Aloo Paratha
Stuffed flatbread. The filling must be dry and completely cool, or it tears the dough on the first roll.
- Prep
- 40m
- Cook
- 25m
- Waiting
- 30m
- Total
- 1h 35m
- Serves
- 8 parathas
- Effort
- Moderate
Scale
Units
Method
| 2 1/2 cups | 1 Knead to a soft, smooth dough 8m Softer than bread dough — it should just hold its shape. | 2 Rest the dough 30 minutes, covered 30m Resting relaxes the gluten so it rolls thin without springing back. | 5 Enclose the filling in the dough and roll out gently 15m Seal completely, then roll from the centre with light, even pressure. | 6 Cook on a hot tawa with ghee until browned in spots on both sides 25m Press the edges down with a spatula so they cook through. | |
| 3/4 cup | |||||
| 1 tsp | |||||
| 1 tbsp | |||||
| 600 g | 3 Boil, drain and dry out in the pan 25m | 4 Mash and mix until dry and completely cool 20m No lumps, no steam. Warm filling makes the dough soggy and it will split. | |||
| 2 | |||||
| 1 tbsp | |||||
| a handful | |||||
| 1 tsp | |||||
| 1 tsp | |||||
| 1 1/2 tsp | |||||
| for cooking | |||||
| to serve | |||||
| to serve | |||||
- 1
Knead to a soft, smooth dough
8m- chapati flour 2 1/2 cups
- water 3/4 cup
- salt 1 tsp
- neutral oil 1 tbsp
Softer than bread dough — it should just hold its shape.
- 2
Rest the dough 30 minutes, covered
30m- from 1 Knead to a soft, smooth dough
Resting relaxes the gluten so it rolls thin without springing back.
- 3
Boil, drain and dry out in the pan
25m- floury potatoes 600 g
- 4
Mash and mix until dry and completely cool
20m- from 3 Boil, drain and dry out in the pan
- green chillies 2
- ginger 1 tbsp
- coriander leaves a handful
- ground cumin 1 tsp
- amchur 1 tsp
- salt 1 1/2 tsp
No lumps, no steam. Warm filling makes the dough soggy and it will split.
- 5
Enclose the filling in the dough and roll out gently
15m- from 2 Rest the dough 30 minutes, covered
- from 4 Mash and mix until dry and completely cool
Seal completely, then roll from the centre with light, even pressure.
- 6
Cook on a hot tawa with ghee until browned in spots on both sides
25m- from 5 Enclose the filling in the dough and roll out gently
- ghee for cooking
- yoghurt to serve
- pickle (optional) to serve
Press the edges down with a spatula so they cook through.
Dry filling, cool filling
Two rules and both are about water. Steam trapped inside a paratha expands and bursts the seam. Wet mash sticks to the dough and makes it impossible to roll without tearing. Dry the boiled potatoes in the pan for a minute after draining, then let the filling cool completely — ideally make it an hour ahead.
Notes
- Floury potatoes, not waxy. Waxy ones go gluey when mashed.
- Equal weights of dough and filling per paratha is about right.
- Roll from the centre outwards with light pressure. Bearing down forces the filling through.