Aaloo ke paranthe topped with warm desi ghee ......hmmm..... That's the taste of rugged India... No calorie counting here.
A classical North Indian dish , it is usually served with pickle and raitha. My weekend favorite, I have also tried pudhina (mint) chutney and a mushroom pickle with it and trust me...any one of these two just takes the parantha to a different level. No matter what you serve with the parantha, a raitha is a must. You may also serve it plain, especially to children.
Makes 6 Parantha's.
Ingredients:
Basic Dough:
Whole Wheat flour (Atta) + All Purpose Flour(Maida) - 1 1/2 +1 1/2 cups = total 3 cups
Water - little less than 1 1/2 cups (dissolve 1 tsp salt in it)
Ghee - 1 tbsp for kneading and 1 tsp to fry each parantha.
Stuffing:
Potato - 2 medium size
Onion - 1 chopped
Green Chillies - 2 nos chopped
Ginger - 1/2 " piece grated
Corriander leaves - 1/2 bunch, finely chopped
Turmeric pwd. - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup only if required.
Method of Preparation:
Basic Dough
1. In a deep bowl, put in your flour. Add 1 cup of water and mix with your fingers. Now add the rest of the water little by little. You will need a little less than 1/2 cup. Keep mixing with fingers untill all the flour is damp. Once all your flour forms into a ball, but still dry add 1 tbsp water(no tmore than that). Your dough should be slightly sticky, this will give you soft parantha's. In any case if you have added more water you may add more wheat flour.
2. Add 1 tbsp ghee and knead the dough. The more you knead, the softer parantha's you'll have. When your dough looks smooth, roll into a cylinder between your palms and take out 6 equal sized parts.
3. Knead these parts again and shape into balls by rolling them in between your palms. Cover and keep aside.
Stuffing:
1.Wash potatoes well in running water and boil with skin until cooked. I usually put it into the pressure cooker with enough water to cover the potatoes and cook it on medium heat until one whistle. Once the pressure come down on its own i remove them from the cooker and then peel them.
2. Mash the peeled potatoes until there are no lumps.
3. Heat oil in a kadai and fry onions, green chillies and ginger untill onions turn transparent.
4. Add salt and turmeric pwd.
5. Add the mashed potaoes and mix well.
6. If there are lumps in the potaotes then you may add 1/4 cup water and mash with masher untill there are no lumps.
7. Cook until the mixture is dry. Cool. Make 6 equal sized balls.
Assembling:
1. Roll the dough in a little wheat flour and flatten with roller to about 3" diameter.
2. Place the potato ball in the center of the dough.
3. Bring up the sides of the dough, close the potato ball completely with dough.
4. Flatten with you palm and roll into some flour.
5. Now lightly roll into parantha's.
6. Heat a tava/griddle on medium heat.
7. Place the parantha and cook untill you see whitish spots all over the parantha.
8. Turn over and cook for 2 minutes. Now spread 1/2 tsp ghee over the surface and turn over. Spread another 1/2 tsp ghee on the other side too. Press down and fry untill you see small brown spots all over the parantha. Serve hot.
P.S.: 1. If you like spice, you may also add 1/2 tsp chilli pwd, 1/2 tsp jeera pwd and 1 tbsp aamchur(dry mango) pwd to your potato stuffing.
2. For best results, while rolling out the parantha's try not to press it down hard. Roll very lightly.
