[Indian Recipes] Aloo Paratha - Potato Stuffed Flatbread

Parathas (Indian flatbreads) are very popular in India and are typically served for breakfast. However, in the Western world this is served as a side with curries, or as an appetiser. Along with naan, parathas are always a “must have” when I go out for Indian. You can get plain Parathas, but my favourite is Aloo Paratha (“Aloo” means “Potato”). 

I promised you right up front that this is really easy and the main reason is because the dough is so easy to make and work with:

1. It is just made with flour, water and salt;

2. It only takes about 1 1/2 minutes to knead;

3. You don’t need to flour the work surface because the dough is not sticky. Even after kneading and rolling it out, the work surface will be perfectly clean; and

4. The dough is smooth, silky and elastic so it is really easy to roll out and stretch into the shape you want.

The filling is very simple: potato, shallots (scallions), ginger, coriander (cilantro) and some spices. The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have all the ingredients, you can substitute with so many other things or simply leave it out. Sure, what you end up with might not strictly be Aloo Paratha, but it is still going to be delicious. I’ve provided loads of suggestions for substitutions and alternatives. You don’t even need to use potato! You could use, for example, broccoli!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pile of Parathas calling my name. Until next time! – Nagi

ALOO PARATHA (INDIAN POTATO STUFFED FLATBREAD)

PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOK TIME: 12 mins
TOTAL TIME: 27 mins

Aloo Paratha is a very popular breakfast dish in India. The beauty of this recipe is how flexible it is - there are so many options and variations you can do and I've provided a bunch of suggestions in the notes. The dough is extremely simple to make and handle. The only "must do" in this recipe is letting the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Recipe type: Breakfast, Starter, Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Dough
2½ cups plain white flour (Note 1)
1 tsp salt
1 cup water (Note 2)
2 tbsp vegetable oil (or any other cooking oil), ghee or butter
Filling
1½ cups mashed potato (Notes 3 and 4)
½ cup shallots/scallions, chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped (optional - adds a nice burst of freshness)
½ tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional - Note 5)
1 tbsp Garam Masala (Note 6)
1 tsp Ajwain/ Carom seeds OR 1 tsp thyme (Note 7)
¼ tsp chili powder (Note 8)
½ tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the flour, water and salt in a bowl. Use a table knife to mix the ingredients together, then use your hands.

2. Once the dough is sort of formed, turn it out onto a work surface and knead it 60 times. It should be smooth and elastic, not sticky or crumbly.

3. Form the dough into a ball, cover with cling wrap and set aside for at least 20 minutes (up to a few hours). Do not refrigerate.

4. Meanwhile, make the Filling. Place all Filling ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine.
Preheat oven to very low (to keep Parathas warm because you can only cook one at a time).
Cut the dough into 4 pieces with a knife.

5. Take one ball and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a round about 18cm/7" in diameter.

6. Place ⅓ cup of the Filling into the middle of the rolled out dough.
Gather the edges of the dough to enclose the Filling (see photo below). Remove as much air as possible from inside then pinch to seal.

7. Flatten the ball slightly and shape the flattened disc into a circle using your hands.
Turn the dough over so the "sealed" side is facing down. Use a rolling pin to roll it out to about 1½ cm / ⅔" thickness. Repeat with remaining dough.

8. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non stick fry pan over medium heat.

9. Place one Paratha into the fry pan and cook the first side for 1 minute 45 seconds. Use an egg flip to check if it is ready to turn - the underside should be golden brown.

10. Turn the Paratha over and cook the other side for 1 minute 30 seconds.

11. Remove from fry pan onto a wire rack (this stops the underside from going soggy due to sweat) and place into a low oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining Parathas.

12. Add a small drizzle of the remaining oil into the pan (you should not need much). Proceed to cook the remaining Parathas.

13. Cut into 4 pieces and serve immediately. It can be served with chutney or yoghurt on the side. I find that the Filling has so much flavour that it doesn't need anything on the side.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Recipetineats.com. Thanks so much!