Aloo Paratha/Potato Stuffed Flat Bread

Hi all.. Hope you all had great Pongal.. We had a good time too. Now after a short break I wanna start with a simple stuffed Paratha that can be made to pack for lunch. Unlike the rotis they don’t need a side dish to taste better as the stuffing does a good job. I like it simple and I pair it with pickle and Onions. You can make elaborate masalas and gravies if you are in the mood. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour Dough/Chapathi Dough-8 balls

Ghee/Oil- For drizzling

For Stuffing:

Potatoes-2, medium sized, boiled & peeled

Onion-1, very finely copped

Coriander leaves-2 tbsp, finely chopped

Red chili powder-3/4 tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Salt- as needed

Ajwain/Carom seeds-1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds-1/4 tsp

How It Happened:

1. Mash the boiled potatoes well, add all the ingredients given for stuffing and mix well. Make 8 equal sized balls.

2. Now take a wheat dough ball, roll it to a small circle, place a ball of potato stuffing in it. Seal it with the edges of the dough.

3. Liberally dust the surface with wheat flour and slowly roll the dough into a medium thick Paratha. Do not apply too much pressure else the stuffing will spill out.

4. Now heat a skillet, brush it with a little ghee and when the pan is medium hot place the Paratha and cook for a minute.

5. Meanwhile drizzle some ghee around the edges and turn the Paratha to cook on the other side. Adjust the flame and always maintain in medium hot for even cooking.

6. When both the sides are evenly cooked, transfer to a plate top it with a little cube of butter/ghee and serve with pickle.

Notes:

* Mash the potatoes well else they will be a hindrance while rolling. I used a fork to mash as I used only 2 potatoes. Use potato ricer for large quantities. Also there should be no water in the potatoes. Else they will turn the parathas soggy.

* The wheat flour dough should be tight and thick. They shouldn’t be soft as this easily let out the stuffing while rolling. So use less water while kneading the dough.

* Dust the rolling pin as well; else the dough may even get stuck to it. The parathas need not be thin.

* If the flame is too high, the rotis get burnt outside and they will not be cooked inside. If the flame is too low they take long time to cook and also you don’t get the beautiful brown char marks. Keep pressing the rotis while cooking to ensure even cooking and browning.

* While roasting you can use oil and top it butter while serving or totally avoid ghee/butter if you are watching out for calories.