Aloo Paratha

Medium·30 min

Whole-wheat flatbread stuffed with spiced mashed potato, rolled out and griddled with ghee until golden and blistered. A hearty North Indian breakfast eaten with yogurt, butter, and pickle.

Aloo paratha is the stuffed flatbread of the subcontinent, above all the Punjab — spiced mashed potato sealed in wheat dough and pan-fried with ghee until blistered. Eaten with yogurt, pickle and butter, it is the great North Indian breakfast.

Flaky, golden layers give way to a warm, spiced potato heart fragrant with cumin and green chili. Crisp ghee-browned spots contrast the soft, fluffy interior. With a smear of butter and a dollop of cool yogurt, it is the ultimate comfort breakfast.

Resting the dough relaxes gluten so it rolls thin around the filling without tearing. Griddling with ghee dehydrates and browns the surface via the Maillard reaction, while trapped steam from the moist potato puffs the layers and keeps them tender.

Variations

Gobi paratha (cauliflower), mooli paratha (radish), paneer paratha, Amritsari aloo kulcha

On the Palate

Where Aloo Paratha sits in the Indian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 cupsWhole Wheat Flour

How it's made

8 steps · 30 min

1
25 min
Knead whole-wheat flour with water and a little oil into a soft dough; rest 20 minutes.
2
12 min
Boil and mash potatoes, then mix with green chili, ginger, cumin, coriander, and salt.
3
3 min
Divide the dough and filling into equal portions.
4
4 min
Flatten a dough ball, place filling in the center, and seal it into a stuffed ball.
Watch out
Pinch the seam shut completely with no filling peeking out — a gap will burst and leak potato onto the griddle.
5
4 min
Dust with flour and gently roll out into a round paratha without bursting.
Watch out
Roll from the center out with even, gentle pressure — press too hard on one spot and the filling pushes through the dough.
6
8 min
Cook on a hot griddle, flipping and brushing with ghee until golden brown spots form.
Watch out
It's ready to flip when golden-brown spots bloom and it puffs up — brush ghee then and press so trapped steam lifts the layers.
7
2 min
Press the edges so it cooks evenly and puffs slightly.
8
2 min
Serve hot with yogurt, butter, and pickle.