Aloo Paratha (Parathas with potato filling)

 

   It is my belief that the humble potato is the most versatile of all vegetables :) Versatile, because you can make absolutely anything with this tasteless veggie. Either fry it, bake it or mash it with salt, or a little sugar, spice it up or just eat it plain boiled... the tattie will seldom disappoint you. And why should it? After all, its what most of the world is eating right now..... as the famous 'French Fries' ;)) Potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates and often consumed in lieu of rice, which is a staple diet of most Asians. We south Indians, especially tamilans sometimes avoid 'the spuds' like plague as they are known to produce a lot of gas and ahem, no one wants to be around a 'gassy' person :) Even though there are tonnes of recipes that use the potato, to me the aloo symbolizes just one tasty dish... my favorite 'aloo ka paratha'. Piping hot aloo parathas with curd (dahi) and home made avakkai urugai (mango pickle) were indeed a very welcoming site for a frosty winter morning. The combo of curd and acchar (especially mom's tomato pickle) is truly unbeatable! Truth be said, I can never eat these parathas with any curry or veggie fry... the original paratha taste is always lost. I did eat a lot of these with jam...hmmm, now that's another good combo, especially for kids. Smear jam and roll it up or just eat each small paratha piece with a little jam. As a kid, I always felt an awe watching my mom make these parathas. It seemed a big deal back then, but now making them is a breeze. Just knead the wheat dough for the paratha, boil the tatties and add all the masalas, stuff them in the wheat dough and make parathas. This recipe is so simple, you will most probably find yourself making this ever so often, just like me. Make it for a hearty breakfast or a heavy dinner, you will love it. You can even make it any style....south or north Indian, just alter the masalas you add to the boiled potatoes. And it is a time saver, especially when you are out of veggies and the only veggies you have in the fridge are the beloved tatties! And don't forget the curd and pickle :) Indeed this was the best breakfast ever at home and a family favorite...with my dad, my brother, my mom and me all gathered at the family table enjoying warm parathas with curd and mummy's home made tomato pickle :)

My Mummy made this :) Love her for my favorite dish!

Ingredients: South Indian style

Potatoes - 8 (medium sized, red or white russet variety)
Onions - 1 (finely chopped)
Chilli powder - 1 to 1 1/2 tsps (add more as per taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp (optional for seasoning)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tsps for tadka (seasoning) and 5 tbsps for making paratha
Dry atta(wheat flour) - about 1 cup (to dredge stuffed atta while making paratha)

Ingredients: North Indian Style

Potatoes - 8 (medium sized red, or white russet variety)
Onions - 1 (finely chopped)
Chilli powder - 1 to 1 1/2 tsps (this is optional if using green chillies, so add as per taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp (optional for seasoning)
Salt - to taste

Jeera - 1 tsp (optional for seasoning)

Green chillies - 1 (finely chopped)
Garam masala - 1/2 - 1 tsps (I use ready made masala)
Amchur (dried mango powder) - 1/4 tsp or  more ( this is optional, but gives a tang to the                                                                                                    masala)
Oil - 2 tsps for tadka (seasoning) and 5 tbsps for making paratha
Dry atta(wheat flour) - about 1 cup (to dredge stuffed atta while making paratha)

Ingredients: Paratha dough

Atta (wheat flour) - 4 tea cups 
Salt - a pinch
Water - about 2 cups or as required

Method:

1) Wash and cut the potatoes in half.  Boil them in a pressure cooker with just enough water so as to immerse them. About 2 whistles in the cooker with around 5 minutes of simmer time are enough to cook them. Allow the potatoes to cool until they are just luke warm to the touch. 

Boiled potatoes with skin

2) Peel the potatoes when still warm and mash them in a container. Use a potato masher, a ladle or just your hands. If you allow them to cool completely, it will become difficult to mash and you will end up with big chunky pieces. Set aside.

Boiled potatoes without skin

Warm mashed potatoes

3) Measure the atta (wheat flour) in a container, add salt and required water. Knead into a pliable soft dough. I usually place the kneaded dough in the fridge for a couple of hours as I am not very adept at making parathas with freshly prepared dough. Don't forget to cover the dough lest you want odors from the items in the fridge to add to your paratha flavor.

Kneaded dough

4) Next, heat the 2 tbsp of oil in a kadai or thick saucepan. Chop the onions finely and set aside. For South Indian style, once oil is hot enough, add mustard if you want to, then add chilli powder, turmeric powder and stir fry without burning the masalas. Add the chopped onions and fry till the onions are dark brown. Add salt to the onions. Then add the mashed potatoes and turn off the gas. Mix the potatoes with the onions nicely so that the salt and chilli powder are evenly coated over them. Add more salt/ chilli powder if needed. chop green coriander and garnish once mixture is cooled (optional).

