Crispy, flaky Aloo Paratha are an emblem of soulful Indian home cooking. Of all the stuffed breads India is famous for, Aloo Paratha is the one loved in every family kitchen.
Prep Time40 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: bread, flatbread, north indian, paratha, potatoes, vegan, vegetarian
Servings: 10paratha
Author: Sanjana
Ingredients
For the filling:
5medium-sized potatoes (800g)steamed, microwaved or baked with their skins on until tender, cooled
3cmpiece gingerpeeled and grated
2-3green chilliesfinely chopped
1tspgaram masala
1tspground cumin
1/2tspred chilli powder
1/4tspajwain
1/2tspamchur
3/4tspsalt
2tbspfinely chopped coriander leaves
For the dough:
350gwholewheat chapati atta
2tbspchickpea flourbesan
1/2tspsalt
260mlwarm water
1tbspoil
You will also need:
3tbspghee or oilfor spreading whilst cooking
4tbspadditional wholewheat chapati attafor rolling out the paratha
Instructions
To make the dough:
In a large bowl or thali, mix together the wholewheat atta (chapati flour), chickpea flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and gradually add the water. Use your hands to bring the mixture together. Once it starts looking like a shaggy mixture and more like a dough, knead for 1-2 minutes. Add the oil and continue to knead for a further 2 minutes until smooth and soft. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
To make the filling:
Peel the cooked and cooled potatoes. Grate them into a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients for the filling and use clean hands to mash everything together. The mixture should hold its shape when rolled into a ball. Divide the mixture into 10 large balls.
Next, divide the dough into 10 balls, about the same size as the potato filling. Cover again.
Pre-heat the tawa or frying pan.
Roll or pat the dough out to about 8cm in diameter. Place a portion of potato filling on top and pinch the dough together to fully enclose it inside. There should be no gaps or holes the filling could escape from during rolling.
Working on a bed of additional wholewheat atta, gently use your middle three fingers (palm-side down) to pat the dough into a thick round disc, starting from the centre and working your way outwards. This will help distribute the filling evenly.
Now, place the disc on a rolling board or clean work surface and use a rolling pin to gently roll the Aloo Paratha in a circular motion, between the centre and edges, but not too much over them. You can use your hands to turn it as you roll. Once it reaches the desired size, carefully roll up and down a few times to even out the surface. The Aloo Paratha is now ready to be cooked.
Slap the paratha down onto a preheated tawa and cook over a medium heat for 30-40 seconds. Flip it over with a spatula and apply a small amount of oil all over the surface of the paratha. Allow this side to cook for a minute before flipping it over and applying oil on the second side. Well rolled Aloo Paratha should puff up slightly. Once it is golden brown all over, remove from the tawa. Keep warm on a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Repeat for the remaining parathas.
Serve hot with your favourite pickle, plain yoghurt and/or masala chai.