Aloo paratha recipe: A flat, filled Indian bread or paratha that is served for breakfast or as a street food in India during all times of the day. Over many years of trying to make aloo paratha at home, I’d like to believe that I have perfected my technique to dish out a very decent aloo paratha recipe, especially for a South Indian!
Potatoes have the property to inherently make aloo parathas soft so that makes our job that much easier. Although I struggled to make the perfect aloo parathas when I started cooking, I realised with practise it’s really a piece of cake paratha!
For more paratha recipes, check out gobi paratha, tawa nan, paneer paratha, and methi thepla recipe.
Aloo Paratha Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups atta / whole wheat flour
- Just over 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- A few drops of oil
For Potato Filling
- 2 medium sized potatoes
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp jeera / cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp ajwain / omam / carom seeds
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala or garam masala
- 1/2 tsp salt
- A handful of coriander leaves chopped fine
Instructions
To prepare paratha dough:
- Mix the atta and salt well together. Add a few drops of oil and mix with fingertips.
- Add water little at a time and keep kneading into a soft dough.
- Knead for 3-4 mins and coat with some more oil (don't overdo the oil bit, very few drops will do). Set aside while making the filling.
- To prepare aloo paratha filling:
- Boil and grate the potatoes. I used to mash them but that leaves small lumps here and there making it harder to roll out the aloo parathas smoothly. Grating is a better method to ensure a smooth filling.
- Mix all ingredients for the filling together, making sure they are well incorporated.
- The spices you add to the filling also make a large difference to the taste of your aloo parathas. There are tons of different versions here.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll into smooth balls. Do the same with the filling. I like to make the size of the filling slightly smaller than the dough balls but you can make them into equal sizes if you wish.
- Flour the surface you are going to use to roll the parathas.
- Take one dough ball, place it on the floured surface and flatten with fingertips into a small round. I find that doing this with my fingertips makes it easier to get the surface equally thick than rolling with a rolling pin.
- Place a ball of potato filling in the centre of the flattened dough ball.
- Gather the dough ball around the filling, sealing it gently on top.
- Make it into a momo-like ball, making sure that the dough covers the filling ball completely.
- You can pinch off the extra bit of dough on top. I sometimes just flatten it against the top and continue.
- Again, using your fingertips, gently press the filled dough ball into a small circle, making sure the thickness is equal on all sides.
- Then use your rolling pin to flatten it out to as thick or thin as you want. I keep it slightly thicker than chapatis.
- Transfer rolled paratha to a hot griddle. Make sure you tap out the excess flour used in rolling.
- Cook until both sides are golden brown.
- When done, brush with some ghee / butter or oil and transfer to a plate.
- Serve aloo paratha hot with a pat of butter on top, some curd and pickles.
Step by Step Aloo Paratha Recipe:
1. Make the dough first. (I use my Kitchenaid now for making chapati dough and its a breeze, will share details in a later post). Mix the atta and salt well together. Add a few drops of oil and mix with fingertips. Add water little at a time and keep kneading into a soft dough. Knead for 3-4 mins and coat with some more oil (don’t overdo the oil bit, very few drops will do). Set aside while making the filling.
3. Mix all ingredients for the filling together, making sure they are well incorporated.
The spices you add to the filling also make a large difference to the taste of your aloo parathas. There are tons of different versions here. Since I visited TH’s aunt in Mumbai and watched her Marathi maid make aloo parathas (in awe, I must add!), I use her recipe for the aloo filling.
4. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll into smooth balls. Do the same with the filling. I like to make the size of the filling slightly smaller than the dough balls but you can make them into equal sizes if you wish.
5. Flour the surface you are going to use to roll the parathas. Take one dough ball, place it on the floured surface and flatten with fingertips into a small round. I find that doing this with my fingertips makes it easier to get the surface equally thick than rolling with a rolling pin.
6. Place a filling ball in the centre of the flattened dough ball.
7. Gather the dough ball around the filling, sealing it gently on top.
8. Make it into a momo-like ball, making sure that the dough covers the filling ball completely.
9. You can pinch off the extra bit of dough on top. I sometimes just flatten it against the top and continue.
10. Again, using your fingertips, gently press the filled dough ball into a small circle, making sure the thickness is equal on all sides.
In case you are wondering, there was no tripod used in any of the pics. I clicked with my left hand. The things food blogging teaches you – Â mind-boggling!
11. Then use your rolling pin to flatten it out to as thick or thin as you want. I keep it slightly thicker than chapatis. And before you ask, I still can’t make a perfectly round chapati / paratha, so help me God. Oh, you weren’t going to ask..
Ok moving on.
12. Transfer rolled paratha to a hot griddle. Make sure you tap out the excess flour used in rolling. I didn’t take enough for this paratha so ignore the excessive white patches.
13. Cook until both sides are golden brown. When done, brush with some ghee / butter or oil and transfer to a plate. I use my olive oil spray while making chapatis / parathas. You can spray on the oil at the end and it creates zero mess. Of course if you want to use ghee, then the mess doesn’t matter, only the flavour does!
That’s it! Serve aloo paratha hot with a pat of butter on top, some curd and pickles.
For aloo paratha recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
Allo paratha looks delicious. I have never made them, even though i have hear they are really delicious.One of these days i am going to make them.
While looking at those pics I was for a minute imagining myself with a plate near by in the kitchen wishing as if the hot parathas were transfered to my plate from tawa:)
I almost had one aloo paratha by the time I reached the last picture! Lovely presentation, Nags.
Wow Nags..Excellent cliks. I am a fan of aloo paratha and I love your version. Thanx for the step by step pics.
ur a life saver nags,actually i have some friends visiting tomorrow morning and they will be leaving by afternoon on a train and i was confused on what to pack for their lunch ,something non messy and with less gravy but packing the same kind of oomph!trust me you dont want to have hot gravies leaking out of parcels on a sultry afternoon in a bumpy train! and guess waht i have a fresh batch of gooseberry pickle to add that "south indian" touch to aloo paratha he he he …happy cooking nags!
Hi Nags
Your blog about aloo paratha came at the perfectly write time. I have been thinking about making Aloo paratha for quite a few days now. I do have my own recipe and some other recipes as well however gonna follow your recipe this time. Love your blog and clicks 🙂
Anisha Kuruvilla
Aloo parathas look so yummy and fulfilling.
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
those are some really drool worthy pictures- love the step-by step presentation!
nice pictures..BTW, i tried the garlic pull aparts..posted it in my blog..
Lovely photos despite no tripods! And the parathas look yum!