Stir frying onions with turmeric and chilli powder

South Indian style stuffing

   For North Indian style stuffing, heat 2 tbsps of oil and when it is hot enough, add the jeera and allow it to splutter. Lower heat and then add the chopped green chillies, followed by turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Add 1/2 tsp of chilli powder if more spicy stuffing is needed. Add chopped onion, stir fry till golden brown and add the potatoes and salt. Turn off heat and mix well to make a homogenous mixture. Add amchur powder if needed.

5) Heat a tava or skillet. Take a small lemon sized ball of atta (kneaded wheat flour) and flatten it out into a disc with the center slightly thick and the edges slightly thinner than the center. Take a tablespoon of the stuffing and place it in the center of the flattened atta disc. Hold the disc with stuffing in the palm of one hand and with the other gently, fold the atta over the stuffing, sealing it within the atta. 

Stuffing in the center of the flattened atta disc

Atta disc with the stuffing 

6) Dredge the stuffed atta disc in dry flour and roll it into flat thin/ thick parathas. My mother likes to roll her aloo parathas really thin, almost like rotis, and nowadays, I do the same :) I know a lot of people associate a paratha to be very thick...actually that's how its supposed to be, but then,sometimes we all do our own thing! I find that rolling mine somewhat thin helps the stuffing to spread evenly and the paratha cooks very evenly too.

Aloo paratha rolled and ready for cooking

7) Heat the tava on high and place the rolled paratha over it. When the color of the dough changes slightly, flip over and smear oil evenly over the paratha. Now lower the flame and when you see dark spots or bubbles forming, flip again, smear oil and allow to cook. Ensure that oil is sufficient and paratha does not burn. The hallmark of the aloo paratha is that it should appear oily, as that's where all the taste is ;)) So, don't cut back on the oil.. be liberal, enjoy a hearty meal....count the calories and number of parathas eaten later.

Color of paratha changing when slightly cooked

Oil smeared paratha flipped over

8) When both sides of the paratha are cooked evenly, remove from the stove and place on a plate or casserole (hotcase) to keep warm. This paratha is best eaten piping hot, especially in winters. Serve with curd and pickle, like I said above for best taste :) Or eat it with raita, raw green chilly and onion....hmm, from what I remember there were times I ate this with salted butter, in lieu of curd. Yup, I love this paratha with a dollop of jam too. And it tastes good plain too, all by itself, without the accompaniments.

Aloo paratha waiting to be eaten!

Note: Don't fret if the paratha is not spicy enough when eaten plain. That's where the pickle comes in..to make up for any lack of taste. If you want to avoid pickle, make the stuffing spicy or better still add chat masala to the katori of curd. Any leftover stuffing can be used as masala for dosa, to make aloo bonda, tikki, sandwich base, pav bhaji masala, stuffed bread roll etc.In short, there are no dearth of recipes you can make with the spud! 

Phulkas (Puffed Rotis)

  Phulkas are made of wheat flour which is kneaded with water and salt, rolled out into a thin circular shape and cooked on a tava or griddle. You can call it the thinner version of the roti or chappati, which are generally thick. I call them 'Halka Phulka' as they are an extremely light and a versatile Indian bread.You can eat them with any sabzi (vegetable), curry, jam, pickle or butter. The Phulka derives its name from the fact that it puffs up when it is directly placed over the fire. 'Phulna' in Hindi means puffing up. This Indian bread is a staple of North India and is a little difficult to make as compared to the regular roti. The technique to get the phulka right, is in the quantity of water used and the amount of kneading done to make the dough soft. The more you knead the dough, the softer it becomes. Some people  may find it difficult to make phulkas with a very soft dough, not to worry, refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes and it will be easier to work with. My mother made phulkas almost everyday for lunch and dinner as these and thick chappatis were a favorite of my brother's. Most times when we had unexpected guests for lunch, my mother would scramble to make rotis. And she was so adept at making these, she would have a plate stacked up with garma garam phulkas in under twenty minutes. Not to mention the dollop of home made desi ghee smeared on each phulka. I prefer making phulkas to the thicker chappatis. At home, we had something called the 'thick chappati' and the regular chappati which was the phulka. I always preferred the phulka as it was easier to eat and consumed less time ;)   

Naram Garam Phulkas (without the ghee)

Phulkas when kept folded

Ingredients:        

Wheat flour (Atta) - 2 cups (for kneading)
Wheat flour - 3/4 cup (for dusting the phulkas)

