Mum’s Aloo Paratha – Indian Stuffed Potato flatbread
Homemade Flatbreads are all about comfort food. They are super easy to make, packed with flavors, and a brilliant way to get an extra dose of vegetables into your diet. Growing up, my mum made Aloo Paratha for Sunday lunch, every week. Her parathas would puff up like a bubble, so light and so delicious.I’d enjoy my moms aloo parathas with Amul butter, tomato ketchup, in-house mixed vegetable pickle, and a bowl of curd. Now, I have my own version of the perfect Aloo Paratha recipe, adapted from my mum to share. It is very simple, easy, fuss-free, delicious, and kids approved. If you have got chapati dough and boiled potatoes already ready, the recipe will only take you 15 minutes to put together. There are three parts to the recipe – The first is to make a paratha dough and the second is to make a delicious mashed potato filling. The third step is to stuff the Indian spiced potato filling into the dough, roll, and pan-cook to perfection. Really easy and tasty too!
Why you should try this Indian Aloo Paratha recipe?
Budget-friendly Simple and straightforward Easy to make Dietary needs - Suitable for Vegan and Dairy free diets. Using a masher, fork or box grater, grate or mash the potatoes until smooth. There should be no chunks. Potatoes: I use organic potatoes either Maris piper or King Edward potatoes that are suitable for boiling and mashing. Spices: In my paratha recipe, I add carom seeds, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder, and garam masala. Sometimes I like to keep it simple by adding turmeric, chilli powder and cumin powder only. Coriander or Cilantro: They add lot of flavour to the potato mixture.
Did you know the Chapati Dough is used as Paratha Dough?
If you are wondering what is paratha dough? it is the same Chapathi dough that is used to make roti/chapati. You will need only 4 ingredients - Whole wheat flour, salt, water, and a teaspoon of oil. Mix the ingredients together to make a soft pliable dough. Cover and allow it to rest for at least 15-30 minutes. Chapati dough keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. I do like to make them in bulk in my stand mixer and store them covered in the refrigerator. Make soft fluffy homemade Chapatis with the leftover chapati dough. All the detailed information on the chapati dough can be found in my Chapati recipe here.
Boil the potatoes
This potato mixture is really simple and delicious. Just boil the potatoes in the microwave or stove top until fork tender. Make sure they are not too mushy. Drain and set aside to cool and then peel. If you are using a pressure cooker, place the potatoes in a cooker with 1 cup of water. Secure the lid and pressure cook on medium heat for 3-4 whistles. If you are cooking potatoes in Instant pot, add 1 cup of water to the inner steel pot. Place the potatoes inside a steel bowl and on a wire rack. Secure the lid and turn the vent to sealing. Pressure cook on 6 minutes. Then natural pressure release. Remove the potatoes from the pressure cooker and peel.
Indian spiced Mashed Potato filling
Once you have cooked potatoes all you need is fresh coriander, salt and some spices. Mix in the remaining ingredient and the easy aloo paratha filling is ready.
Variations
The best thing about this recipe is that you can variate the filling easily by adding any of the following to create new flavors - grated carrots, minced ginger, finely chopped onions or paneer too. Vary the spices by adding mango powder (amchur powder) or crushed fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi).
How to make Aloo Paratha?
Shape the dough into 10-12 equal balls. Pick one ball, and roll it into a small disc of 2-3 inches. Fill 2 teaspoons of the potato stuffing. Bring the sides of the dough into the centre and pinch to seal the edges. Repeat the process for the remaining portions. Gently flatten the stuffed dough ball with your hands. Then dust in the flour and roll the dough into a 6-7 inch diameter with a rolling pin. While rolling, apply equal pressure to the dough and you will have a circle paratha. Heat the tawa or a frying pan over high heat. When hot, place them on the tawa and cook for at least 40-50 seconds or until you see gentle bubbles. Flip and cook the second side. Now flip it again and drizzle ¼ teaspoon of oil or ghee. Cook for another 30-40 seconds. Flip again and cook until the parathas have golden brown spots. Remove from heat and stack the paratha in a casserole dish and seal with a lid. You can also wrap them in foil to keep them warm.
What to serve Aloo Paratha with?
Aloo paratha is versatile and can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a side for lunch or dinner too. For breakfast: Serve Aloo paratha with salted butter, Indian mango pickle or chutney, bowl of yogurt and ketchup for breakfast. And a cup of hot masala tea, in North India for breakfast. For lunch / dinner: It also makes a fantastic side for any Vegetarian curry like Chana Masala, Paneer Curry, or even Dishoom-style Black Dal. Alongside a rich dish like cumin rice or pilau rice and boondi raita / cucumber raita.
Storing and leftovers
If you are making addition batch of parathas for freezing or want to store leftover aloo parathas, first cool the paratha on a wire rack. In the fridge: Place them in air tight container in the fridge. They will keep well for 3 days. In the freezer: Place the parathas between two parchment papers, repeat with the remaining. Then place the lot into a ziplock bag or freezer safe bag and store it in freezer for upto 3 months. Reheat: Place the paratha on a microwave safe plate and heat for 30 seconds until thawed completely. If you like it crispy, transfer it to the hot tawa on a medium high heat and cook for 1 minute on either side. Enjoy!
Tips to make the Best Aloo Parathas
Boiling the potatoes right is the key - Do not over cook or under cook! Either ways the mashed potato will not make a good filling mixture. Soft Dough – Always knead the dough well to a soft pliable dough. It should not stick or it should not be too hard. When you press the dough with your finger, it will spring back a little. Allow the Dough to Rest, covered for at least 30 minutes – This is extremely important to make Good Aloo Parathas. Do not overstuff the filling – Overstuffing the mashed potato filling will cause the filling to come out from the edges when you roll them. Evenly Roll the Paratha – Apply equal pressure to roll the paratha. This will leave you will fluffy, aloo parathas. Hot tawa / frying pan – Make sure the Tawa or the frying pan is hot when you add the flatbread. If the tawa is not hot enough, stuffed potato flatbread will take time to cook and also may not cook evenly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why does my Paratha tear?
It is because the chapati dough is too hard or the filling has too much liquid/softness. The potato filling must be dry before stuffing it into the flatbread dough.
Is Aloo Paratha healthy?
By no means Aloo Paratha is healthy, because of the potato filling. It is also not recommended for weight loss, diabetics, and weight watchers. For a healthier alternative, try Cauliflower Paratha.
How many calories are there in Aloo Paratha?
One Aloo Paratha gives 152 calories.
More Indian flatbread recipes
Potato Methi Paratha Cauliflower Paratha Kidney Beans Paratha Mooli paratha Palak Paneer paratha
How to make Aloo paratha step by step?
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