Aloo Paratha (potato stuffed flatbread)
Aloo Paratha (potato stuffed flatbread) is a shallow fried,unleavened flatbread, stuffed with a spicy potato filling.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
The Dough
- Add flour to a mixing bowl or KitchenAid bowl.
- Add salt (if using).
- Start mixing with the dough hook; add half the water and oil.
- Once it begins to form, add remaining water, increase speed slightly.
- Scrape down sides, mix well, form a ball.
- Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
The Potato Filling
- Boil potatoes until soft, cool slightly, peel and mash.
- Mix in chopped green onions, cilantro, and chilies.
- Add cumin seeds, salt, and red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly.
- Set aside to cool completely.
Aloo Parathas
- Divide dough into 8 equal balls.
- Roll 2 balls into 3-inch discs.
- Spread a thin potato layer on one disc, leave ¼” edge.
- Place the second disc on top, seal edges.
- Lightly roll to 4–5 inch disc without breaking the surface.
- Preheat Tawa well.
- Place paratha, flip after 30 seconds.
- Apply oil on top, flip again, apply oil on second side.
- Cook both sides ~1 minute until golden spots appear.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
Notes
Kitchenaid Mixer - I use my kitchenaid mixer to knead my dough as it shaves off a lot of time and makes the task much easier. A food processor or a hand mixer with a dough blade are also great options. If you don't have either, mix the dough by hand, kneading for 5-10 minutes.
Tawa - A tawa is a traditional flat griddle used to make all Pakistani and Indian flatbreads. If you don't have one you can use a wide frying pan instead.
Adding Salt To Your Dough - Salt is often added to flatbread dough when making a plain paratha. However, in this case, since your potatoes will also be seasoned, you may or may not want your dough to have salt in it. If you do add any salt, no more than a pinch or two is suggested.
Seasoning The Potatoes - Since the filling is essentially sandwiched between 2 flatbreads, they need to be well seasoned. However, if you want to be a bit cautious and tend to use less salt and spices, add half the salt and chilli powder recommended and taste the mixture before adding the rest.
Boiling The Potatoes - The potatoes should be cooked through just right or else they can get pasty when mashed. I use yellow potatoes for my parathas as they are creamy and dense, providing a perfect stuffing. Some experts use and swear by Russet potatoes instead. But I find them a little too soft and dry for my parathas. Feel free to experiment and go with your personal prefer.
Preheating The Tawa - The Paratha needs to cook quickly at high heat in order to stay soft. If the Tawa or frying pan is not preheated well, the cooking process will slow down and result in a hard and chewy flatbread.
Cooking Time For The Paratha - As mentioned, the Paratha should cook quickly, approximately 3 minutes is an average time. However, since everyone's cooking utensils and stoves vary, it's possible to be off by a 30 seconds or so (but not too much).