Aloo Paratha

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Aloo Paratha really doesn't need an introduction to any Indian cuisine lover. I remember having it in an Indian restaurant in Dublin and though everything else tasted nothing (much) like Indian food, their Aloo Paratha was very near the real one. The best Alu Paratha I have ever tasted was in a well-known dhaba in Gurgaon lovingly called the Convergys Dhaba. Darsh took me there during one of our many visits to Gurgaon and I will never forget the taste of that paratha which was super-thick, soft, oozing in butter with a square butter piece on top that melts around the paratha as you eat. And they serve it with a really nice achaar (pickle). The paratha was hot till I finished eating it, that's how thick it was. Bliss..


As with most street food, its impossible to get that taste at home for me. I chicken out and add very little butter and I guess that's for the best anyway. I like my parathas nicely browned and with avakka pickle while TH also takes curd with his.

What I Used:

For the roti/bread:

Wheat flour/atta - 4 cups and a bit more while rolling
Warm water - 2 cups (a little more or less)
Milk - 4 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter - as needed to cook

For the potato/aloo filling:

Potatoes - 2 to 3, cooked and mashed until soft
Green chillies - 2, finely chopped [if you are not used to chillies and don't want your tongue to fall out when you accidentally bite into them, use 1/2 tsp red chilly powder]
Jeera powder/jeerakam - 1/2 tsp
All purpose curry masala/garam masala - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Ginger - 1/2 tsp, finely minced
Fresh coriander leaves - a generous bunch, finely chopped
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt - to taste

The filling is quite flexible and you can add pretty much anything you want. Some people add minced onions, garlic, more spices, etc. Customize it to what suits you best. But the basic idea is to keep it a bit mild and simple.

How I Made It:

Dough:

Mix the salt and wheat flour well. Add the milk to it and mix again. Add water little at a time until you get a soft pliable dough. It should make a soft dent when you press your thumb down. Knead well till you get this consistency. Cover and keep aside.

Filling:

1. Add all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. The potatoes should be mashed and any hard lumps removed.

The process:

Make lemon-sized balls of the dough and roll into thick discs. Make balls of half the size with the filling and place inside the dough discs. Cover completely with the dough and make into a ball again. Press lightly with the palm of your hand and dust with flour before rolling out into thick flat parathas.

Finish off the dough and the filling in this manner.

The final step:

Heat an iron griddle and cook the parathas with generous dabs of butter on both sides. Sometimes I add some chaat masala to the butter before cooking for a different flavour.

This popular Indian bread goes to Zorra's World Day of Bread Event.

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