Aloo Paratha (potato stuffed flatbread)
Aloo Paratha (potato stuffed flatbread) is a shallow fried, unleavened flatbread, stuffed with a spicy potato filling.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani
Diet: Vegetarian
Keyword: aloo paratha, indian stuffed bread, pakistani stuffed bread, potato stuffed flat bread, stuffed flat bread
Servings: 4 parathas
Calories: 818kcal
The Dough
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp oil
- pinch salt
The Potato Filling
- 4 medium yellow potatoes
- 2 green onions
- 2 serrano chilies
- ½ cup cilantro
- 2 tsp white cumin seeds
- 2 tsp salt (see notes)
- 2 tsp red chilli powder (see notes)
Aloo Parathas
- ½ cup oil
- dough
- potato filling
- ½ cup flour
The Dough
Put all of the flour in your kitchenaid bowl
If you are adding salt add it in at this point (see notes)
Use the dough hook on your kitchenaid and add half of the water and the oil and start mixing on low
Once the dough starts to come together, add the remaining water and turn up the speed just one level
Mix till all of the ingredients are well incorporated
Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl, mix again and shape the dough into a ball
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set it aside for 20 minutes
The Potato Filling
Boil the potatoes (see notes)
Cool slightly, peel and mash till there are no lumps (see notes)
Chop and add the green onions (stalk and green), cilantro and chilies
Add the cumin, salt and chilli powder and mix well (see notes)
Set the mixture aside to cool completely
Aloo Parathas
Shape the dough into 8 even balls
lightly dust two of the balls with some flour and roll them out into round discs, about 3 inches wide
Add the potato mixture in a thin even layer on one of the discs, stopping ¼ - ½ inch from the edge
Lay the other disc on top and press down gently, sealing the edges
Using your rolling pin, lightly roll the paratha out till you have a 4-5 inch wide disc. Stop rolling before the potatoes poke a hole through the dough
Preheat your Tawa (flat griddle) well (see notes)
Brush any flour off the surface off your stuffed paratha and place on the preheated pan
After about 30 seconds, gently flip the paratha over
While the other side is cooking, spoon about 2 tbsp oil onto the par cooked surface and spread it around.
Flip the paratha again after 30 seconds and repeat with the oil on the other side.
Cook an additional minute on each side (after adding the oil) till light brown spots appear on the surface of the stuffed bread (see notes)
Remove the paratha from the heat and serve while fresh and hot
Repeat this entire process 3 more times with the remaining balls of dough
Kitchenaid Mixer - I use my kitchenaid mixer to knead my dough as it shaves off a lot of time and makes the task much easier. A food processor or a hand mixer with a dough blade are also great options. If you don't have either, mix the dough by hand, kneading for 5-10 minutes.
Tawa - A tawa is a traditional flat griddle used to make all Pakistani and Indian flatbreads. If you don't have one you can use a wide frying pan instead.
Adding Salt To Your Dough - Salt is often added to flatbread dough when making a plain paratha. However, in this case, since your potatoes will also be seasoned, you may or may not want your dough to have salt in it. If you do add any salt, no more than a pinch or two is suggested.
Seasoning The Potatoes - Since the filling is essentially sandwiched between 2 flatbreads, they need to be well seasoned. However, if you want to be a bit cautious and tend to use less salt and spices, add half the salt and chilli powder recommended and taste the mixture before adding the rest.
Boiling The Potatoes - The potatoes should be cooked through just right or else they can get pasty when mashed. I use yellow potatoes for my parathas as they are creamy and dense, providing a perfect stuffing. Some experts use and swear by Russet potatoes instead. But I find them a little too soft and dry for my parathas. Feel free to experiment and go with your personal prefer.
Preheating The Tawa - The Paratha needs to cook quickly at high heat in order to stay soft. If the Tawa or frying pan is not preheated well, the cooking process will slow down and result in a hard and chewy flatbread.
Cooking Time For The Paratha - As mentioned, the Paratha should cook quickly, approximately 3 minutes is an average time. However, since everyone's cooking utensils and stoves vary, it's possible to be off by a 30 seconds or so (but not too much).
Serving: 1paratha | Calories: 818kcal | Carbohydrates: 119g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1228mg | Potassium: 1160mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 547IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 8mg