Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha

When it comes to aloo paratha, the person I definitely cannot forget is my school days friend Ash. She used to bring dry aloo side dish and paratha, and they were heavenly !

Aloo/ potato, whether it is in a bajji/bonda, or in a samosa, or as a side dish or in any form..I'll devour!

I started liking potatoes, munching samosas made by my amma, as a snack for evening tea during my school days. They were the ultimate tasty samosas ever! But she made them rarely. Her explanation was fried stuffs are not healthy and should not be consumed on a regular basis. I try to maintain her ways she adopted in cooking a healthy dish. My amma used to prepare yummy potato side dish for dosas and chappathis, knowing my liking for the same. Love you dear amma!
And now I am in a place where potatoes are consumed on a regular base. Here in United States, we get a wide varieties of potatoes, more than 200 or so. Each of these varieties fits into one of seven potato categories: russet, red, white, yellow, purple, fingerling and petite.  I normally use either russet or yellow potatoes, since they have a light texture which helps in mashing the potatoes to make the filling for the paratha. Let's see how I prepare the paratha!

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• Potatoes............................................... 3, medium
• Onion................................................... 1, finely chopped
• Green chilly......................................... 1, chopped
• Ginger.................................................. 1 inch, finely chopped
• Garlic.................................................... 3 podes, finely chopped
• Ajwain................................................... 1/2 + 1/4 tsp
• Cumin.................................................... 1/2 tsp
• Coreander seeds..................................... 1tsp (crushed)
• Red chilly flakes.................................... 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder................................... 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala........................................ 1/2 tsp
• Cilantro.................................................. one bunch, chopped
• Curry leaves........................................... one sprig ( optional )
• Lime juice.............................................. 1/2 tsp
• Oil.......................................................... 1 - 2 tbsp
• Salt......................................................... as required

For the dough:

• Wheat powder/Atta................................ 2 cups
• Water...................................................... 3/4 cup
• Oil........................................................... 1/2 tsp
• Salt.......................................................... 1/2 tsp / as required

Method:

For making the dough :

• Add salt to water and let it dissolve completely.
• Gradually add atta to the above solution and mix to get a soft dough. Add more water if the dough is hard to handle.
• Cover it with a damp cloth and refridgerate it for 1/2 hour.
• Take it out 1/2 an hour before preparing parathas.

For preparing the filling:

• Boil the potatoes in a cooker adding sufficient salt and water.
• Peel off the skin and mash the potatoes once it is cooled.
• Heat a wok and add oil to it.
• Once the oil boils, add cumin followed by ajwain.
• Add chopped ginger and garlic and saute'
• Then add chopped onions followed by chilly.
• Saute' till transparent and then add crushed chillies followed by rest of the masalas
• Mix it together and remove it from from flame once it is done.
• Let it cool till it is easy to handle.
  

Rolling out the parathas:

• Take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a small circle.
• Place a lemon sized portion of the potatao filling on top of it and join it's ends from all sides to form a closed ball.
• Press and seal it.
• Roll it into normal size of a chapathi.
• Cook both sides in ahot griddle till it is done, brush with ghee/ oil( i omit this part;)
• Serve hot parathas with curd/yogurt and spicy pickle