Aloo Paratha - The two authentic methods!

OK! Have it your way. If you have already checked the Easy Aloo Paratha recipe and you still want to do it the “authentic” way. Here you go.

Prepare the potatoes first. If you like to keep it simple, good with me. Just add salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and some chat powder. If not, let’s spice it up some more.

The first method of making the aloo paratha is where you divide one portion of the dough into two. Roll each of them separately into 4-5” diameter. Spread generous amount of aloo mixture on one side and cover it with the other. Pinch down the sides firmly till completely sealed. Now start rolling, by initially gently patting down with the hand. Then go ahead and use a rolling pin to roll out the parathas larger. 

The second method of rolling the paratha is taking a single portion from the dough and flattening it with your hand. Roll it out to about 5” diameter. Place the aloo mixture the size of the dough into the flattened dough. Pick up the edge and start pleating the dough brining all the edges to the centre. Tug the edges gently and keep flattening the edges if required. Once the dough is completely sealed sprinkle some dry flour and start rolling the paratha by gently pressing with your fingers. Once it flattens to a 5 inch diameter again then use the rolling pin to flatten it out completely. 

This recipe makes 6 parathas and one paratha provides approximately 205 Calories.

Here is what you’ll need :

2  medium potatoes

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbsp oil

5-6 curry leaves

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

3 chillies finely chopped            

½  tsp coriander powder

½  tsp cumin powder

1 tsp chaat masala

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt

 1 tbsp oil

2 cups Whole wheat flour

½ tsp sugar

Butter/oil/ghee to fry

Method:

1. Pressure cook the potatoes till soft and grate them.
2. In a kadai, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the ginger galic, curry leaves and chopped green chilli.
3. Add the onions and sauté till softened.
4. Sprinkle in coriander, cumin, chaat, red chilli powder and salt.
5. Mix in the grated potatoes and coriander and switch off the flame.
6. Let the potato masala completely cool down and keep it in the fridge for 2 hours.
7. To prepare the dough, mix the whole wheat flour with salt, sugar and oil and knead with lukewarm warm to form soft pliable dough.
8. Rest the dough for 20 minute.
9. Follow the method shown above to roll the paratha.
10. Fry the paratha on heated tawa using butter/ghee/oil.

NOTES:

• For easy rolling of the parathas without the potato mixture spilling out, remember to keep the potato mixture very dry.
• During the pressure cooking of potatoes it’s not essential to immerse the potatoes in water. Just wash the potatoes. Do not peel. Keep the potatoes in a smaller vessel which could go inside the cooker. Fill the cooker with water and not the vessel containing the potatoes. This method of pressure cooking could take a bit of extra time.
• Alternatively, if you did cook the potatoes by boiling directly in water, then once the potatoes mixture is completely ready, refrigerate for 2 hours in an open plate. This dries up the mixture further.
• The second thing to remember is to keep the dough soft. Only if your dough is pliable will you be able to stretch the dough and fill it with potato mix. Or else it will break while rolling and the filling will spill out. 

        Check out the recipe of Easy Aloo Paratha in The Kitchen Counter column.

Recipe by Zohra Sada

Easy Aloo Paratha

Who on earth doesn’t love potatoes? And aloo parathas absolutely tops my favourite food list. During all my teen years whenever I would eat out, I would love to order aloo parathas. Then as I grew older, I did learn to make these delicious parathas myself, but it wouldn’t be on a regular basis because we would have to cook for so many people. And the authentic style of aloo paratha does take a bit of extra time.   

That was all until a year ago. Then I learnt this easy peasy aloo paratha recipe from a dear family friend of mine. And I can’t believe that such an easy method does exist.

If I would give the authentic recipe of aloo paratha a 5 star out of 5, this version would get 4.5 stars for the taste and +1 star for the ease of preparing. Compared to the authentic style of preparing parathas, this recipe does call for more seasoning of chillies, and then it will be bang perfect.

Here is how you do it.

Boil the potatoes till soft and mash/grate the potatoes. To this add the bhuna masala and seasonings.

Mix the seasoning well with the potatoes till it all comes together as a soft ball.

In another bowl, take the required amount of flour; add salt, oil, and half a tsp of sugar. To this add the mixed potatoes.

Knead the flour into soft dough with the help of the potato mixture. Do not add any water. The moisture from the potatoes will be enough. A soft pliable dough should be formed which does not stick to the hands and can be kneaded easily.

If the dough becomes very sticky, add more flour. If the dough does not come together being too dry, add a tsp of yoghurt little by little.  

That’s it! Your dough for the aloo paratha is ready. Get your rolling pins ready and start rolling. Use little all purpose flour to help roll out without sticking.

Fry the parathas on a hot tawa with generous amount of butter and your aloo parathas are ready!

This recipe makes 6 parathas. One paratha provides approximately 205 Calories.

Here is what you’ll need:

2  medium potatoes

1 onion finely chopped

1 tbsp oil

5-6 curry leaves

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

3 chillies finely chopped

½  tsp coriander powder

½  tsp cumin powder

1 tsp chaat masala

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt as per taste

1 tbsp Oil 

2 cups Whole wheat flour

½ tsp sugar

Method:

1. Pressure cook the potatoes till soft and then grate it into a large bowl.
2. In a vessel, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the chopped chillies, ginger garlic paste and curry leaves.
3. Add finely chopped onion and sauté till soft and golden. Switch off the flame.
4. Mix the cooked onions with the grated potatoes.
5. In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour with salt, sugar and a tbsp of oil.
6. To this add the potato onion mix and the rest of seasoning spices. Start kneading into a soft dough.
7. Divide into small portions and start rolling into parathas.
8. Heat the tawa and fry the parathas with a tsp of butter or oil.
9. Optionally, to avoid oil. Just cook them on tawa without any oil till golden brown.
10. Serve with chutney/curd/pickle.

 Recipe by Zohra Sada