Aloo Parantha.. Whole Wheat Indian Flatbread with spicy mashed potato filling, shallow fried and served with pickles and yogurt.

 

Today I bring you the recipe for one of the most popular Indian Flatbread and breakfast item from North India, Aloo Ka Parantha.

Aloo Ka Parantha, needs no introduction to many.. It is one of the most popular Indian flatbread from North India. Considered mainly as Punjabi food but it is equally popular in other North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana. In fact people from Western U.P are so fond of it that it is a regular breakfast item in many households.

Other popular and common breakfast dishes from Western Uttar Pradesh are.. Bedmi Poori with Rassewale Aloo, Mix Veg. Daliya, Ajwain Ke Paranthe, Besan Chilla, Bread Pakoras and Samosas with Jalebis.

Aloo Parantha for Breakfast

Easy to make and loved by all the age groups , aloo paranthas are one of the most common breakfast items.These stuffed breads also ideal to pack in kids lunchbox as kids love these and finish in no time. Family gatherings or weekend breakfast, you will always find Aloo Paranthas on the menu of most of the North Indians.

Pipping hot paranthas topped with butter are a common scene in almost all of the North Indian Dhabas. If you have visited roadside dhabas in Northern India, in mornings you will notice many people from the neighbouring cities and towns especially flock to these eateries on weekends to enjoy these pipping hot paranthas.

I love Aloo Paranthas made by mom. It is one the dishes after Kadhi Pakodi, that I ask my mom to make whenever she visits us or we go to their place. Hers are perfect crispy and flaky paranthas filled with generous aloo filling..

How to make Perfect Aloo Paranthas..

Do you too struggle in making paranthas. Fillings tears out or the dough is too dry or wet?? If keep just a few basic points in mind while preparing and making paranthas, trust me you will get crispy at the same time flaky stuffed paranthas. Over years and guidance from mom my paranthas come out quite well now..

• Make smooth pliable dough with just enough to feel lukewarm water. It will give soft dough. Leftover Paneer Whey( water left after making paneer at home) is one thing I use for kneading dough and dough kneaded with it gives very soft and fluffy chapatis and paranthas.
• You can add 1-2 tsp of oil to dough while kneading but that is optional, it helps to keep the dough soft and fresh for a long time.
• Do not over boil potatoes. It takes around 10 mins on medium flame to boil potatoes in stove top pressure cooker. You can also boil potatoes in Instant Pot.
• Take the potatoes out from the pan/water once these are boiled. If left in water for long, these soak water and get water logs which makes the filling very moist.
• Boiled potatoes should be cooled completely before mashing and adding spices.
• Add salt and spices just before starting to roll out the paranthas.
• Everyone loves generous filling in paranthas but do not overload. Take the right amount just enough for the dough portion taken for rolling.
• Seal the edges completely before rolling the paranthas.
• Griddle should be hot enough to fry paranthas.

Let's start preparing potato the filling and making Aloo Paranthas..

For Potato Filling..

Take medium sized potatoes. Wash them nicely to clean off all the dirt. If potato size is big, cut into half. To speed up the cooking process, I use pressure cooker. You can boil potatoes in open pan too but these take time. One can microwave potatoes too. Will update the methods in a separate post.

Once the potatoes are boiled as per the method used, let these cool completely. Peel and mash potatoes.

Just before starting with rolling paranthas, add spices (see the recipe card for details), finely chopped cilantro leaves and salt as per taste. Mix nicely.

Many people like to grate boiled potatoes but I keep it simple mashed with hands, with coarse texture. You can also add onion and ginger paste, finely chopped green chillies. I skip these as we like plain aloo paranthas. I add green chillies separately in my filling.

Making Dough

Take Whole wheat flour. Add a tsp of salt to it. You can also add caraway seeds as these are good for digestion.

Make a soft but firm dough with slight lukewarm water. The should not be too hot or too cold. Knead it nicely till you get a soft dough.

Cover and keep aside till you make the paranthas.

Divide it in portions before you start making paranthas.

Rolling the dough with filling and Frying

Take a portion of the dough roll it slightly to make a small flat disc(not very thin) , take enough filling for the portion and keep it in the center. Refer pics below.

Seal the edges nicely and then pat it in slight whole wheat flour and roll it with light hands into a circular disc around 6" in diameter. Do not put much pressure while rolling.

Meanwhile heat a griddle/tawa on medium flame. Put the rolled parantha on it. Let it cook one side for few seconds till golden brown spots appear. Flip the side, then let it cook for few seconds. Add oil/ghee to the upper side, then turn the other side up, add oil/ghee on this side too and cook nicely till both the sides are light brown.

Serve crispy hot paranthas the way you like. Masala/Adrakwali Chai or and yogurt preparation like raita, lassi or even plain curd. Kids love these with Chilled shakes like Mango shake, Strawberry shake in summers.

Linking Aloo Paranthas to my facebook group, Foodie Monday BlogHop. Theme this week is #204Nasthatime where everyone is cooking and bringing their regional breakfast(nashta) dishes to the group.

The theme this week was suggested by Priya who blogs at The World Through My Eyes. Do check out her blog for some amazing recipes from the regional South Indian and Gujarati Cuisine.

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