it unusable after few years. I find it bit tricky to roll the Paratha when the filling oozes out and gets stuck on the surface as the moisture penetrates the surface making it difficult to roll the dough. It was not the case in the Rotito as I could wipe the excess moisture from the board with a kitchen towel. I have used Rotito for rolling parathas and rotis made with different flours and found is very useful and versatile. It looks great on the kitchen counter and adds a splash of colour. The fact that Rotito has replaced my regular wooden board is a proof enough to show how much I have come to love this product. This is going to be a permanent fixture in my kitchen.

The good people at the GitaDini have graciously agreed to GIVEAWAY their elegant, eye-catching quality product to one lucky reader of Monsoon Spice. The winner can choose either Rotito Rolling Set or Yin-Yang Style Storage Container for your kitchen or to gift it to someone you like. To participate in this giveaway all you need to do is leave a comment below saying which GitaDini product you liked the most. You can earn extra entries by tweeting about the giveaway (please include our twitter handles @MeetSia and @GitaDiniUSA in your tweets) and leave a separate comment for every extra tweets. This giveaway is open to anyone with UK mainland shipping address and will run until Saturday, 5th March, 2016. Good luck, folks! :)

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This giveaway is closed!
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Disclaimer: Please note that this is not a paid post and I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking GitaDini for sending Ying-Yang Storage Box, Rotito Rolling Board Set and 2-Quart Medium Sauce Pan for extensive product testing and reviewing.

Now for the recipe: I have the Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha recipe for all Paratha lovers. One of the most loved Indian flat breads, Paratha can be made two ways; one by stuffing the fillings of choice in the dough ball and rolling them and second by simply adding the ingredients to the flour while mixing and kneading them to dough before rolling and cooking. This Sweet Potato Paratha is made using the second technique. I have tried using the spiced mashed sweet potatoes as filling from time to time and always found the filling quite wet which ends up oozing out of the dough when rolling. Taste wise, I find the Stuffed Sweet Potato Paratha is better, only slightly, to the one where the spiced mashed sweet potatoes are added to the flour when making the dough. Having said that, this version of Spicy Sweet Potato Parathas takes half the time from prep to cooking as compared to the stuffed Paratha, which for me is a plus point especially during busy weekdays.

The assorted spices not only enhance the taste of sweet potatoes but also balance the natural sweetness of them. I love using amchur powder which is made using sundried raw mangoes in most of the Parathas I make as it gives a sweet-sour taste to the dish. If you don’t have them in your pantry, just substitute with a juice from half a lime or lemon. The sourness thrown along with the spices makes this Paratha a truly a stunning dish. There is no strict rule about following the recipe to T and you can simply omit or replace one or more ingredient with the other. You can also use fresh fenugreek leaves, spinach, coriander leaves or any other green leafy veggies of your choice to make it more nutritious. You can spice it up by using either fresh finely chopped green chillies or by upping the amount of red chilli powder when making the dough. Serve them hot smeared with Shudh Desi ghee, pickle and yogurt or serve them wrapped with a delicious filling of salad and dipping sauce to make a simple and easy lunch or picnic option. This Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha is something that is loved both kids and adults alike and sure to make regular appearance on your dinner tables.

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Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha (Spicy Indian flatbread made using sweet potato mash and assorted Indian spices)
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
Cooking Time: Around 30 minutes
Recipe Level: Easy to intermediate
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Makes: Around 12-15 parathas
Shelf Life: Best served fresh, but can be stored for a day at room temperature
Serving Suggestion: With yogurt or raita and pickle of your choice

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Ingredients:
2- 2½ cups Atta/Whole Wheat Flour
2 medium or 3 cups (approx.) Sweet Potatoes, peeled and roughly diced into 1 inch cubes
½ tbsp. Oil
2 tsp or Salt to taste
Extra oil or ghee for cooking the Paratha

Spices Used:
½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust as per taste)
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin powder
1 tbsp. Dhania/Coriander Powder
1 tbsp. Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Powder, crushed with fingers
1½ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¾ tsp Carom Seeds
½ tsp Garam Masala (Optional)
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida

Method:
Preparation:

1. Scrub and wash the sweet potato under running water. Trim the ends and peel them. Cut them into rough 1 inch cubes.
2. Add about 1½ cups of water and cover and cook them on stove top over a medium flame for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked through. Alternatively you can microwave them covered in a microwave safe bowl for around 12 minutes or until they are cooked through.
3. Drain and reserve the water in which the sweet potatoes are cooked with a help of a large sieve or colander. You can use this water when mixing and kneading the dough.
4. Mash the cooked sweet potato a potato masher to smooth paste. Keep it aside to cool.

Prepare the dough:

1. Take whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl. Add all the dry spices listed above along with salt to taste and mix them well.
2. Add the mashed sweet potato and ½ tbsp. oil and mix them well. Start to knead into soft pliable dough by adding the reserved water if needed. The water in the mashed sweet potato is usually enough to make the dough, so be cautious when adding reserved added as you may ended up with very moist dough which will be difficult to roll. Keep kneading the dough for 2-3 minutes and then cover with a towel and keep it aside to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Proceed to make Paratha:

1. Heat the tawa or griddle on a medium flame.
2. While the tawa is heating, Make a golf ball sized balls and roll it using rolling pin by dusting each ball with little flour so that it don’t stick to the surface. Paratha should be rolled from centre out so that the surface has equal thickness.
3. Gently dust off the excess flour and place the rolled Paratha on hot griddle. Drizzle a tsp of oil or ghee around the edges and turn it over when you see a few blisters on the surface. Cook the other side same way until little brown spots start to appear on top.
4. Transfer it to the serving plate and smear its surface with ghee or oil which will keep them soft for long time.
5. Serve this delicious and soft Spicy Sweet Potato Paratha with yogurt and pickle or with any curry of your choice and enjoy!

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Sia’s Notes:

• There is no strict rule about following the recipe to T and you can simply omit or replace one or more ingredient with the other.
• You can also add fresh fenugreek leaves, spinach, coriander leaves or any other green leafy veggies of your choice to make it more nutritious when preparing the dough.
• You can also add finely chopped green chillies if you like a spicy parathas.
• You can serve these Spicy Sweet Potato Parathas hot smeared with shudh Desi ghee, pickle and yogurt or serve them wrapped with a delicious filling of salad and dipping sauce to make a simple and easy lunch or picnic option.