Aloo paratha, the complete and light Indian bread stuffed with potato

The Aloo paratha are some Indian breads whose characteristic is to be slightly puff pastry. This stuffed version, usually potato (aloo), is typical of the north of the Indian subcontinent and is usually eaten for breakfast, although here I would recommend it more as an appetizer along with perhaps a little yogurt.

The recipe has a couple more steps than usual -you have to let the dough rest and boil the potatoes- but in the end it is quite simple, and the effort/happiness ratio is optimal. I’ve opted to use only sunflower oil to make it fully vegan, but you can use ghee (clarified butter) instead for extra flavor.

recipe information

• • Preparation time: 30 minutes

• • Cooking time: 1 hour

• • total time: 2 hours

• • rations: 4

• • Category: incoming

• • type of cuisine: India

• • calories: 180 kcal per 100 g

Ingredients for aloo paratha for 4 people

For the mass:

• • 210 g plain flour

• • 70 g wholemeal flour

• • Half a teaspoon of fine salt

• • Sunflower oil

• • 240 ml of hot water

For the filling:

• • 800g of potatoes

• • Half a teaspoon of fine salt

• • 1 small onion

• • A piece of fresh ginger

• • Half a bunch of coriander

• • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• • 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

• • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• • ½ teaspoon black pepper

How to make Indian bread stuffed with spiced potatoes

Prepare the dough: in a bowl, mix the two flours and the salt, add the two tablespoons of sunflower oil and mix with your fingers so that it is well distributed -a bit like one does when preparing shortcrust pastry-. We should get the flour to become slightly grainy.

Put the mixture in the bowl of the kitchen robot (although it can be done by hand) with the shovel or blade accessory. At minimum speed add hot water little by little. It is not necessary to add it all, just until the dough takes shape, so you have to add a tablespoon at a time to see when to stop. In the case of doing this operation by hand, add the water little by little, mixing, until you get a dough.

Replace the paddle accessory with the hook and knead at low speed for 5 minutes. By hand, knead the dough for 5 minutes.

On the counter, shape the dough into a ball, cover with film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the filling: peel the potatoes, cut them into large pieces, cover them with cold water and cook them, with half a teaspoon of salt, until they are tender but not undone.

Cut the ginger into fine julienne strips, chop the onion and coriander. In a bowl mash the potatoes (it doesn’t matter if they are uneven) and add the ginger, onion, ground coriander seeds, ground cumin, paprika and black pepper. Test the salt point and adjust it if necessary -the filling should be very tasty-.

Divide the filling and the dough into 8 equal parts.

Take a ball of dough and roll it out with a rolling pin, helping with a little flour if necessary, until you get a circle with an approximate diameter of 15 centimeters.

Brush the surface of the dough with a little sunflower oil (or clarified butter) and arrange a ball of filling in the center.

Flatten the filling a little.

Close the dough around the filling. The easiest way is as in the photo, almost in squares. The important thing is that the ends overlap well so that no filling comes out.

With your hands, flatten the package a little so that the filling is distributed well and the dough begins to give itself.

With a rolling pin and little flour, roll out the paratha until you get a flat bread about 15 cm in diameter. Reserve and repeat the operation with the other portions of dough.

In a frying pan, heat a little sunflower oil and cook the parathas over medium-high heat, brushing them first with the same oil. They will be ready when golden spots appear. They are eaten hot, folded or cut into quarters, accompanied by natural yoghurt, fresh herbs or chutney.

Easy preparation summary

1. 1. Mix the flours with 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil

1. 1. Gradually add as much hot water as it admits until you get a homogeneous mass (it can be done in a food processor or by hand)

1. 1. Knead, by hand or with a mixer, about 5 minutes until you get an elastic dough.

1. 1. Film the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes

1. 1. Cook the potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces, until they are tender

1. 1. Cut the ginger into fine julienne strips and chop the onion and cilantro

1. 1. Crush the potatoes and mix them with the ingredients for the filling: ginger, onion, coriander, ground cumin, paprika, black pepper. adjust salt

1. 1. Divide the filling and the dough into 8 equal parts.

1. 1. Stretch the dough up to 15 cm in diameter

1. 1. Coat with sunflower oil, put a part of the filling, close the dough around it and roll out with a rolling pin.

1. 1. Cook the parathas in a pan with a little sunflower oil, brushing them on both sides with oil