Aloo Paratha is a classic Indian stuffed flatbread made with spiced mashed potatoes, herbs, and a whole wheat dough. This beginner-friendly recipe includes step-by-step instructions, helpful tips, and a quick video to guide you. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Wash the whole potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt. Leave the skin on. Place them inside the Instant Pot and cover with enough water. Close the lid of the Instant Pot and ensure the valve is set to the sealing position. Set the Pressure to Low and timer to 8 minutes. (take this time to prep the other ingredients)
500 grams potatoes
Once the cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and carefully remove the potatoes using tongs.
Peel and discard the skin. I like to do it while it is still warm by using a fork to hold the potato in place and use my other hand to peel off the skin.
Add the peeled potatoes in a large bowl and use the back of a fork or a potato masher to roughly mash them. Do not make a smooth paste.
Prepare the dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine the wheat flour and salt. Mix well to ensure the salt is evenly distributed.
2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt
Begin by adding most of the water to the flour mixture. Use your hand or a wooden spoon to start mixing the flour and water together. Continue adding water a little at a time, mixing thoroughly until the dough comes together. No dry flour should be seen. As it is wheat flour, you don’t have to knead a lot. If the dough feels too dry, add a bit more water; if it’s too sticky, sprinkle a little more flour.
¾ to 1 cup water
Once the dough comes together and is soft, cover it and let it rest for at least 20 minutes or an hour. This resting period helps the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to roll out.
Divide the rested dough into 6 to 8 balls. Smoothen each dough balls and keep them covered.
Prepare the stuffing
Heat a pan on low and dry roast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds until fragrant. Roughly grind them to coarse using a mortar and pestle. Add it to the bowl of roughly mashed potatoes.
Finely chop the onion, green chillies, coriander leaves and the ginger. You may use a mini chopper to do it all together. Add this to the potato bowl.
1 small red onion, 4 to 6 green chillies, 1 inch ginger, ¼ cup Fresh coriander leaves
Add the ground spices and salt. Check the notes section for options. Use your hands or fork to mix all together. Taste and adjust the salt and spices.
1 teaspoon dry mango powder, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, salt to taste
Stuff the dough balls
Divide the potato mixture into balls similar to the dough balls and keep aside.
Flour your work area, take one dough ball and roll it out into a small circle, about 3 inches in diameter or palm size.
all-purpose flour
Place the prepared aloo ball in the center of the rolled dough. Gather the edges of the dough circle towards the center covering the potato filling, pinch and twist them together to seal the stuffing inside. Press the twisted top gently to flatten it.
When you flatten the ball, it is highly likely that you may notice air pockets. Use a fork to gently pierce them to release the trapped air. This will prevent the parathas from puffing up unevenly while rolling.
Repeat this process with the remaining dough balls, keeping the stuffed ones covered to prevent them from drying out.
Prepare aloo parathas
Lightly flour your work surface and dip the stuffed dough balls in plain flour. This prevents sticking and makes rolling easier.
Roll with very little pressure and without flipping the side. You can turn the dough around and roll for even thickness.
Heat a thick bottomed pan or cast-iron pan on a medium to high flame. A well-heated pan ensures even cooking and nice browning.
Place the rolled paratha and cook until you start seeing air bubbles. Flip and cook for a few seconds. Apply ghee on each side between each flip to cook evenly. Cook until the paratha is golden brown and slightly crispy.
Ghee
Adjust the flame accordingly and cook the rest of the dough while stacking the parathas. Serve hot with lime pickle and seasoned yoghurt.
Video
Notes
Instead of coriander seeds and cumin seeds, you can use 1 teaspoon of carom seeds or fennel seeds. Make sure to crush them lightly.
Instead of chilli flakes, you can add ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder.
Replace ginger with 2-3 garlic cloves or 1-2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste.
Instead of dry mango powder, you can use chaat masala or both.
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