Aaloo parantha/ Potato stuffed Indian bread

As soon as I wrote the recipe for methi parantha last week, I knew I have to do one for aaloo parantha. In my kitchen aaloo parantha presides over any kind of parantha. It’s the king. And since past few weeks we have been adding to the breakfast menu, I didn’t want to break the continuity either. As they say breakfast like a king; we need a king to do justice to it

Potato is a quintessential part of Indian cuisine, especially for a vegetarian. Breakfast, snack or main course – the menu is not complete without potato dishes!

High in carbohydrates, it’s not too good for the waistline to eat too much of potato and that’s why a Hindi saying goes like “aaloo khayega, aaloo ho jayega” (If you eat potato, you will become like potato). So have it in breakfast when it gives you lots of energy for the day!

Aaloo Parantha/ Potato stuffed Indian bread

Preparation: 10 mins| Cooking 30 mins| Makes 6-8

Ingredients

250gms whole wheat flour + ~50gms for dusting

3 medium sized potatoes

1-2 green chillies, chopped (optional)

½ cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1 tsp. coriander powder

½ tsp. cumin powder

¼ tsp. red chilli powder

1 tsp. chaat masala

1 tsp. ajwain (carom) seeds

Salt to taste

Oil/ ghee for cooking

Boil/ Pressure cook potatoes in water until soft.

Method

Remove from water and keep aside on a plate to cool down. Removing them from hot water would let the water on the potatoes evaporate quickly while they cool.

In a deep plate or bowl, mix together flour, carom seeds (ajwain) and some salt. (Keep about 50 gm. flour dry as you would need it for rolling out the parantha/ bread)

Knead into medium soft dough using warm water.

Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth/ tea-towel while you prepare the stuffing.

Peel the potatoes and mash them with your fists. You want them to break down into small pieces but not as mashed as mashed potatoes.

Add to the potatoes, chopped chillies, coriander leaves and all spices (except carom seeds). Mix well. I simply use my hand, but you can also use a fork.

Now divide the dough into 6-8 balls

Roll out a ball into an approximate 4 inch diameter circle. Put a spoonful of potato stuffing in the middle. Bringing the edges towards the centre of the circle, close the ball and seal it tight.

Dust the stuffed, dough ball with a little dry flour and roll out into an approximate 6 inch diameter circle. You would need to dust more dry flour in between while rolling.

Heat a flat non-stick pan or a tava. Sprinkle a little oil. Put the rolled parantha onto the hot pan and cook on both sides, using a little oil/ ghee until it becomes golden brown.

Repeat for the remaining dough and stuffing.

Serve hot with plain raita (plain yoghurt seasoned with a pinch each of salt, roasted cumin powder and red chilli powder) and pickle.

-Ashima Goyal Siraj

Ashima loves to play around in the kitchen. While necessity forced her into kitchen, she soon made it her haven. The thrill of being able to create something new and sharing it with others is what fuels her passion for cooking. The fact that her husband is a big foodie is just an added advantage. She believes that food is never just food; it’s story telling; it’s conversation. She blogs about her adventures in the kitchen at http://www.myweekendkitchen.in/