Big Fly Hygiene Products Ltd.

AALOO PARATHA - POTATO PARATHA

Extremely popular with North Indians, these are best eaten with chilled yogurt and your favourite pickle or chutney. Want to be naughty? Aalooparathas taste delicious with fresh, thick cream or a knob of unsalted, home-made butter!

Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

5 medium-sized boiled, peeled
and well mashed potatoes
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves
2" piece of fresh ginger grated fine
2 cups wholewheat flour
2 tbsps vegetable, sunflower
or canola oil
Water to mix

PREPARATION

Put the mashed potatoes, coriander and cumin powders, cumin seeds, turmeric, chilli powder, salt to taste, chopped fresh coriander and grated ginger into a large mixing bowl. Blend all ingredients well by stirring. Once well mixed, keep aside for later.
Put the flour, oil/ghee and all the ingredients (except the water) into a large mixing bowl.
Rub together to form a crumbly mix.
Now slowly add water, a little at a time and knead well to make a smooth, pliable dough. Cover and set aside for an hour.
Divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions and roll between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.
Very lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and roll each ball into a 5" circle. Now take a tablespoon-full of the potato mix and spoon it into the centre of the circle you just made. Slowly lift the edges and bring together in the center to form a pouch. Press the ends together tightly to close the pouch. Once sealed, press down gently to flatten so that you have a flattened pouch.
Lightly flour your rolling surface and roll this pouch into a 7-8" circle. Don't worry too much if the filling oozes out. This happens often but can be avoided by using a very light hand to roll out the paratha. Just gather up the filling and either keep aside or try to put it back into the paratha and pinch the dough to seal. Also if you're just starting out with AalooParathas, do not worry about getting the perfect round shape as it takes a little practice to achieve. Whatever the shape, it tastes just as good! For convenience roll out as many parathas as you like, stacking them, ready to cook with a layer of cling film between each paratha.
Heat a griddle and fry the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
Serve with chilled yogurt and your favorite pickle or chutney.