Butternut squash & Sweet Potato stuffed Parathas

Those sweltering hot days in Karachi were broken with the sudden thunder and quick, furious downpour which would relieve the suffocating  humidity of  Karachi - the nearly intoxicating sound of hard drain drops beating down on the tin roof garages and the earthly smell in the air would make me yarn for my Nani Mummy's stuffed parathas and chai. Sitting on the terracota floored porch sheltered by the concrete "chajja" (awning) - nothing smelt more divine than the scent of the warm rain hitting the earth washing the dusty mango trees and brighten the bougainvilleas bushes mixed with the smell of fresh parathas frying on the "tava" and the sound of the kettle whistle on the stove.How I long for those days and my Nanni Mummy's special spicy potato filled square shaped parathas but I know I can keep that memory alive by honouring that memory by reproducing them in the best way I can. While on holiday  in Singapore  this month, not only has the weather reminded me of those days with the sweet song of the "Koel" bird, the humidity enveloping your body and mind and the relief experienced with the sudden dark yet elating downpour, but so has the delicious hawker "Murtabak" reminded me of those delicious rain-reminiscent stuffed paratha.The amazingly enormous chicken, egg and vegetable stuffed  "Murtabak" hawker stuffed paratha-style treat that we ate at the hawker centre opposite the Botanic Gardens, Bukit Timah gate.... which my friend Michael  (much to his Pakistani wife, my dear friend Shazia's insistence that this is not a real Pakistani paratha!) has been going on about since I got to Singapore - this lead me to share a recipe and a memory dear to my heart - oh and not to mention the beautiful bougainvilleas as well...Here in this recipe I have used the seasonal butternut squash with a personal favourite carb, sweet potato - the mix of these two bring a sweet earthy flavour and the panch puran brings these two alive with the kick of the smoky, spicy-fragrant carom seeds to marry the flavours of the two vegetables, is quite a perfect mix to either eat alone with plain parathas to use as a filling in them. Though when made as stuffed parathas these used to mop up stunningly simple cool Greek yoghurt with a pinch of mint sauce stirred in, is equally divine be in sticky hot Singapore, Karachi or cold rainy Blighty, to which I I have now returned to after two weeks of beautiful sunshine! More Singapore food posts which will feature in the next few  weeks. What amazing food...more soon!Ingredients:For the butternut squash and sweet potato bhujia3/4 a butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks1-2 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks1 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil (my favourite is Farrington's, I love using this oil as it's got a high smoking point so great for stir-frying Pakistani/Indian veg and has a lovely mustard flavour)1 1/2 tsp panch pooran whole spices (available at any Indian shops)1 tbsp equal mixture of ginger and garlic paste1/2 tsp turmeric1/2 - 1 tsp red chilli powdersalt to tasteMethod:1. Heat a wok-style pan (with a lid) and add the oil until hot and add panch pooran spice until it starts to splutter. Now add the ginger and garlic paste, stir fry but do not allow to burn.2. Next add the powder spices and salt and then throw in the vegetables and a splash of water and fry for about 5-10 minutes. Then turn down heat to low and cover pan (add another splash of water). Keep checking on the vegetables but allow to cook in "dam" (under low heat and steam) until cooked and mushy. Either eat this by itself or use to fill in the parathas (recipe below). If you are using this as a paratha filling make sure you make the mixture mushy with a fork.For the stuffed parathas:Ingredients:2 cups wholewheat flour (atta)enough tap water to make a dough1 pinch of saltgheeMehtod:1. Place the flour and pinch of salt in a glass bowl, make a well in the middle and add a little water and using your fingers start incorporating the two together and keep adding water until the mixture forms a pliable dough. Now take the dough out and and flour the table top and start to knead the dough until smooth. Once ready, take a little ghee and cover the dough ball and cover with cling film and keep aside for about 15-30 minutes.2. When you are ready to make the parathas, flour the table top and pulling out a bit of dough make golf-size balls and then flatten them with your hands and place a teaspoon of the vegetable mixture in the middle then fold into a half crescent shape then form into a ball again and careful roll out with a rolling pin until round and flat.3. Heat a tava or pancake pan with about 2 teaspoons of ghee and place the paratha and fry on medium low heat until light down on one side, when you can careful flip the paratha and cook on the other side. Feel free to add more ghee each time.4. Serve immediately with place yoghurt or raita. Lovely with some hot tea!hghghg