Aloo Paratha (Potato Filled Pan-fried Flat Bread)

Indians love to eat parathas stuffed with potatoes or other vegetables which are complete meals and are eaten along with plain yoghurt and pickle.

So here is a simple recipe of Aloo Paratha ….you will enjoy it more with dollop of butter.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 boiled, peeled and mashed potato
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp tsp raw mango powder (amchoor)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• Ghee (clarified butter) or cooking oil to pan-fry parathas

Method:

• Prepare stuffing: Mix the mashed potato with the red chili powder, garam masala, raw mango powder, green chillies, chopped onions, coriander, and salt. Mix well. Divide potato mix in equal sized 4-5 balls and keep aside.

• Follow Making Paratha - Method V
• Knead the whole wheat flour into a smooth dough using warm water and keep aside for 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into 4-5 equal sized balls. Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 3-4" in diameter.
• Put one ball of the potato mixture into the center of the circle and fold the edges over to cover the filling completely. Gently press the ball into a Patti so that the edges are sealed.
• Roll out the Patti into a circle of 6-7" diameter (paratha) sprinkling whole wheat flour on the surface where it is rolled out.
• Heat a griddle and place a paratha on the griddle. Flip the paratha when tiny bubbles rise on the surface. Drizzle a bit of ghee on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip the paratha again after few seconds and drizzle ghee on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the griddle and repeat with the other parathas until all are cooked.
• Serve with butter, raita and/or pickle.

Tips:

While pan-frying press the paratha with a spatula on any nonbrowned areas until browned all over on both sides. I use potato masher to press paratha on the griddle to make crispy brown parathas.

Do You Know?

A ‘tawa’ is a round, thick iron griddle. It is slightly concave in the center. It is used for Indian unleavened flat breads called chappati or rotis.

Big sized tawa is used for cooking some unique dishes. The central part of which is used for shallow frying the food item while the outer rim is used to keep the food items warm.

These big tawas are popular in street foods like Aloo tikki and Pav Bhaji. Aloo Tikki is a typical tawa dish and is served straight out of the tawa and eaten immediately with chutney and salad.