Aloo Paratta (Indian Potato Stuffed Bread)

Aloo parattas are one of the most popular Indian flat breads served for breakfast or dinner along with condiments like curd or pickle to go with. It is easy to make, with less flaws however you make it. I should accept the fact that it is a bit time consuming with all the kneading, rolling and making the filling to go along. If you find the process lengthy, you can prepare the filling a day ahead and then continue rest of the cooking th enext day. The taste is worth all the effort.

For the dough:

3 cups wheat flour (Aatta) (You can use plain flour or a mixture of both)

1 ½ cup warm water

2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt – as required, around ½ Tbsp

 

Stuffing:

600 g potatoes, 3 large ones, skinned and boiled

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 large cloves of garlic grated

1-2 green chilli finely chopped

¼ cup Coriander leaves, washed and finely chopped

1 teaspoon grated ginger

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ - ½ tsp cumin powder

½ teaspoon Red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Extra ghee or vegetable oil if required, while cooking

Preparations:

For the Dough:

 1.Add salt to the flour and mix well. Add water and knead it for around 8-10 minutes until you get a soft and pliable dough. Apply oil on top and leave it to rest for ½ hour to 2 hours. This resting time will make the dough softer yielding softer chapattis. Set it aside while you make the filling.

For filling: 
1.Grate the potatoes using a grater. Grating potatoes is important to avoid lumps which are otherwise formed while mashing potatoes and result in bruised chappatis.

2. Place a pan on medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Thrown in chopped onions and saute until onion go soft. 

3. Add grated ginger,garlic, chillies and sauté till onion starts to take golden colour. Add chopped coriander leaves and sauté for a minute. 

4. Add spice powders, sauté for a minute. Add few splashes of water if it sticks to the pan. Add lime juice, followed by grated potatoes. Mix well and add salt of required. Once everything is well combined, turn off the heat. Let it cool down and then divide the stuffing into 10-12 balls.

For preparing the parattas:

1. Roll each dough little with a rolling pin, just enough to wrap a ball of the filling inside. Place a portion of potato mixture in the centre, bring all the edges together and twist it so that the filling doesn’t squirt while cooking the parattas. Repeat with all the dough and filling until both are all used up.

2. Flour the work surface with plain flour or wheat flour and flatten each stuffed dough to about 7-8 inch diameter. Heat a hot tawa and add a splash of ghee/vegetable oil. Place the parattas on hot tawa and cook  for couple of minutes on both sides until you see brown spots all over. Serve it along with plain curd, pickle and salad or any non veg dry curries or fries.

Note: I sometimes use half plain flour and half wheat flour for making dough.