Coming from Thirunelveli where we didn’t use much wheat back in the day, my introduction to Aloo Paratha was in Delhi where I attended a Summer Institute in Lady Irwin College in 1969. When we went on a tour, the North Indian cooks prepared very light parathas for us with a pickle as side dish. It was really delicious with good satiety value. When I got married I tried this out, but it took a very long time to cook this, and the parathas were very heavy. Now with my daughter’s help I have created my own recipe which has very few ingredients, and is easy to make. I also serve it with Fresh Mango Pickle and Boiled Lime Pickle.
Kala’s Easy To Make Aloo Paratha
Nutritive Value
Wheat flour and maida offer, on an average, 11.5g of protein per 100g, and potatoes offer 99 Calories per 100g. The other foodstuff which provides a small amount of Calories is the almost negligible amount of oil used in the preparation. My aloo parathas provide medium energy, medium protein, and high fibre. These can be packed in a lunch box or even taken on picnics.
Ingredients
For the Paratha
- 1 C Atta (Whole Wheat Flour)
- 1 C Maida (Refined Wheat Flour) plus for dusting
- 2 T Vegetable Oil
- ½ C Water
- ½ tsp Salt
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
For the Stuffing
- 4 large Potatoes, boiled and peeled
- 4 Green Chillies, deseeded and diced
- 2 T diced Coriander Leaves
- ½ tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Salt, or to taste
Method
- Sift the atta and maida together in a bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and half teaspoon of salt to the flour. Mix with your fingers. The flour should resemble coarse bread crumbs.
- Add half a cup of water little by little, and mix till you get a soft and pliable dough. Cover and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Mash the potatoes. Add the green chillies, coriander leaves, cumin powder, and salt, and mix well. Set aside.
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 6-8 balls. Roll out the dough into rounds 1-2 mm thick and 18 cm diameter, using a sufficient amount of flour for dusting.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the potato in the centre.
- Fold the top over the potato, then fold the bottom over so that it forms a tube. Press the edges down to keep it from opening out.
- Fold the edges of the tube one over the other.
- With a rolling pin, press the paratha dough down, and roll it lightly back and forth to form a small circle or square 12-15 cm across. Do not press hard or the potato will escape the paratha.
- Heat a non-stick skillet. Fry the paratha adding half teaspoon of oil till it browns on both sides.
Notes
- If you want a richer flavour, use ghee (clarified butter) instead of oil.
- I use sunflower oil supplemented with rice bran oil for its neutral flavour and cholesterol-lowering properties.
Kala's Kalai 