Aloo Paratha (Indian Spicy Potato Bread) Recipe

Aloo Paratha is a flaky Indian flatbread (paratha) stuffed with spicy potatoes (aloo). It's a wonderful breakfast bread that you can buy at roadside stands and eateries along northern Indian highways. 

Aloo paratha are also made in Indian households as part of a hearty Punjabi-style breakfast.

Aloo paratha can be pan-fried with oil for a vegan version, or with ghee, for a vegetarian version. It is typically made with a dough made with atta, a soft Indian whole wheat flour.

What can I substitute for Atta Flour? 

While there is a "Little India" with lots of food stores very close to me, I decided not to go out and buy more specialty flour. Instead, I decided to substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the atta. This is because I have a serious problem, in that I've already collected way to many specialty flours.

French flour, check. Durum flour, check. Semolina flour, check. Three grinds of cornmeal, check. Tipo 00 flour? Got that too.

Then there are the three types of rye flour that I "needed," the Irish whole meal flour, the rye chops, and the first clear flour. And don't forget the bag of malted wheat flakes. Clearly, Marie Kondo would not be pleased.

Fortunately, the whole wheat pastry flour that I found in my freezer worked out beautifully. The dough was easy to roll out, and I didn't have to deal with too much gluten development. I suspect that regular whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour would just fine.

You could also make a mixture of whole wheat and cake flour for a soft and tender dough.

This was my first time attempting aloo paratha, and I found it to be surprisingly easy to make.

How to Assemble Aloo Paratha

To make the aloo paratha, you roll out the prepared dough to small disks, drop balls of the the spicy potatoes in the center, and wrap the dough around the potato filling.

Next, you roll the potato filled dough out with a rolling pin to 10 inch disks. This was the panic moment when I was certain that potatoes would be leaking out all over.

Fortunately, I had no problem with the filling leaking out. The only issue I had was that the jalapeño in the potato filling kind of cut through the dough as I rolled it out into thin disks. Next time I will puree the jalapeños (or at least chop them even more finely).

Fortunately, paratha is supposed to be super flakey, so the chiles cutting through the dough worked just fine.

Aloo paratha is often served with yogurt and green mango chutney. You can also enjoy it brushed with ghee. We had it with yogurt and mango chutney. It was delicious.

Make Ahead Tips:

This dough can be kneaded in advance and refrigerated for up to a week. 

In addition, the potato filling can be mixed and refrigerated up to a day in advance. 

For another Indian Flatbread, be sure to try Matar Kulcha (or Chole Kulcha). 

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month's theme is an Indian Picnic, and our host is Ansh who blogs at SpiceRoots. (I hope she approves of my contribution! It's always hard when you are trying hard not to be guilty of cultural misappropriation.)

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it's a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious Indian Picnic inspired dishes!

An Indian Picnic

Appetizers

• Sweet Potato Chaat - SpiceRoots
• Onion Pakoras - Indian Fritters with Spicy Sauce - Creative Culinary

Bread

• Aloo Paratha - Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Main Courses

• Kati Rolls With Chicken and Egg - Mother Would Know
• Lamb Meatballs in the Instant Pot - Shockingly Delicious
• Indian-Style Beef Kabobs with Cilantro - Coconut Sauce - From a Chef’s Kitchen
• Indian Street Tacos with Grilled Shrimp - Beyond Mere Sustenance

Aloo Paratha (Indian Potato Bread) Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

ingredients:

Four the Dough

• 3 cups (15 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour. See notes regarding substitutions. 
• 3/4 cup water
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of  ground cumin
• Big pinch of ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons of grape seed oil

For the Potato filling

• 12 ounces (by weight) russet potatoes, boiled and mashed, and seasoned with salt to taste
• 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• A few twists of ground white pepper

To Cook and Serve

• Ghee
• Melted Butter
• Mango Chutney
• Full Fat Plain Yogurt

instructions:

How to cook Aloo Paratha (Indian Potato Bread) Recipe

To Make the Dough

1. Stir the flour, water, kosher salt,  ground cumin, ground white pepper, and the grape seed oil together until you have a shaggy dough. 
2. Knead the dough with your hands until the dough comes together. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and let rest for about 15 minutes. 
3. You can refrigerate the dough at this point for up to a week before assembling the paratha. 

To Make the Potato Filling

1. Combine the boiled, mashed, and salted  russet potatoes along with the seeded and finely minced jalapeños. 
2. Add the fresh lemon juice, ground coriander seeds, cayenne powder, granulated ginger, granulated garlic, cilantro, and white pepper. 

To Assemble the Aloo Paratha

1. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. 
2. Divide the potato mixture into 12 equal balls. 
3. The potato balls should be slightly larger than the dough balls. 
4. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into 3 inch circles. 
5. Place the potato balls in the middle. 
6. Seal by pulling the sides of the dough over the potato balls and sealing on top. On a floured work surface, flour the top of of the sealed dough and roll it out into a 10 inch round with a floured rolling pin. 
7. Repeat with the rest of the dough and potatoes, and stack each on top of floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. 
8. Heat a a tablespoon of ghee in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Lay a paratha onto the pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. 
9. Transfer to a plate and brush with melted butter. 
10. Repeat with the rest of the paratha, stacking each on the plate and covering with a tea towel. 
11. Serve with the chutney and yogurt. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2019/06/aloo-paratha-indian-spicy-potato-bread.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Aloo paratha, paratha, potatoes

Bread, street food

Indian

Created using The Recipes Generator

Sources include Serious Eats, All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, Times of India, and Cook with Manali.