Butternut Squash

Spiced Winter Squash & Herb ‘Tattie Scone’ Parathas

January 29, 2019
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

I loved making these for Katie Quinn when she came to visit me in Edinburgh (check out her day trip in the video above) because they are part Pakistani and part Scottish. In Pakistan, we have a flatbread called paratha, which is an enriched bread with ghee and sometimes made with potatoes and flour; and in Scotland, we have tattie scones, which are again leftover potatoes with flour. So I combined the two since the techniques are quite similar. They're great with a cup of tea (as you would in Britain) or a cup of coffee (if you're in America). —Sumayya Usmani

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe is featured in the story,
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Spiced Winter Squash & Herb ‘Tattie Scone’ Parathas
Ingredients
  • 60 grams butternut squash, roasted until soft
  • 1 medium potato, peeled, chopped, boiled, and mashed
  • 100 grams plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons coriander, finely chopped
  • 6 mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes)
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 3-4 tablespoons ghee (or coconut, rapeseed, or vegetable oil)
Directions
  1. Mix all the ingredients together, except the ghee, in a large bowl. Stir in the ghee, a little at a time, until the mixture reaches a dough-like consistency. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth.
  2. Divide the dough into tennis ball-sized pieces. Cover with a damp cloth.
  3. Heat a griddle pan, tawa, or frying pan over high heat. When hot, add a little ghee, then reduce the heat to medium.
  4. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball into a 1/4-inch-thick patty. Place in the hot ghee and cook gently, pressing down the corners with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper, to ensure it browns evenly. When one side is cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes, turn over and cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining dough.

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Sumayya is a food writer and cookery teacher who grew up in Pakistan, but has now found home in Glasgow. Sumayya is passionate about sharing the flavours of her homeland with a view to highlight Pakistani cuisine as a distinct one. The author or two cookbooks: Summers Under The Tamarind Tree (Frances Lincoln) and Mountain Berries and Desert Spice (Frances Lincoln, out April 2017), her writing reminisces about food and memories growing up in Pakistan. She writes for many publications, appears on television, and co-presents BBC Kitchen Cafe weekly, on BBC Radio Scotland.

3 Reviews

Mirren December 5, 2022
Worked great, tender texture with subtle sour zing from the lime and aromatic indian spices. Went very well with a cooked breakfast/fry up. Don't omit the green chili, it is a key part of the flavour! I used a serrano and the chili flavour was great, but no spicy heat.

I used a russet potato weighing a little less than double the squash weight. From past experience, if you are experimenting with vegetable "potato" scones, make sure to have at least 50% potato. Vegetables are wetter than potato and the extra flour needed makes the scones tough.

I didn't have the fresh herbs so I put in 1/2 tsp of coriander powder (not the same, but delicious). I also did not put any ghee in the dough, and it came together into a soft, slightly sticky dough very much like normal potato scones. The scones were not dry or tough either, so I think I would leave out the fat next time as well. There is plenty in the pan! Another reviewer also noted that it was very wet when trying to add the ghee to the dough.

Left half of the dough covered in the fridge overnight and they were just as good the next day cooked from cold.
Jessamin December 21, 2020
This did not work for me, but I liked it enough to try again. I followed the recipe to a tee until the end, when I had to halve the ghee added to the dough because it was making it way too soft. Mine never reached a consistency even close to being able to roll out even though I added several more tablespoons of flour. I used butternut squash and I wish I'd chosen a squash with more flavor, like acorn. I would also probably up the herbs and spices.
Rebtile January 30, 2019
This looks delicious. How many grams should the medium potato be?