Aloo paratha recipe (Potato stuffed paratha)

Aloo paratha recipe with 3 different ways of stuffing & rolling. Aloo paratha are Indian breakfast flatbreads made with whole wheat flour, mashed potatoes, spices & herbs. These flavorful and delicious stuffed parathas are a staple in many North Indian households. These are most commonly topped with white butter and served alongside pickle and yogurt.

About Aloo Paratha

Aloo paratha are popular Indian flatbreads stuffed with a delicious spiced potato mixture. Aloo means potatoes and paratha are flatbreads. Firstly a dough is made with whole wheat flour. Next boiled potatoes are mashed or grated and then spiced.

This flavorful spiced potato mixture is then stuffed in a small disc of dough and sealed. It is then rolled and pan fried with a generous amount of ghee or oil.

These are made the same way all over India with slight differences in the spices. My recipe to make aloo paratha has a unique combination of spices so they are flavorful, delicious and great tasting.

Making aloo paratha is easy but needs a bit of practice. In this post I have shown 3 ways to stuff & roll aloo parathas. So if you are new to making stuffed parathas check out my video and try in smaller quantities.

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How to make aloo paratha (stepwise photos)

1. Add 2 cups whole wheat flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon oil and half cup water in a mixing bowl. Begin to mix adding more water as required to form a soft and non-sticky dough. Knead well until really soft and pliable.

2. If you press down the dough, it should dent easily and must be soft. Cover and keep it aside until the stuffing is ready. I always rest my dough for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you prefer to skip the resting time, then knead it a little longer and use it right away.

3. Boil the potatoes just until fork tender without making them mushy. If cooking in a pressure cooker, place the potatoes in the cooker along with 1 cup water. Pressure cook on a medium heat for 3 to 4 whistles depending on the size. If cooking in a instant pot, pressure cook them for 5 to 6 mins and wait for the pressure to drop naturally.

Make stuffing

4. When the potatoes cool down, peel them and grate or mash until it is smooth. There should be no pieces of potatoes left as they will tear the aloo paratha while rolling. If your potatoes look sticky or pasty, then don’t overdo the mashing. Instead use your fingers to break the tiny bits.

5. Run your fingers through the potato mash and break up any chunks of potatoes. This step is extremely important. Then add

¾ tsp garam masala
½ tsp red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
¾ to 1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp chaat masala (or amchur, dried mango powder)
1 green chilli chopped (optional)
¾ tsp ginger grated or paste (or ¼ tsp ginger powder)
½ tsp salt (more if needed)
1 tsp kasuri methi
¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
½ tsp fennel powder
2 tbsps coriander leaves fine chopped

6. Mix all of these and taste test. Then add more salt or spices if needed to suit your taste. Divide the mixture to 8 equal portions.

7. Divide the dough to 8 equal portions.

Method 1 – Rolling

8. Sprinkle little flour on the rolling area. Smoothen a dough ball and dip it in flour. Flatten it and roll to a 4 inch round roti/disc.

9. Place a spiced potato ball in the center and bring the sides up.

10. Press down the stuffing to the center and bring the sides higher giving it a cup shape. If the aloo stuffing is sticky, then smear your fingers generously with some flour.

11. Bring the sides higher by simply rotating the whole thing on your hand in clock-wise direction. The dough gets stretched by itself and comes over the stuffing. (check video)

12. Repeat this step of pushing the aloo inside and bringing the sides higher by rotating until the edges come over to the top.

13. Join all the edges well to ensure no filling is visible. I do not remove any excess dough, instead press it down back to the ball.

14. Dip this ball in flour on both the sides and gently flatten it with your fingers. This is very important so the filling is evenly spread all over the paratha.

15. Place the sealed side down on the rolling area and gently roll it evenly without putting pressure. Do not roll the aloo paratha continuously. Instead rotate in clock-wise direction a little after every 4 to 6 rolls to ensure it does not tear or get stuck.

