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Tag: Stuffed paratha

  • Aloo Paratha

    In Punjab, a winter morning often starts with the sound of parathas being slapped onto a hot tawa. Aloo paratha is the best known of the stuffed breads, the kind of breakfast that fuels a day in the fields, and the dhabas along the Grand Trunk Road built their reputation on huge, butter-soaked versions served to truck drivers.

    The filling is simple: boiled potatoes mashed with green chilli, ginger, coriander, ajwain, amchur and a little garam masala. The trick is a dry filling and a soft dough, so the paratha rolls thin without tearing. Cooked properly, it is crisp and flaky outside, soft inside, with the potato spread evenly to the edges.

    It is eaten hot off the tawa with a cube of white butter melting on top, a bowl of thick curd, and mango or mixed pickle. Leftover parathas travel well in tiffins, and many families make them for train journeys. Dhabas on the highway still fold a thick slab of homemade butter into the dough, which is why their parathas taste so rich.

    At a glance

    RegionPunjab
    CuisinePunjabi
    DietVegetarian
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time55 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientswhole wheat flour / potato / green chilli / ghee

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 2 cups whole wheat atta
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp oil
    • About 3/4 cup water

    For the filling

    • 4 medium potatoes (about 500 g), boiled and peeled
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1 inch ginger, grated
    • 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
    • 1 tsp amchur
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
    • 3/4 tsp salt
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)

    For cooking

    • Ghee or butter for roasting
    • Dry atta for dusting

    Method

    1. Knead atta, salt, oil and water into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
    2. Grate the boiled potatoes while still slightly warm, so there are no lumps. Mix in all the filling ingredients by hand. Taste; the filling should be well seasoned and dry enough not to stick to your fingers.
    3. Divide the dough into 8 balls and the filling into 8 portions slightly larger than the dough balls.
    4. Roll a dough ball into a 10 cm disc, place filling in the centre, bring the edges up and pinch to seal. Flatten gently and dust with flour.
    5. Roll out evenly with light pressure to about 18 cm, turning often. If filling peeks through, patch with a pinch of dry flour.
    6. Place on a hot tawa over medium-high heat. When small bubbles appear, about 30 seconds, flip. Cook the second side 30 seconds.
    7. Spread 1/2 tsp ghee on the top, flip, and press the edges with a spatula so they cook. Ghee the other side and flip again. Roast until both sides have golden-brown spots and the paratha is crisp, about 1 minute more.
    8. Serve immediately, or stack in a cloth-lined box to keep warm.

    Tips

    • Boil potatoes whole in their skins and let them steam dry; waterlogged potatoes make a sticky filling that tears the dough.
    • Do not add the onion until you are ready to stuff – salt draws water out of it.
    • Medium-high heat is key: too low and the paratha turns hard, too high and it burns before cooking through.

    Serve with

    White butter, thick curd and mango or mixed vegetable pickle.

  • Sattu Paratha

    Sattu, flour made from roasted chickpeas, is the protein staple of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Farmers and labourers carry it to the fields mixed with water and salt, and in homes it becomes litti, sharbat and these stuffed parathas. Cheap, filling and shelf-stable, it is one of the oldest convenience foods in India.

    The filling is dry, savoury and sharp: sattu mixed with raw onion, garlic, green chilli, ajwain, kalonji, lemon and mustard oil, often with a spoon of masala from the mango pickle jar. Once rolled inside a wheat dough and cooked on a tawa with ghee, it gives a nutty, smoky paratha that keeps you going until lunch.

    At a glance

    RegionBihar
    CuisineBihari
    DietVegetarian
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time25 minutes
    Cook time25 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientssattu / whole wheat flour / onion / mustard oil

    Ingredients

    For the dough

    • 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp oil
    • About 3/4 cup water

    For the filling

    • 1 cup sattu (roasted gram flour)
    • 1 small onion, very finely chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1 inch ginger, grated
    • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 1/2 tsp kalonji
    • 1 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp mango pickle masala (optional)
    • Salt to taste
    • 2-3 tbsp water if needed

    For cooking

    • Ghee or oil, as needed

    Method

    1. Knead the atta with salt, oil and water into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
    2. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze with your hand – the filling should hold together when pressed but crumble when poked. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp water if it is too dry.
    3. Divide the dough into 8 balls and the filling into 8 portions.
    4. Roll a ball into a 10 cm disc, place a portion of filling in the centre, bring the edges together and pinch to seal. Flatten gently.
    5. Dust with flour and roll carefully into an 18 cm paratha, applying light, even pressure so the filling does not break through.
    6. Cook on a hot tawa over medium heat for 1 minute until small bubbles appear, flip and cook another minute.
    7. Spread ghee on both sides and cook, pressing with a spatula, until both sides have golden-brown spots, about 1 minute per side. Repeat with the rest.

    Tips

    • Chop the onion very finely; large pieces tear the paratha while rolling.
    • If the filling is too dry the paratha tastes powdery, too wet and it leaks – aim for damp sand.
    • Wrap cooked parathas in a cloth to keep them soft if packing for travel.

    Serve with

    Curd, mango pickle and aloo chokha or a hot cup of tea.