Water - 3/4 to 1 cup

Salt- a pinch (to taste)  
Ghee- a few tbsps

Method:
  
   Keep the following at hand: Rolling pin, Tava/ flat griddle, a pair of tongs or a wire mesh, Hot pack/ Casserole to store the phulkas

1) First visit the Indian store and buy a 5 or 10 lbs atta bag :) You will have many choices to choose from. I found that the brand one picks also matters here in the US as some are coarse ground and others are finely ground. There are also some brands which have maida mixed in the wheat flour, but claim to be pure wheat flour. In my opinion, coarse ground attas are better to make rotis/chappatis/phulkas/puris. I am not promoting any particular brand, but after lots of experimenting, I found Sujata atta to be the one closest to what my mother uses back home. Mom always did it the old fashioned way....buying wheat, washing and drying it and then getting it ground the way she liked it at the flour mill (chakki). She doesn't do that anymore as it is laborious and  I am not there to help her too.
2) Measure out the atta in a large bowl. Add the salt. Add a little water at a time and begin to knead the dough. Add only so much water initially so as to wet and bind the entire dough. Keep kneading and sprinkling a little water till you get almost an elastic consistency in the kneaded dough.The dough should be come soft and pliable. Cover and rest the dough for about 10 mins before making phulkas. You can also refrigerate the dough for about 20 mins in case you are not very comfortable working with a very soft dough.

Soft and pliable dough

3) Now make small round balls out of the dough. Take a flour ball and flatten it a little by hand, to make a small slightly thick disc. Dust this in the extra flour and roll it into a very thin roti. You will have to dust the roti once or twice to prevent it from sticking on the surface you are rolling the phulka out on. Making rotis or phulkas may be a little messy and I prefer to use the flat kitchen counter top to roll out the phulkas. I keep the  atta for dusting usually in a flat plate or on the counter itself. You could use a 'chakla' or traditional elevated flat wooden surface to make the phulkas too. Not that it will reduce the mess :)
4) Heat the tava / griddle on high. Once it is hot enough, slightly lower the flame and place the phulka on the tava. Once it changes color, flip it over and allow it to cook, till light brown spots appear on it. Now, holding the tava handle with one hand, place the phulka directly on the fire with your other hand. You could also place the hot tava on another unused gas burner, so as to keep your hands safe. Making phulkas is a little tricky and does need some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it is very easy :)
5) The phulka placed directly on the fire should puff up due to trapped steam. Using the kitchen tongs, flip the phulka over on the fire for a few seconds. Remove it with the tongs and place it on a plate or casserole.  Smear with a dollop of ghee, if you like the taste of ghee. Mom used to smear a lot of ghee on her phulkas, but I stopped using ghee on mine long ago....guess I don't really like the taste anymore. Repeat the process for all the balls of atta you have, taking care to lower the flame when placing the phulka on the tava each time.Take care to cover the casserole once all the phulkas are made. That way they will stay warm and remain soft when you eat them.
6) Another option would be to use a wire mesh, which I believe is available in the Indian store. Place this on a different gas burner than the one on which you place your tava on. Keep the flame on high and place the phulka over the mesh to puff up. I have never used the wire mesh and learnt to make the phulkas my mom's way.....which did include burning my finger tips in the process. But definitely worth it!

 Note: In case you find placing the phulka directly on the fire or wire mesh is not for you, then you could also use a kitchen towel. Crumple it first and gently press down on the phulka when it has slightly cooked on both sides, keeping the flame on high while doing this. Steam will build up inside the phulka causing it to puff up.








                                                                                                                                          

Plain Paratha

    As the name denotes, this is just a Paratha with no stuffing inside. These usually come out layered as they are folded repeatedly before being rolled out. Sure it does have a wee bit more oil/ ghee content and is a little heavier on the stomach, but nothing can beat the taste of hot parathas with a tasty curry like mutter paneer. Mom used to make them very often when we were young and I remember paratha with egg burji was my favorite breakfast.You can have plain parathas any time of the day. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. They make a tasty snack too. Just smear your favorite jam and roll them....voila you have jam rolls. Like plain cooked rice, these can be the base for any dish you choose to make with wheat. Wraps, rolls, kotthu paratha...you name it, you can work wonders with this bread just like you can with Phulkas and Chappathis!

Plain Paratha

Ingredients:

 Atta (wheat flour) - 4 cups + 1 cup to dust while rolling out
 Salt - a pinch or according to taste
 Oil - 4 to 5 tbsps (to smear while cooking)
 Butter - 1/2 tbsps unsalted
 Water - 1 cup to knead the dough

Method:

1) In a large vessel place the 4 cups of atta and pinch of salt to taste.

