Aloo Paratha (potato flat bread/stuffed potato bread)

Though I take care of the kitchen and cooking my husband also cooks every now and then. On saturday I had to take my qualifiers at the Uni and I was studying like anything with books all around me. With the weather so foggy and rainy hubby said he’d drop me and pick me up again after a few hours as that would give me extra time to revise on the long drive to uni. So, I took the exam, thought I did well and was already drained and tired.

But I knew I couldnt take rest and the images of unwashed dishes from lunch kept coming and then there was the decision about dinner. So hubby came back, picked me up and I sat in the car discussing about the veggies we had in the fridge and what options we had in turning them into a tasty meal or eating out.

But then, when I came back home, I was in for a surprise. There were these stacks of hot parathas waiting for me! I must admit that his parathas were a lot fuller and looked round than the ones I usually make. He didnt even mention about the parathas he’d made and there I was asking him options about dinner! He’d even taken a few photos of preparation so what could I do other than eating?

When I was visiting my sister in Dubai, she took me to a place smaller than a typical tea shop in India. The sign on the place said “Paratha King”. I was thinking it makes aloo, gobi or methi parathas or a small dhaba but little did I know that the place makes well over 100 different parathas for take out service! And the best part is all of them are vegetarian versions of paratha and no meat in any of the 100 types of paratha. The place was jammed with people and I literally didnt know what to order. The price was so affordable and the parathas were as big as a big plate(thali) fit enough to feed 2 people per paratha. The price?? For 4 people it came to a mere 28 dhirams almost $7 for the entire paratha parade! And it comes with gravies and a tangy pickle too.

If you are visiting dubai or sharjah, I would absolutely recommend that you check out this place.

I even took their menu with me to try out some of their varieties at home.

Some of their mouth-watering parathas include(but not limited to)

aloo, gobi, muli partha, schezwan noodles stuffed paratha, potato and methi, channa masala paratha, rajma paratha, mushroom and onion, paneer tikka, even chocolate partha. If you are really a spicy food lover then you must try their chili partha to test your tongue..

Ingredients for Aloo Paratha:(makes about 16 parathas)

For the filling:

Potatoes- 4

Red onions- one (small)

Peas- 1/4 cup(frozen, thawed)

Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp

Chopped Ginger- 1 tsp

Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp

Salt- 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Cilantro leaves- 2 tbsp

For the Parathas:

Wheat flour(chappati flour)- 2 cups and an additional 4 tbsp for rolling out parathas.

Salt- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 1/2 tsp

Water- approximately 1 cup to bind ingredients together and an additional 1/4 cup to add slowly while kneading.

Method:

For the bread:

In a wide bowl, take wheat flour and add salt and oil to it. Slowly start adding the water and knead..Time to show your anger on somebody , knead it, mash it, toss and twist it as you go along. When the dough comes together and is not sticky, stop kneading. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle some more flour and bring it all together. Make about 16 lemon sized balls. Cover and keep aside.

For the filling:

Boil and mash potatoes. Finely chop the onions. In a pan, add oil and cumin seeds. When the seeds splutter add onions and ginger. Fry till the onions are golden brown. Add mashed potatoes, salt, turmeric powder,peas, garam masala powder and stir fry till all ingredients combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Mash the mixture with a potato masher again. Do not add extra water as this will only make the filling soggy. Garnish with cilantro leaves and let it cool. Divide the filling into 16 equal parts.

Putting the dish together:

Take one portion(one ball) of the wheat flour dough. Sprinkle the 4 tbsp of flour evenly on a plate.

Dip the wheat ball in the flour(so that it wont stick) and roll it into a thick round. Sprinkle some flour onto the rolling board and pin so that the dough wont stick.

Keep one portion of the filling in the middle of the rolled dough. Cover from all sides. Dip it again in the flour.

Apply slight pressure and use the rolling pin to flatten it out.

Heat a flat frying pan or tava and lay the bread on the pan. Smear some butter/ghee on the top. After about two minutes, flip it on the other side and smear some butter on top. Make sure that both sides are cooked enough and not raw or over cooked(blackened).

Serve hot with pickles, yogurt or raitha.