Ok go with me here on this one. It’s basically my take on an indian quesadilla, and I call it the daal-dilla. This melds two super easy products into one simple, yummy meal or snack! It can be for kids, or it can be for adults. You take a paratha (my favorite is the Kawan brand) and the Tasty Bite Madras lentils, put it in the middle with some cheese and onions, and wham bam, you’ve got yourself what I like to call a daal-dilla. It’s this cheesy yumminess with the flakiness of a paratha, and it’s SO SO SO good y’all.
This was born on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago when I couldn’t figure out a quick easy lunch that the kiddos could hold in their hands and eat besides a sandwich. I thought about a quesadilla, but I didn’t have regular tortillas on hand. So I looked around the kitchen and the pantry and found some paratha and (it’s like an indian flatbread that’s flaky and super delicious!) the madras lentils, and you know that moment when you’re like this is either going to be really good or really bad.. that was it. And it turned out to be completely amazing, and when Aria thought it was ultra delicious, I knew I had to share! It’s too easy not to!
You will probably have to go to an Indian store to buy the paratha, because I’ve yet to see it in mainstream grocery stores. But it’s super easy to find and it’s just in the freezer section! I promise you won’t be disappointed! Totally worth the extra effort because they are freezer friendly, and there tends to be quite a few in the packages so you’ll be set for a while. The madras lentils are literally everywhere now. I think even Trader Joes has their own version, but I normally get the 8 pack from Costco because we love it so much!
Ingredients:
- Kawan paratha, 2 per dilla (if you don’t want to make the trek to the indian store, I feel like a good alternative might be the garlic naan from Trader Joe’s or regular naan from the grocery store!)
- Tasty Bites Madras Lentils
- Shredded Cheese (I like using mozzarella but you can probably use variations of cheddar, colby, and jack here too!)
Optional Ingredients:
- Finely Diced Onions
- Finely Minced Cilantro
- Indian Pickle (Aachar)
- Finely sliced green chilies
Directions:
- Cook the parathas in a pan on each side about 3/4 way through.
- Cook the daal according to the package, which is normally just a minute in the microwave.
- Layer some daal on one side of one of the parathas, top with some cheese (and any additional toppings you may like!), put the other paratha on top.
- Put back into the pan and cook the paratha all the way through until the cheese is melted as well! Serve with chutney if you want, but it’s pretty good on its own!
- * Kawan paratha, 2 per dilla (if you don't want to make the trek to the indian store, I feel like a good alternative might be the garlic naan from Trader Joe's or regular naan from the grocery store!)
- * Tasty Bites Madras Lentils
- * Shredded Cheese (I like using mozzarella but you can probably use variations of cheddar, colby, and jack here too!)
- * Finely Diced Onions
- * Finely Minced Cilantro
- * Indian Pickle (Aachar)
- * Finely sliced green chilies
- 1. Cook the parathas in a pan on each side about 3/4 way through.
- 2. Cook the daal according to the package, which is normally just a minute in the microwave if you use the Tasty Bite ones.
- 3. Layer some daal on one side of one of the parathas, top with some cheese (and any additional toppings you may like!), put the other paratha on top.
- 4. Put back into the pan and cook the paratha all the way through until the cheese is melted as well! Serve with chutney if you want, but it's pretty good on its own!
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