Aloo Paratha

Aloo (Potato) Paratha is one of my favorite foods.  I often make myself sick eating Aloo paratha, yogurt and mixed pickle.  So it is important to only make myself 2 parathas, and only eat 2 parathas, and not gobble up everyone else's.  It's actually quite easy to make, and so delicious, you don't really need anything else to eat with.  A simple dal, leftovers, anything.  The dough works best when it is rested, so it's easy to make what you want to eat the parathas with while the dough naps.

Aloo Paratha
Makes 9 parathas

Takes 1 hour

2 cups whole wheat chapati flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup water

some oil (canola or vegetable)

2 large potatoes, quartered (Those long Idaho potatoes work really well)

1 small green chili, chopped very fine (Serrano and the small green chilies work well)

1 handful cilantro, chopped fine

salt

Mix the flour and salt, and then add the cup of water.  Mix together to form a sticky dough.  Oil your hands, and turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface.  Knead until it is smooth and no longer sticky, adding flour as necessary.  Let rest for 30 minutes.

Starting the potatoes in cold, salted water, bring to a boil and cook until when you stick a fork in them they slip off.  Drain, and let cool completely.

Divide the dough evenly into 9 balls, let rest for 15 minutes while you get the potatoes ready.

When the potatoes have cooled completely, add the cilantro and chili, to your taste.  The chili will not make a huge impact on the spiciness of the finished paratha.  If you want more spicy, add some chili powder.  Check for salt, and add to your taste.  

Grease your hands with oil, and divide the potatoes into 9 balls.

Flatten the dough into thick circles and place the potato balls into the center.  Wrap the dough around and pinch the dough tight.

Let rest for 15 minutes while your griddle (tawa) heats up, admire your handiwork.

On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll into thinnish circles.  You can begin cooking the first ones as you roll the others out.  Make sure that you do not stack the rolled out parathas on top of each other, because they may stick together.  This is not a big deal because if they do, just combine and redivide into balls and roll out again.  But you've made such pretty parathas, your work deserves to be honored.

It is important that your tawa is the right temperature, hot but not too hot (on my stove 4.5 out of 5), and your first paratha will be a bit of an experiment.  Put it onto the tawa and let it be for a couple of minutes (roll out another paratha), it should begin to puff!  Turn it over, the cooked side should be nicely browned in spots.  When the second side is finished, take the paratha off the heat and rub with a little ghee or oil.  

Serve to your ravenous fellow diners immediately, or if they are patiently waiting for you, place on a plate on which you have put a paper towel, and cover with another plate.  They do make chapati warmers in India, but if you don't have one, this works fine.  As you make a stack, you can just ghee one side of the paratha because the other side will get the ghee from the paratha below.

We ate these with really simple spinach and chana masala.  I'll post a recipe for that soon!