Bathua roti recipe: Give your basic roti a green winter twist!

Pigweed or bathua saag, as we commonly call, it is a perfect winter delight. Rich in fiber, essential minerals and vitamins like A, B, C, this leafy green holds a high status in nutritional density. Its limited availability in winter is why you must consume it daily in any form to reap benefits from it. And to do that, we can eat it like a bowl of saag. If you’re someone who can’t stand saag, make a bathua roti!

Your atta, when combined with the goodness of bathua, becomes a healthy variant of basic roti. So without wasting much time, here’s how you can make a bathua roti:

Ingredients:

  1. A bunch of bathua
  2. ½ tsp Salt
  3. 2 cups whole wheat flour (you can choose chickpea flour/besan as a healthy alternative)
  4. 2 pinch asafoetida
  5. 1 tsp carom seeds
  6. 1 tsp cooking oil

Preparation:

  1. In a pan, add a clean and washed bunch of bathua.
  2. Pour 1 cup of water.
  3. Add salt and cook for 6-8 minutes.
  4. Now, take a bowl to knead the dough.
  5. To the bowl, add flour, carom seeds, asafoetida and cooking oil.
  6. Mix to combine.
  7. Pour the cooked bathua mix into the bowl.
  8. Knead into a soft dough by adding more water if needed.
  9. Place the dough aside for 10 minutes to soften.
  10. Roll the rotis and cook them evenly.

Eat these vibrant green rotis with sabji, daal or any dish of your liking. For breakfast, you can also add some oil to the dough and make bathua parathas. Pair it with wholesome bathua raita and enjoy your delicious meal.

Before you get on to making these bathua rotis, let us stress more on the health benefits stored in this green veggie. Asma Alam, a Nutritionist and Dietitian based in Delhi, spoke to HealthShots and listed many benefits of this winter delight.

Here are some health benefits of bathua:

1. Treat acne

A good diet means good skin. Impurities in blood are one of the most common reasons for frequent breakouts and acne. Including bathua regularly in your diet will help purify your blood, preventing acne and making the skin appear flawless and glowing.

ways to get rid of acneIt’s time to bid adieu to all your acne troubles by eating bathua everyday! Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

2. Aids in weight loss

A 100 gram serving of this winter-friendly vegetable provides only 43 calories along with various essential nutrients, making it a perfect choice for anyone wanting to lose weight through healthy foods.

3. Improves vision

Being a rich source of nutrients like vitamin A, zinc and iron, bathua benefits your vision immensely. This is all the more reason for you to consume this healthy vegetable regularly, especially when you’re facing the screen for hours.

glaucome (1)Regular intake of bathua can prevent eye problems. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

4. Helps relieve constipation

Besides being a powerhouse of essential nutrients, bathua has an amazing water content, is rich in fibre and also possesses laxative properties. All these factors promote healthy digestion and help relieve constipation.

5. Improves cell function

Bathua is a nutritious food. It’s a rich source of essential minerals like zinc, iron, potassium, calcium and phosphorus and vitamins like B complex, A and C. Moreover, bathua is also exceptionally rich in amino acids which helps in cell formation, repair and function.