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Aloo paratha is a North- Indian specialty that defines simply delicious Indian food. One of my favourites, aloo paratha is a traditional Indian breakfast comprising of grated potato, red onion, chilli and mixed Indian spices filling that is packaged into a fried whole-wheat flatbread. A practical, cheap, and tasty dish, Aloo Paratha is a must for anyone interested in real Indian cooking!
My continued lock-down in India over the last 10 weeks has been a great time to learn new skills. And teaming up with a staff member at my hostel, I’ve detailed a home-cooked aloo paratha recipe to share!
After asking nagging one of the Indian hostel staff for a few days, cooking this dish with a local revealed just what a delight it is.
For me this dish is all about getting the potato to bread quantity right- and no offence to restaurants, but there is nothing like home-cooked Indian food!
Key tip: a little extra potato makes all the difference…
Moreover, no side dishes are required! Aloo paratha is enjoyed by local Indians accompanied with a mango or spicy pickle and thick curd. Despite having a big appetite, two of these is more than enough for me!
Ingredients: (Per 2 parathas)
Indian style, my companion and I did not measure ingredients, so in this post I will detail what we used alongside a simple visual guide of how you can home-cook this delicious dish. It worked for me!
8-10 x small potatoes
Mixed (preferably masala) spices.
1/2 x tsp tumeric
1 x tsp Red chilli powder
1 x Red onion (very finely chopped)
Green chilli
Whole-wheat flour
1 x handful of fresh finely chopped coriander
1x tbsp Cayenne pepper (to taste)
Pickle or curd for dipping!
Method:
Prepare the dough:
Mix whole wheat flour, 2 x tsp of oil, water and salt to taste until you get a soft and smooth dough-like consistency.
Next knead dough for at least 2-minutes so that it is not sticky and easy to roll.
Then let the dough sit in a pot for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the filling. Cover the pot with a damp cloth.
As per the above from Hebbar’s Kitchen on making aloo paratha, the dough should have a smooth, non sticky texture.
Making the filling:
For the second stage of this dish, begin by half-boiling your potatoes (skin on) in boiling water for approximately 5 mins.
The potatoes should be done enough for the skin to easily fall off.
When slightly soft peel off potato skins and set aside.
Then grate your softened potatoes on a standard grater into a soft texture.
The potato is the base of your filling and I always like a little extra. With practice you’ll figure out the balance of potato to bread that works best for you.
Add finely chopped onion and green chilli to to the mashed potato.
You can vary with the spices to fit your taste. Below is approximately what I used that gave a tasty and spicy blend with the potato:
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- Salt and pepper
- 1 x handful fresh coriander
Mix all together too a well blended texture.
Pull it together:
Where the magic happens…
You want to grab a small piece of the ready prepared dough and roll it to a thin pancake (approx 1/2 cm thick).
Grab a scoop of the filling, and place in the middle of the pancake.
Don’t overfill- one heaped tbsp is enough!
You then want to cup the pancake in your hand and begin folding and pinching the pastry together into a little parcel.
No doubt this part can be tricky but be patient with getting the right balance of filling to pastry. On the contrary, a thinner layer of pastry in some areas will nicely cook the potato filling.
Make a little ball and then roll this out again into a filled pancake. Your masterpiece is now ready to cook!
Begin warming a non-stick pan with no oil, and carefully place the pancake in the pan.
While the first side is cooking drizzle a small amount of sunflower or vegetable oil on top of the pancake. It will drain through onto the pan and help cook the paratha.
Chef Ajay in action!
For the professionals, otherwise flipping with a spatula will do!
After 5-10 mins of cooking your paratha should have this golden brown crisp colour too it and voilà!!! Your delicious dish is ready to enjoy with a side of your choice. This dish is often enjoyed with a side of pickle and curd.
I look forward to hearing how you get on with this recipe, please let me know! Better yet, you can play around with this recipe and try your own styles, get in contact, i’d love to hear what you create!