Aloo Paratha

Aloo paratha is flattened Indian bread stuffed with boiled potato mixture. It is a popular North Indian breakfast. It can be served for dinner too. Another variant is Aloo Pyaz Paratha.

This particular paratha reminds me Chaitanya Parathas at FC Rd, Pune. I was staying as a PG near Kamala Nehru park and Sunday evenings used to weekly off for the 'dabbewalas'. We all the girls went to this food joint and had to be back by 9.00 p.m otherwise the landlady would not allow. We had to wait in a queue just by starring at the watches and finally were offered a seat. Those hot parathas with a blob of melting butter over it....thought of returning never allowed us to enjoy it to the fullest. Now, I prepare the same at home and enjoy it.

Here goes the recipe for it.

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml
Makes: 6 to 8

Ingredients:
For the Parathas:

1. Dough for covering
2. Stuffing
3. Atta or maida for dusting
4. Oil or ghee for frying

For the covering:

1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Maida - 1 cup
3. Oil - 1 tbsp
4. Water - 1 1/4 cup approx
5. Salt to taste - 1 1/4 tsp approx

For the Stuffing:

1. Potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed) - 5 to 6 medium
2. Ginger (grated) - 1 1/2 tsp
3. Green chillies (chopped) - 2 or as per your requirement
4. Corriander leaves (chopped) - 1 tbsp
5. Salt to taste

You may use more seasonings fort the stuffing like cumin powder or cumin seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, carom seeds, amchur or lemon juice.

Procedure:

For the Covering:

• Take water in a mixing bowl and add salt, dissolve it.
• Add wheat flour.
• Add maida and knead.
• Add oil while kneading. If you find it sticky add more flour. Dough should be softer than the dough for chapati.
• Let it rest for at least 20 min.

For the Stuffing:

• Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

For making parathas:

• Divide the dough into 6 to 8 balls (You may find the dough slightly sticky while dividing, but it will be fine when you dust it.) and divide the stuffing into 6 to 8 portions. (Dough balls should be smaller or of the equal size of the stuffing ball.) 

• Roll the dough balls into approx. 4” circle, one by one. (Centre should be thicker and edges slightly thinner) 
  
• Place the stuffing ball at the centre. 
  

• Wrap it by pulling the edges at the centre. 

• Seal it completely. 

• Roll the stuffed balls into a circle of 8" diameter approx., one by one. (Use wheat flour or maida for dusting, so that it doesn’t stick. Don’t stack them one on top of the other as they will stick. If at all you stack, use butter paper in between the parathas) 
  
• Heat a frying pan and grease it.
• Fry the parathas on both the sides. (flame should be medium)
  
• Repeat for remaining balls.
• Serve hot with a blob of butter, yogurt/ pickle/ raita / mint chutney.

Tip:

• You may use only wheat flour for the dough. I use maida for the texture that I like with its use. if you are using only wheat flour, then water requirement will vary.
• You may boil 2 extra potatoes. I say this for the following reasons: 1. Sometimes potato is spoilt inside. 2. Stuffing may turn salty, so you will need more potato. 3. Dough could be slightly extra.