You can make as thin or thick you like. I make mine thin and about 8 to 9 inches. If you see the filling coming out while rolling, then apply some flour there. Sprinkle flour only as needed and avoid using excess.

Method 2 – Rolling

I had shot these pictures in 2015 but never got to share it on the blog. The stuffing I made here is by tempering the spices in oil first and then I added it to the mashed potatoes. It is on the hotter side with more chilli powder.

Place the aloo stuffing in a 5 inch roti. Then make pleats and bring all the edges on top. Gently join them and pinch off the excess dough. Flatten slightly and dip in flour. Flatten it again to a 4 inch disc with your fingers to spread the filling evenly. Then roll it to as big as you can.

Method 3 – Rolling

Roll 2 rotis of 6 inches. Spread the aloo mixture on one of the roti as shown below. Wet the edges with little water. Place the other roti on top of it. Press down gently on the sides to seal both the rotis. Then sprinkle flour and roll it evenly as thin as you want. With this method, you will be able to make only 6 large parathas. So divide the dough to 12 and stuffing to 6 parts.

Frying aloo paratha

16. After you are done rolling 3 to 4 paranthas, heat a griddle on a medium high flame. When the pan is hot enough, dust off excess flour from the aloo paratha & gently transfer it to the griddle. Within 2 minutes, you will see bubbles. Flip it to the other side.

17. Press down gently with a spatula. You will see the paratha begins to puff. Drizzle some ghee or oil. I add about 1 teaspoon ghee.

18. Flip it to & fro and drizzle more ghee. Cook pressing down on the edges with a spatula so they cook well. Well-cooked parathas will leave your entire house filled with a great aroma. When you see golden to light brown spots on the aloo paratha, remove to a plate.

19. To fry the next one, ensure the pan is hot enough and not extremely hot. Keep regulating the flame to medium or low as needed so the parathas don’t burn. Stack to keep them moist.

Serve aloo paratha with pickle or yogurt. You can also top your parathas with butter.

Pro Tips

Firstly boiling potatoes the right way is the key to make the best aloo parathas. Boil them just until fork tender, meaning they are just cooked and not overcooked. Soggy potatoes will make a sticky and very moist stuffing which is not good to make parathas.

Mashing or grating potatoes properly is also very important. There should be no chunks of potatoes left in the mash as they will tear the parathas. Do not over mash to the extent they become pasty. So you can also grate them rather than mashing to avoid pasty texture.

Stuffing the parathas: The first method of stuffing and rolling I have shown here is the best way to make as it completely locks the stuffing in the dough preventing the stuffing from coming out.

Flattening and spreading the stuffing after sealing the spiced aloo in the dough is what makes the aloo paratha perfect. This avoids the parathas from tearing and spreads the filling evenly.

Lastly frying parathas on a low heat will make them hard. Cook them on a moderately medium high heat so they cook well. Also regulating the flame as needed is very important so they don’t burn.

Ingredients

Potatoes: Choosing the right kind of potatoes to make these parathas is very important. Some kind of potatoes turn too mushy and sticky after boiling. Avoid using such potatoes.

Spices: Most people make aloo paratha with minimal spices like cumin, coriander powder and red chilli powder. The combination of spices I have used here makes the parathas so flavorful that your home will be filled with a delicate aroma while frying.

However if you do not have or don’t prefer any particular spice, then you can simply skip it. You can also increase or decrease the spices to suit your taste.

Ghee: Aloo parathas are pan fried mostly with a generous amount of ghee as it imparts that smoky aroma and flaky texture. If you do not eat ghee then use any regular oil.

Variations

1.You can also temper the spices before adding to the mashed potatoes. To do this, heat 1 tbsp oil or ghee in a small pan. Add ginger and green chilies. Saute for 30 seconds and then add all the spice powders and salt. Turn off and add this to the mashed potatoes.

Even without the tempering the aloo parathas will be great as the stuffing gets steam cooked while frying.

2. Some people also add onions to the stuffing. They are added raw or sauteed in oil until they lose the raw smell.

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