Nothing quite like aloo paratha – an Indian whole wheat flatbread stuffed with silky spiced potatoes. Serve with vegan raita and a pickle of your choice!
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Whenever my family traveled anywhere, our first meal was always cold aloo paratha. And I hated it. I wanted to go to the airport and just get pizza or a sandwich. Like we weren’t packing for a pilgrimage, you know?
Years later and I’ve started to appreciate cold aloo parathas – as we all do once we realize that the parathas probably are better than paying for mediocre overpriced airport food. Yet they still aren’t as good as aloo parathas straight off the tava of course.
Visiting family in India as a kid, I was so amused by how much attention was given to breakfast. My grandma and aunts woke up and immediately started thinking about what we would eat. Tt was never something like toast or Lucky Charms, like I was used to, but things like cheelas, sabzis, and these aloo parathas. Since it was scorching hot in the summer, we had to take advantage of our appetites in the morning because the next thing I knew, I wanted cucumbers and papaya for dinner. Recently, I was appreciating the care they gave to breakfast because I didn’t prioritize breakfast much last year which turned out to be a bad decision. I understand that some people just aren’t breakfast people but I’ve learned that I can’t relate.
What is Aloo Paratha
Aloo means potato and a paratha is a type of flatbread. So this aloo paratha is basically a potato-stuffed flatbread. It is said to have originated in Punjab, but people all over India hold aloo paratha near and dear!
How to Make Aloo Paratha
Boil the potatoes.
This is the first thing to do because you’ll want to make sure the potatoes get some time to cool before you peel and mash.
Make the dough.
Knead whole wheat flour and water together. It takes some practice but just use your hands and go by feel!
Prepare the spiced potato filling.
Start with green chili, ginger, garlic, and red onion. Then a few spices: garam masala, coriander, and red chili power. Combine the mashed potatoes. When the potatoes are well-combined, mix in cilantro and chaat masala.
Stuff the parathas.
There are many ways to do this but here is how I learned to do it. Place dough in one palm and use your other hand to pinch the edges until it forms a bowl. Add the potato filling and close the bowl. Check out the video for a visual!
Cook the parathas.
Make sure your tava or nonstick is hot before adding a paratha. Cook on both sides without any oil or vegan butter first. Then add a drop on each side and continue flipping and cooking until golden on both sides.
For serving
Vegan raita, maybe chutney, or a pickle of your choice. I have recipes for raita and chutney on my samosa chaat recipe!
Aloo Paratha
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp oil *optional
- water as needed *about 2 cups
Potato filling
- 6 small white potatoes, boiled and mashed *around 400g
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- ½ tsp caraway seeds
- 1 green chili, minced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ¼ red onion, chopped *optional if you don't want to cut an onion for a quarter of it lmao
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp chaat masala
For serving
- plant-based yogurt; raita
- pickle of your choice
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove or in a pressure cooker. For boiling on the stove, it should take 20-25 minutes. For pressure cooker/Instant Pot instructions, see note #1. Let them cool, peel, and mash with a fork or potato masher until smooth.
- Prepare the dough. Add flour and salt to a mixing bowl. Drizzle a little neutral oil to make it easier to knead. Add a little water at a time, kneading until you have a soft, slightly moist ball of dough.
- Prepare the filling. Add oil to a pan over medium heat. Add caraway seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds. Add green chili, grated ginger, garlic, red onion, and salt. Cook until the raw ginger smell dissipates and the onion is translucent.
- Add garam masala, coriander, and red chili powder. Cook for a minute.
- Add mashed potatoes and combine well with everything else. Take the pan off the heat and mix in cilantro and chaat masala.
- Heat a tawa or nonstick pan over medium heat. Take enough dough for one paratha. This recipe makes 8-10, so you can divide the dough into that many pieces. Place it in your palm and form a bowl shape with it. In the center of the bowl, place some potato filling. Close the paratha and roll it out so it is 1/4-inch thick.
- Make sure the tawa or pan is hot and add the paratha. Cook for a minute or two until slightly golden and flip. Add a drop of vegan butter or oil to the other side and flip again. Do the same to other side. Press with spatula a few times. Cook until both sides are golden with brown spots. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
- For serving: make vegan raita if you want! Or a chutney or pickle of your choice. For raita, I mix yogurt, cilantro, chaat masala, cumin, lime juice, and salt. Mostly to taste.
Notes
- If using a pressure cooker for the potatoes, cook for 4-5 whistles on medium-high heat. If using an Instant Pot for the potatoes, click here.
For more Indian breakfasts, check out…
