Aloo Paranthas, where I come from, are comfort food at its best.

Parantha is nothing but a flat bread. Its an unleavened dough made from whole wheat flour and cooked on a tawa/skillet. Paranthas can be made plain or stuffed and aloo (potato) is most popular when it comes to stuffing paranthas. Paranthas can be eaten  just like that, on their own, but a really good way to eat is to pair the paranthas with yogurt/curd and your favorite pickle.  Aloo paratha is a great one-dish meal for the family that can be served anytime of  the day!

The best paranthas that you will ever find are served in small shops on the roadsides, called dhabas. Some of the best ones I have had, were outside the GE call center (BPO) in Gurgaon, India. The first time I had a parantha there, was when I was an undergrad and my cousin and his  then girlfriend (now wife :)) took me and my brother out partying. After a fun night, my cousin took us to this dhaba for paranthas. Even at 2am the place was crowded with people. My cousin ordered aloo paranthas for us and after a brief wait, a small boy came with our plates of paranthas with a cube of melting butter on top. The parantha was huge and I was sure I would end up wasting it- but one bite and I could not stop myself. I had to really restrain myself to not order another. I did take a few more bites from my brother’s second parantha! Well, I could afford it then!

The second best I have had were when my senior sneaked us out from our hostel during my first year in undergrad and took us to a dhaba next to the IGI airport, Delhi. You should all know Delhi is not a safe place for woman, even during the day and at night time it gets worse. So there we were- just us girls out at 2 at night in a place that was full of scary truck drivers, waiting for our paranthas. And boy, were they worth it. I would still not recommend any girl to go their alone- it did not look like a safe place. But, if you have bodyguards with you, do pay this place a visit!

And of course, when I talk about dhabas and paranthas I can’t miss mentioning the Dhaba outside my MBA college- Laxman Dhaba. They serve one of the best paranthas in Delhi and have a great variety- cottage cheese, potato, onion, mixed,chicken keema. I have practically survived on these paranthas, thanks to which I gained quite a few pounds during my MBA days.

On my recent trip to India, I went with my friends to Laxman dhaba. And nothing had changed! Its amazing how such small eateries, consistently roll out the same great tasting paranthas day in, day out!

There is actually a whole street full of shops selling paranthas in Delhi- called the Paranthe wali gali (literally translated- “lane of paranthas“). The parantha makers in Paranthe wali gali deep fry their paranthas! I remember when I had them there I did not care too much for the deep fried versions- I prefer my paranthas just lightly cooked in oil, but I was bowled over by the variety of paranthas that they served. But most people love the paranthas of Paranthe wali gali and you will always find this place crowded!

Being from the north, parantha is a staple breakfast item and that’s why I can list so many places in Delhi to eat paranthas. In fact, you can see us eating paranthas for all three meals, which I actually did during my MBA days. Of course, eating them in all three meals is not good for your waistline, because a true parantha eater will always have his parantha with lots of butter. At most north Indian homes, the parantha is served with white butter (ghar ka makhan), that is made from churned fresh cream. That’s how we always have it at my grandparent’s place! Growing up I would always complain about the amount of butter my grandfather would put on my plate, and now what I wouldn’t give for that butter!

V and I had these with a little butter and cucumber raita. Of course it wasn’t the same as having it at the dhaba– I think the whole atmosphere back home adds to the taste of the food, but these paranthas are pretty darn good!

Till my next trip to India, these ones will surely satisfy the craving my Punjabi background has for stuffed paranthas!

ALOO PARANTHAS ( INDIAN FLAT BREAD STUFFED WITH POTATOES)

The key to a good parantha is to use more stuffing and less flour while rolling them. If you can master that trick, most of your work is done. It takes a little practice for the filling not coming out. Try using a day old potatoes, by doing this, the potatoes have hardened after cooking, and they are not so fluffy when they are freshly cooked. Another tip to roll the dough and avoid the filling from coming out is to keep the dough in the fridge for about an hour. The dough stays fresh for a couple of days, so you can make it ahead. 

I have mentioned grating the potatoes, but you could also boil your potatoes further and mash them- but be sure that there are no lumps remaining. I recommend grating them as it eliminates the possibility of lumps. If you have a food processor, grating is a breeze. The filling can be added uncooked as well, but I love the flavor of the cooked filling more. Also, you get “stuffed parantha masala” in Indian stores and that can be substituted for the masala recipe I have given here, in case you are in a hurry. For a little pizzazz, you can add grated cauliflower, indian cottage cheese or lentils to the mixture as well.

The recipe is adapted from various sources including vah reh vah, look who’s cooking too

Makes 10 paranthas

Ingredients

For the dough: (You will get about 13-14 golf sized dough balls and you need only 10. The leftover dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. You can use it to make normal Indian flatbread or make more aloo paranthas!)

