Aloo Parathas are one of the most popular breakfast items served in North India, which is a flat bread made with a spiced mashed potato stuffing. Generally the options of stuffing for parathas are endless but the potato version is definitely the one that tops the charts according to me.
Aloo Parathas is my go to recipes on days when Olly decides to keep mommy on her toes. There is something very comforting about these parathas and one of those recipes, that with practice you can easily put together in no time. I am sure every family has their own favourite version, this is mine.
Ghee is the ingredient that you cant take lightly here when it comes to these parathas. The more the better in my opinion :). It also makes the parathas more crispier.
Don't be alarmed by the length of the recipe. I wanted to give a detailed picture of how I do it and to guide someone who is trying this recipe for the first time.
Recipe Source - My own
Makes about 10 parathas
Ingredients
For the dough:
2 cups whole wheat flour
Warm water to knead the dough
Salt to taste
For the filling:
5 medium sized Potatoes - chopped into small cubes
1 big onion - finely chopped
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2, finely chopped
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp (leveled)
Dry Mango powder/ Aamchoor powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin/Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 1/4 of a bunch (chopped)
Oil
Ghee to drizzle over the parathas
Method
1. Firstly, knead the whole wheat flour with the required salt and warm water into a nice soft dough. Add a bit of oil to make the dough more softer. Leave it to rest for about 15-20 mins.
2. Cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker, with little salt, a pinch of turmeric and 1/4 cup water for 2-3 whistles under a medium flame. It takes me 2 whistles for my potatoes to be cooked into a state that can be easily mashed. If there is any excess water, drain the potatoes onto a sieve for a while.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, (I used olive oil) and add the cumin seeds into this. Once it splutters add the chopped onions along with the green chillies into the pan. Saute the onions till its soft for about 4-5 mins in medium flame heat.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute this for another minute.
5. Add the spices along with a bit of salt to this and roast it nicely with very little water for about 5 mins. Lower the flame here.
6. Now add the chopped coriander and the cooked potatoes. Mix well. Using a potato masher, mash this into a soft mixture. Adjust the salt accordingly at this stage. Set aside.
Making the Parathas:
1. Pinch out a medium sized ball from the dough and roll it out into a circle of about 6 inches in diameter. Add about 1 tbsp of the stuffing in the center of the circle and bring the ends together to the top. Slowly press the dough down and roll it slowly into the size of a normal roti or chapathi. If you notice the stuffing coming out, just press a small piece of dough onto it and continue rolling.
2. Heat a tava or a non stick skillet. Add the rolled paratha into the hot pan and let it cook on one side. This could take about 30-40 seconds, flip, drizzle some ghee on the partly cooked part, flip again, drizzle some ghee again and cook till its done, and when brown spots starts to appear.
3. Continue with the rest of the parathas.
4. Serve with spiced yogurt, pickles or even a dollop of butter.
Jules tip: Adding a bit of salt when sauteing onions helps it cook faster. You can also cook the potatoes in a microwave if you don't have a pressure cooker. Remember to chop all the ingredients very finely, to prevent it from breaking out when its rolled out and lastly do not roll out the dough very thin before adding the stuffing.
Enjoy! :)