2) To this add the unsalted butter and mix well. You can add cold or butter at room temperature. Melted butter should also be fine. Omit salt if using salted butter.

Butter added to the atta

3) Now add the water slowly and knead into a smooth dough. The more water you add and knead, softer will be the parathas. Cover and refrigerate the dough or let it rest for atleast 1/2 hour at room temperature.

Smearing oil to make shapes

4) Make medium sized balls of the kneaded atta, dust them with flour and shape them into rectangles or triangles if you want to. To make a rectangular shape, compress a medium sized dough ball with your hand into a circle. Place some flour or oil inside and take one edge and fold inwards.Now, fold the other edge over the first edge. Repeat the process again and roll out like a rectangle, occasionally dusting with flour. No need to add flour/ oil while folding again. I have shown pictures of the dough folded for a triangular, rectangular and circular paratha.

Rectangular paratha folded once

Double fold to create layers

Paratha rolled out in rectangular shape

Paratha rolled out in triangular shape

5) Heat a tava or non-stick girdle and place the paratha on it. After it changes color on one side, turn it over, smear it with oil and allow it to cook for few seconds. Then turn it over to the oil-less side, apply oil and allow it to cook until done. Store it in a hot-case to keep warm. Serve it with any spicy curry of your choice and enjoy!

                 

Note: This recipe should make about 12 medium sized parathas.

Methi Paratha

     Paratha's or Indian flatbread are made with atta (wheat flour) and are a staple in Northern India. These are not to be confused with the Parotta's which are a layered flatbread more popular in Southern India and made with maida (all purpose flour). Paratha's can be made either plain or with some stuffing inside and rolled out flat. My mom's paratha's came in different shapes and sizes...sometimes they were round, rectangular or triangular. The shapes were usually to excite and coax us kids to eat. One of my favorite is the methi paratha or fenugreek leaves paratha. These are made out of fresh methi leaves which are said to have a cooling effect on the body. Sure, it may seem a pain to clean and cut the methi leaves, but the end result is definately worth the effort :) Frozen methi leaves can also be used, after the leaves are thawed, washed once and water completely drained from the leaves.

Methi paratha with curd and pickle

Ingredients:

 Methi leaves (preferably fresh) - 1 Bunch
 Atta flour - 4 tea cups
 Ajwain seeds(Carom seeds) - 1 tbsp
 Besan (gramflour) - 2 tbsp
 Chilli powder - 1/2  or 1 tsp
 Salt - according to taste
 Butter - 1 tbsp (If using salted butter, don't add salt)
 Water - 1 cup, to knead the dough
 Oil - to smear on the parathas while cooking
 Atta - 1 cup ( to dust the parathas while rolling out)

Method:

 1) Clean and wash the methi leaves, taking care to remove all the stems. Dry them thoroughly and chop them finely. Set aside.

2) Take atta (wheat flour) in a large vessel. I usually take about 4 heaped handful of atta. Next, add the ajwain seeds, besan flour, chilli powder and salt to the atta. You can vary the quantity of ajwain, but the more you add, the bitter it can get. Remember that methi leaves are bitter as it is. Also, don't overdo the besan flour as it is only for taste. Too much besan will cause a complete change in taste and you may end up with Theplas instead :) Besan also gives a yellowish tinge to the parathas. Mix these ingredients nicely.

3) Add the butter and mix well. I add cold butter, but butter at room temperature is also fine. Butter is added to make the parathas nice and soft. And it remains soft for several hours, even a day or two.

Ajwain(Carom seeds) and butter added to the atta

4) Next add the chopped methi leaves and mix till the leaves get well coated with the flour.

5) Now add water and knead the dough into a large ball. Let it rest for 1/2 to 1 hour. I usually refrigerate the dough a couple of hours. Its easier to work with it afterwards that way. You can make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it too. Make sure it does not freeze though.

Kneaded dough with methi leaves

6) Heat the tava or a skillet. Make medium sized balls and roll them out, occasionally dusting them with atta. Place the parathas on the tava and allow one side to cook. When it changes color, flip it over, smear with oil and repeat the process until both sides are evenly cooked.Store in a stainless steel casserole or hot-case with a lid.My mother used to place a fresh kitchen towel inside the hot-case and then place the parathas in them, in order to retain the heat and absorb the moisture created by the heat.I make do without the towel as I am not too keen on having to wash it later on.Moreover I feel the towel causes more moisture build up.
7) Serve with curd and pickle. You can also have this with spicy or plain dal, depending on how much chilli powder you choose to add in your parathas.

Note: The recipe above will make 10 - 12 medium thickness parathas.