  • 400 gms whole wheat flour
  • 225-250 ml water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • a pinch red chilli powder, optional
  • 1 tbsp oil

For the filling:

  • 6 potatoes (Yukon gold, preferably but russet would do)
  • 1 medium sized onion
  • 6 green chillies
  • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • Stuffed Parantha masala
  • 3 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp mint leaves (optional)

For the Stuffed Parantha Masala:

  • 8-10 white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ajjwain/carom seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp black salt
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp chaat masala
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala

Directions

  1. Put the potatoes in a pressure cooker and cook till 6 whistles. The potatoes should be soft enough to grate but not too soft that they easily mash.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, work on the dough. In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cumin seeds, oil and red chilli powder (in case using it). Make a well and add the water, and gradually knead in the flour into the water. Knead till you get a soft and elastic dough, but should not be sticky. Let rest for 15- 20 minutes, covered with a wet cloth.
  3. Dry roast all the whole spices- white pepper, carom, coriander, fennel & cumin seeds on a skillet. Once roasted and you get a nice aroma, take them off the fire and grind them to a fine powder. Add the cumin powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala, garam masala and black salt and mix with the rest of the dry spice.
  4. Finely mince the onion and green chillies.
  5. Once the pressure drops, cool and peel the potatoes. Grate them- making sure you don’t have and any lumps.
  6. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the minced onions. Cook till translucent (and the onions should have left all their water). Add the green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Add the spices and coriander-mint leaves. Add the grated potatoes and mix all together. Remove from fire.

For Assembling:

Note: Flour work surface and rolling pin. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, flour the dough as well as and when required!

I am linking this to the Hearth & Soul Hop

14 Thoughts on “Garam Masala Tuesdays: Aloo Parantha (Indian flatbread stuffed with potatoes)

  1. baby chauhan on 27 July, 2011 at 8:31 am said:

    Had Aloo paratha today….Straight out of the Tandoor!!!!! % days into the vacation and 3 kgs…… Not good!!!!!!

  2. baby chauhan on 27 July, 2011 at 8:31 am said:

    My comment

    Vicky

  3. I love this recipe…it reminds me of the delicious paranthas I used to eat during my visits to India way back when. I haven’t found a decent substitute in the USA since then!

    • Neither have I except at home! But then again someone else serving you these delights than having to cook them yourselves just isn’t the same, is it!

  4. The other night I made saag aloo and “from the freezer” aloo paratha and my husband wanted more of the paratha when we ran out and asked if I could just whip some up! He thinks that they’re as easy to make as pancakes. I need to show him this post and let him know that they are not quickly “whipped” up. Yours look wonderful and a lot lovelier than the ones I “make.” One day I’ll have to give them a try.

    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

    • Ohh I did not want to scare you away from paranthas with this post! Like I mentioned in the post they can be “whipped” up more quickly than this. You actually don’t need to cook the filling. And can do without grating the potatoes as well- just mash them well so that they are no lumps. In case you want a quicker version- just boil your potatoes, mash them well (there shouldn’t be any lumps) and add dry ground spices- cumin, a little garam masala, chaat masala, red chilli powder and salt. Add finely chopped coriander and mint leaves, and some green chillies (finely chopped again), if you like. Add some ginger-garlic paste too and mix well. All these spices and paste can be found in indian stores so its just mixing it in. Stuff the dough with this filling as mentioned above. I make both ways, the uncooked version if I am short on time and they too taste great, the cooked version being just a tad better. I hope you do give them a try!

  5. You didn’t scare me away it’s just funny that my husband thought that starting at 7PM I could just whip them up so he could have more with dinner…right then! One of these days I’ll give these a try. Thanks for the recipe and quick suggestions.

    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

  6. Wow, this looks so delicious!

  7. Aloo parathas looks yum:) Actually you have done a wonderful job rolling them out without much stuffing coming out:) It looks like a pro’s work. Great job.. awesome:)
    Reva

  8. What a great tutorial to make this wonderful dish! Thanks for sharing with the Hearth n Soul hop.

  9. Greetings,
    My fiance is from Mumbai, India and he loves to eat as he calls it “his food”! I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the aromatic, complex marriage of flavors, the lively ginger, earthy garlic and the delicious curries and masala.

    I would really appreciate an easy recipe for plain Naan or Paratha, something I can make fresh and can be frozen for later usage. I’ve noticed the recipes given use a different measuring system ie…grams as opposed to cups, could you help me understand.

    • I do know of a great recipe for Naan. Will try and share it soon. As for using grams vs cups- grams are more standardized. Two people can measure in cups and come up with entirely different weights. That won’t happen if using a scale to measure.

  10. Pingback: GMT: Methi Parantha/Paratha (Fenugreek Flatbread) - The Novice Housewife

Post Navigation