Aloo paratha is stuffed paratha or stuffed flatbread where the stuffing is made using mashed potatoes. In this easy aloo paratha recipe (as known in India for potato stuffed flatbread), I used all purpose flour to make it more easy, soft & more delicious and it tastes much similar to aloo naan though we do not use any leavening agents like we usually use in naan bread recipes.
In India, parathas like aloo paratha or potato stuffed flatbread is so popular especially in North India.
Onion paratha is another easy and popular Indian style paratha which is stuffed flatbread with onions and it makes a delicious breakfast (or any meal) which you can serve with just yogurt & pickles or any curry of your choice!
In the traditional Indian or Punjabi dhaba style aloo paratha, wheat atta flour is used to prepare the parathas and also many spices are added to the mashed potatoes to make it Indian style flatbread which is very yummy.
This is often enjoyed for breakfast as well as dinner along with any Indian curry or fresh yogurt (curd), raita (salads), pickles etc.
However, this easy aloo paratha is not an authentic recipe, but its adapated from the Indian style aloo parathas.
I modified it based on the preferences of my family for the spices and also I found that the aloo parathas made using all purpose flour is more easy to make, more delicious and soft in texture which is similar to aloo naan in taste and texture.
You can replace all purpose flour with wheat flour easily and also add more spices to make the aloo parathas in the traditional way as well.
Another popular North Indian breakfast food which I have in my blog is halwa puri which is often served with sooji halwa.
Halwa goes great with aloo paratha too when served as a dessert on the side along with yogurt & pickles for side dishes.
Aloo paratha is one of my absolute favorite North Indian breakfast, which I love to enjoy with a little yogurt & pickles on the side & if there is also halwa, the combination is perfect even for lunch, brunch & dinner or anytime of the day!
Tips To Make Perfect Aloo Paratha Without Breaking
As you can see, the aloo parathas puff up as they cook and they turn lightly golden brown in color with spots when they are completely cooked.
You can also make perfect aloo parathas without breaking.
Here you can get some good tips that will help you to make the soft & delicious aloo parathas without breaking the parathas while rolling or cooking them.
Make sure the potatoes are very well cooked and mashed very well!
This step is very important because if the potatoes are not mashed really well and soft you will find it difficult to stuff the potatoes inside the parathas and also you will find it difficult to roll the parathas without breaking them.
So make sure to cook the potatoes until they are really soft (I boil them for about 30 to 35 minutes however it is important that you do not overcook them as well because we do not want the potatoes to fall apart while boiling).
Then mash them really well (after peeling) and you should be able to form a ball or dough like ball using the mashed potatoes after after you add the salt and spices to the mashed potatoes.
The next important thing that you have to make sure is to kneas the dough for the parathas well.
Whether you all purpose flour or wheat flour, it is important that the dough you make should be soft (not sticky though) and perfect in consistency so you will be able to easily roll them once you start making the parathas by stuffing the potato mixture.
If you add too much flour & little water, it can be hard to make the dough and the parathas can turn hard too if the dough is not soft.
However, keep in mind that too much water will cause the dough to be sticky which is also not okay.
If you learn how to make chapathi soft, it should be easy for you to make the perfect dough to make parathas soft too.
Do not put a lot of stuffing inside each paratha. It is ideal to make similar sized balls using potato mixture and also the paratha dough which will help you to make parathas with the right amount of stuffing inside.
If the stuffing is too little, the parathas won't taste good and if the stuffing too big, you won't be able to roll correctly.
Can You Make Aloo Parathas Without Stuffing?
If you want to make aloo parathas without stuffing, it is easy to do! However, the taste and texture of such aloo parathas won't be the same.
The aloo parathas without stuffing will be actually like simple but delicious potato flatbread which is more easy to make.
That is an easy way to sneak some potatoes into the bread for picky kids as well.
You have to just make the mashed potatoes and mix with salt and the spices you wish to add to it, and then add the flour to this mashed potato mxture to make the dough.
So basically, you are not making the dough separately, but mixing the mashed potatoes with the flour to make the dough, and then make the rotis or flatbread a usual.
I have this sweet potato flatbread recipe here where I make the sweet potato flatbread without stuffing.
You may follow the same idea behind the sweet potato flatbreads to make aloo parathas without stuffing as well.
How To Make Aloo Paratha (Potato Stuffed Flatbread)?
We use the following ingredients to make this easy aloo paratha or easy potato stuffed Indian style flatbread
ingredients to make easy aloo paratha
potatoes 4 medium sized boiled and mashed well
all purpose flour 3 cups
salt as needed
water 1 cup
olive oil 2 tablespoons
ghee as needed to grease the pan
extra flour as needed for dusting
garlic powder ½ teaspoon
ginger powder ½ teaspoon
onion powder ½ teaspoon
Step By Step Instructions
Sprinkle the garlic powder and other spice powders and enough salt to the mashed potatoes, and mix well. Keep this potato mixture aside.
(To make the mashed potatoes, I boiled the potatoes in a pan filled with enough water and closed with lid, in medium heat for about 30 to 35 minutes until the potatoes are really soft. Then I discard the hot water and filled the pan with cold water so the potatoes were cooled pretty fast. Then, I peeled off the skin and mashed the potatoes really well in the pan itself using a potato masher)
In a large bowl, add the water and oil, then add about 2 cups of flour and also enough salt, mix everything well and then knead to form the dough. Add the remaining of the flour also to make the perfect dough for making aloo paratha. Keep this closed for about 30 minutes.
to make the aloo parathas
Make a ball out of the dough and roll in a flat surface using a rolling pin to make a small thick circle. Use the extra flour for dusting the flat surface and also dust the ball so rolling won't be difficult. Make a small ball of potato mixture too (almost the same amount as the dough used to make the ball) and place this in the centre of the circle.
