Aloo Paratha
I tried making Aloo Paratha a few times and I’ve had some disasters. Today I think I have finally perfected it.
Aloo Paratha
They are so good. Even Mr Fussy hubby said it was delicious, so that must mean something.
To be honest I am not a huge fan or Roti or Paratha. I like eating it with certain dishes but it’s not a must have for me.
However, this looked so good I couldn’t resist having a taste as soon as it was toasted. It was heavenly.
Aloo paratha is a popular Indian breakfast flatbread. It is similar to our Roti, except this one is stuffed with a yummy potato filling.
Carbs on Carbs, I know but who made the rule that you can’t have an overload of carbs. As long as everything’s in moderation, like I always say.
Ingredients Required
To make the paratha you will need basic ingredients such as cake wheat flour, salt, oil and water. Water straight out the tap.
For the potato filling you need mashed potatoes, fresh herbs, chilli and cumin. Here you can customize the filling according to your taste.
I kept mine pretty simple and I didn’t add too much spice. I don’t find raw spice, added to my mashed potatoes very appealing…haha!
How to make the Aloo Paratha
To start with you will need to prepare the potato stuffing. I cover my potatoes with just enough cold water and I boil them for 30-40 minutes until soft and tender.
It is then mashed and you add your herbs and spices and set aside. Be careful when mashing, dont leave any lumpy bits behind as this will cause a disaster when rolling out the parathas.
Therefore you have to ensure the potatoes are totally soft. You can even run it through a sieve if you wish.
For the paratha dough you add flour and some salt to a large bowl. Add your oil and slowly add water.
Please do not add all of the water at once. Add only what is required to make a soft dough.
Bare in mind the weather affects the moisture content in the flour so you could require more or less water. I only used about 200ml of the 250ml of water.
Somedays I will use more. The dough may feel a little sticky at first but it does get better on kneading.
If you struggle to need lightly dust the dough with flour. Oil your hand when kneading as this also makes it easier to knead.
You will knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Cover the dough and rest for 20 minutes.
Filling and Rolling out the dough
The dough can be divided into 6 equal pieces. Roll them into neat balls.
Use a rolling pin and on a lightly dusted surface roll each ball into a 12cm circle. Fill each one with about 1&1/2 tablespoon of potato filling.
Bring the edges to the centre and pinch them together so it’s well sealed. Dust the surface with flour again and gently roll out the dough.
Please remember the keyword here is gentle, if you put too much pressure when rolling the filling will ooze out and you won’t get a neat round circle.
You can roll them out about 18cm in diameter. More is less is still okay.
They must be toasted on a hot pan, on medium heat. I found that re-heating them on the pan makes them beautifully crisp.
To get it even more crisp sprinkle a little bit of grated cheese on top. You will thank me for it.
If you want to be indulgent add some cheese to the filling…yum!
If you do try this recipe please drop me a comment and a star rating. It is always appreciated.
More Recipes to try:
Aloo Paratha
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled cut into cubes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
- 1 tbsp spring onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp mint leaves finely chopped
Paratha
- 2 cups/500ml cake wheat flour or all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup/250ml water (out the tap)
- 1 tbsp butter, melted for brushing
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions
Potato Filling
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Cover with enough cold water and boil on medium heat for 30-40 minutes until soft and tender
- Drain the excess water and mash the potatoes
- When slightly cool, add the salt, cumin and herbs. Mix well and set aside
Paratha
- Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil and mix. Slowly add little bits of water and mix until a soft dough is formed.
- Oil your hands and knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. You should have a silky smooth dough. Place in a bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and rest for 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 6 portions. Roll each one into neat balls
- Roll them out with a rolling pin, about 12 cm in diameter. Fill each one with about 1&1/2 tablespoon of potato filling. Bring the edges together and pinch it in the centre to seal.
- Lightly dust a surface with flour and roll them out very gently. Do not add pressure. Roll them out to about 18cm in diameter.
- Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and toast the parathas. Place each one on the pan, when bubbles start to form flip it over. Flip again and brush one side with butter. Brush the other side with butter and toast until both sides have golden brown spots on them
- Serve hot
Notes
- No need for warm or boiling water for these parathas. I used water straight out the tap, provided the water is not ice cold
- I cooked the potatoes at high altitude so you may need to adjust the cooking times if you live at sea level
- I love re-heating the parathas on a pan as it turns out a little crisp. Sprinkle some cheese on top and even better
- If you have any left over potato filling, whilst the paratha is still hot it will easily open up in the centre, once cut. Stuff more potato inside
