I made this for a dinner where I wanted to serve something that was half Indian and half summer salad. The paratha is whole wheat dough mixed with spring onions, grated carrot, ginger, and spice powders, with blue cheese stuffed inside before cooking on a hot griddle. The salad is cubed watermelon, sliced cucumber, red onion, and more blue cheese, tossed with a white wine vinaigrette sweetened with honey and sharpened with Dijon mustard.
The warm paratha, torn by hand and dipped into the cold salad, is how you eat this. The blue cheese melts inside the flatbread and crumbles cold over the watermelon. Two temperatures, two textures, one flavour running through both. One of my favorite things we make in summer, honestly.
Tips for Making Blue Cheese Paratha and Watermelon Salad
Make the dough with vegetables mixed in
Whole wheat flour, water, chopped spring onions, grated carrot, grated ginger, spice powders, and salt. Knead into a soft dough.
Divide into balls, roll flat, place blue cheese in the centre, seal, and roll again. Cook on a hot griddle with oil until golden on both sides.
Keep the salad simple
Cubed watermelon, sliced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, crumbled blue cheese. Toss gently with the vinaigrette.
The vinaigrette is white wine vinaigrette with honey and Dijon. Whisk until emulsified before drizzling over the salad.
Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Blue Cheese Paratha
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5 flatbreads
Description
Indian paratha bread is filled with a rich blue cheese and served beside a light watermelon, cheese, and cucumber salad for a balancing summer pair.
Ingredients
- 1 cup watermelon, cubed
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup spring onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup carrot, grated
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon spice powders (e.g., cumin, coriander)
- Salt to taste
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine watermelon, cucumber, red onion, and blue cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk together white wine vinaigrette, honey, and Dijon mustard. Drizzle over the salad and toss gently.
- For the paratha, mix whole wheat flour, water, spring onions, carrot, ginger, spice powders, and salt to form a dough.
- Divide the dough into small balls. Roll each ball into a flatbread.
- Place blue cheese in the center of one flatbread, cover with another, and seal the edges.
- Cook on a hot griddle with a little oil until golden brown on both sides.
- Serve the paratha with the watermelon cucumber salad.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 flatbread
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 8
Frequently Asked Questions
What spice powders go in the dough?
Use cumin and coriander, about half a teaspoon each. They give the paratha a warm, earthy flavour that pairs with the blue cheese.
Can I use store-bought flatbread?
You can, but the homemade paratha with vegetables and blue cheese inside is the point of this recipe. If short on time, stuff store-bought naan with the cheese and warm it in a pan.
What blue cheese works best?
A creamy, mild blue cheese. Castello blue is recommended. Gorgonzola dolce or Danish blue also work. Avoid very sharp blues that overpower the watermelon.
