Aloo Paratha (Potato Stuffed Flat Bread)

No one needs an introduction to Aloo Parathas :) Most staple food of Northern India and now this globally famous flatbread is here to stay. According to me, it is one of the most kid-friendly Indian food. Comes in handy while travelling, road trips, picnics etc. (no not in movie theatres lol ) A no-nonsense, no mess parathas that can be enjoyed independently or with side dishes, can be had for breakfast or as meals. It is an all-rounder super star :)

Any beginners interested in making parathas, must begin with potatoes (aloo), then graduate to all other vegetables, that is my 2 cents :) Aloo mixture stuffing is made in 1000 (thats exageration :)) different ways, I like to keep it simple and yum! When you add little dab of ghee/butter on it while frying or while eating, that is when you will be tasting an authentic paratha (hehe! no I am not kidding). My mantra is, eat little(portion control) eat well and eat it the right way :)

So let us take a look at the recipe:

Ingredients:
To make the stuffing:

• 2 medium potatoes boiled
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 tsp carraway seeds (ajwain, carom seeds)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds powder (jeera pwd)
• 2-3 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 tsp amchur (mango powder)
• salt as per taste
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• handful chopped mint (optional)
• 1/2 tsp chilly powder (optional)

To make the Paratha dough

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• about 1 cup water
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp oil

Preparation:

• Make a dough by adding salt, oil to the flour and water little by little, keep kneading and make a soft dough. Keep aside for 15 minutes.
• Make stuffing by mixing all the ingredients under stuffing. Take small portion to make balls and keep aside. Please keep in mind that the potatoes shouldn't be soggy. If your stuffing gets soggy, it gets hard to roll out paratha (add spoonful of breadcrumbs as a quick fix)
• Now take a small portion of the dough make a ball and roll out a 3-inch diameter disc, place the potato stuffing ball in the center and bring all the edges of the disc together and seal it. Dust it nicely with flour and start rolling out again with a light hand. One trick that I learnt is, take a fork and make few marks on the stuffed ball of dough, it lets out the air and rolls out into a paratha smoothly. 
• Parathas can be made with varying thickness. I like it both ways, thinner and thicker. When you make thicker parathas, see to it that you press the edges and fry them well.
• Heat a frying tava/pan, place the paratha on it, drizzle some ghee/oil over it and let it fry for a couple of minutes on med-high flame. Flip and add more ghee/oil and let it fry till done. Properly made parathas puff up nicely while frying. 
• Remove and serve hot with boondi raita or curds and pickle.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits:

The humble potato is vastly underrated in terms of nutritional benefits. Due to the increased interest in foods that are low-carb or low-glycemic index, the potato has unjustly earned a bad reputation. Potatoes consumed in simple roasted, grilled, boiled, steamed manner with little or no oil/butter is very healthy and nutritious for health. It is loaded with calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron that helps in having strong bones. It has vitamin B6 which supports heart health. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in potatoes that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory. So let's not ditch this humble vegetable :)