Now seal of the edges by pulling the dough from the sides towards the centre and then roll the ball using the rolling pin. Dust the stuffed ball again with some flour. Roll it gently using the rolling pin so you won't break the parathas.
Heat a nonstick pan or iron pan, grease with little ghee or melted butter and then place the paratha.
Add some of ghee on top of the paratha and cook the parathas in medium heat until the bottom side is cooked.
Gently flip the paratha and cook the other side too until they get light golden brown spots. You may gently press on the parathas with a flat spatula (don't press too hard) and they will easily puff up!
Transfer the prepared aloo paratha to a serving dish and brush with even more ghee or butter as you wish.
Similarly make more parathas using the remaining dough and potato mixture until all of those are used up. Serve the parathas hot with yogurt or pickles or any chutneys or curry as you like. They are also delicious without any side dishes!
More Spices To Flavor The Aloo Parathas Or Stuffed Aloo Naan Bread
More spices for flavoring the parathas (I didn't use, but you may add them) if you wish to make traditional Punjabi or dhaba style aloo parathas.
turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
red chili powder ¼ teaspoon
amchoor powder ½ teaspoon
What Kind Of Potatoes Are Best To Make Aloo Parathas?
I have found that the yellow potatoes or the yukon gold potatoes are best for making aloo parathas as they are so easy to mash until soft and they hold well while making the parathas.
However, you can make aloo parathas with almost any kind of potatoes that are available to you. Just make sure to mash them well after they are cooked.
Can You Make Vegan Aloo Parathas?
Aloo parathas are usually not vegan (they are vegetarian) since we usually use ghee in the preparation. Often, aloo parathas are served with ghee too, which is a very popular way of serving aloo parathas for breakfast or dinner.
Ghee is clarified butter and it adds much flavor to the aloo parathas. You can make aloo parathas vegan by skipping the ghee or clarified butter.
You can use oil in place of ghee to make vegan aloo parathas.
How To Serve Aloo Parathas?
Aloo parathas are often served with extra ghee or butter on top. It is also served with fresh yogurt (curd) or raita (yogurt based salads like onion raita or tomato onion raita), pickles etc.
You can also serve them with any curry of your choice like chana masala, palak paneer, dal fry, Punjabi baingan bharta (roasted eggplant curry) etc.
How To Store Aloo Parathas?
Aloo parathas are best enjoyed when they are served warm! If you are not serving them as soon as you make them, you may store them inair tight containers, and if not serving for several hours, you may store them in the refrigerator.
It usually keeps well in the refrigerator for another couple of days.
More Flatbread Recipes:
homemade naan bread easy recipe
soft poori (halwa puri recipe)
south Indian Kerala style parotta (layered paratha)
More Potato Recipes:
deep fried potato slices (potato pakora)
potato carrot curry for chapathi & puri
jeera aloo gajar (potatoes with cumin seeds & carrots)
Below you can get the recipe for easy aloo paratha or easy potato stuffed flatbread in detail.
Aloo Paratha - Easy Potato Stuffed Flatbread
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized potatoes boiled until soft and mashed very well
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- salt as needed
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons oil I used olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teapoon onion powder
- ghee as needed to grease the pan
- extra flour as needed for dusting
Instructions
- Sprinkle the garlic powder and other spice powders and enough salt to the mashed potatoes, and mix well. Keep this potato mixture aside (To make the mashed potatoes, I boiled the potatoes in a pan filled with enough water and closed with lid, in medium heat for about 30 to 35 minutes until the potatoes are really soft. Then I discard the hot water and filled the pan with cold water so the potatoes were cooled pretty fast. Then, I peeled off the skin and mashed the potatoes really well in the pan itself using a potato masher).
- In a large bowl, add the water and oil, then add about 2 cups of flour and also enough salt, mix everything well and then knead to form the dough. Add the remaining of the flour also to make the perfect dough for making aloo paratha. Keep this closed for about 30 minutes.
to make the aloo parathas
- Make a ball out of the dough and roll in a flat surface using a rolling pin to make a small thick circle. Use the extra flour for dusting the flat surface and also dust the ball so rolling won't be difficult. Make a small ball of potato mixture too (almost the same amount as the dough used to make the ball) and place this in the centre of the circle.
- Now seal of the edges by pulling the dough from the sides towards the centre and then roll the ball using the rolling pin. Dust the stuffed ball again with some flour. Roll it gently using the rolling pin so you won't break the parathas.
- Heat a nonstick pan or iron pan, grease with little ghee or melted butter and then place the paratha.
- Add some of ghee on top of the paratha and cook the parathas in medium heat until the bottom side is cooked.
- Gently flip the paratha and cook the other side too until they get light golden brown spots.
- Transfer the prepared aloo paratha to a serving dish and brush with even more ghee or butter as you wish.
- Similarly make more parathas using the remaining dough and potato mixture until all of those are used up. Serve the parathas hot with yogurt or pickles or any chutneys or curry as you like. They are also delicious without any side dishes!
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