Zaiqa

These yummy stuffed griddle breads with spicy potato filling are a favorite breakfast choice in my house. I enjoy them along with a little tomato chutney on the side. A cup of chai to end the meal and I am satisfied. Bliss!

Aloo Paratha – Flat Bread stuffed with spicy Potato mixture

Ingredients:

For the Stuffing mixture:
Potatoes – 5, medium, washed, peeled and cubed
Canola Oil – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds/Zeera – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 2, very finely chopped
Turmeric/Haldi Powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Cilantro – 2 tbsp, very finely chopped
For the Bread:
Wheat flour (Durum Flour) – 450 gms
Canola Oil/Ghee – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Water – as needed

Note: You will need additional oil for cooking the Parathas/Bread.

Aloo Paratha – Potato Stuffed Indian Bread served along with Tomato Chutney

Method:

1. Boil or pressure cook the potatoes until they are soft. Drain, peel and mash them and keep them aside in a bowl. Heat a pan on medium high heat and pour oil into it. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the chillies and fry them for a minute and add the turmeric powder. Add this to the the mashed potatoes. Also add salt, red chilii powder, and cilantro. Mix well and keep aside.
2. Now for the parathas, combine the flour, salt, oil and water (reserving some of the flour for rolling). Add only a little water at a time and knead hard for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, firm and pliable. Divide the dough into 16 equal sized balls. Roll each ball into a circle with a rolling pin of 8 cm approx diameter on a lightly floured board. Divide the potato mixture and roll them into 8 balls between your plams, 4 cm approx diameter and keep aside. Put each potato filling in the middle of each of the 8 rolled out discs and flatten it a bit. Cover the remaining 8 rolled discs onto each of them like a sandwich, and press the edges of the discs to make a potato parcel and enclose the potato mixture inside. Cover them all with a kitchen towel.

3. On a lightly floured working surface, take the sandwiched bread+potato and roll out very lightly and carefully, each one by one, to a circle, the size of a breakfast plate. Do not press too hard on the rolling pin or the filling will break through the dough, and also, do not roll it too thin or the Paratha will tear. Keep the working surface generously floured to aid in the process. Roll gently.
4. When all the parathas are filled and ready to cook, heat a heavy flat bottomed frying pan/girdle/tawa until very hot. Keep oil/ghee ready in a small bowl. Put a teaspoon of oil/butter on the girdle, spread it and put a paratha on it carefully and let the paratha sizzle on the girdle for a minute. Spread another small teaspoon of oil/butter on top of the paratha. Turn the paratha over and cook another side until nicely golden on both sides. Remove into a platter lined with kitchen towel. Cover with another kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat until all the parathas are ready and serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Serve at once with Tomato chutney or have it with any curry you like. You can also enjoy them as it is.

Tip: If there is a leftover potato mixture (filling):
1. You can make Potato cutlets with it and store in the refrigerator. Shallow fry them later when you want and a snack is ready.
2. You can also use the potato mixture as the filling into mirchi and make mirch bhajiya with besan. A yummy snack is ready.

Luv,
Mona