Aloo Paratha (Flat Bread Stuffed with Mashed Potato)

Hi everybody...

So the winter is here, but the temperature refuses to go down. Frustrating huh! The weather is not giving me a chance to take out my brand new quilted jacket and ankle-length, fur-lined boots (an impulse purchase from Gangtok!). However, even though the cold is playing hide and seek, there is no harm in preparing an all-time winter season favourite - and no, I am not talking about chicken soup (that is such a cliché), but our very own aloo paratha. Yes, the flaky bread stuffed with spicy potato is something even a saint can't resist in a winter evening. In stead of curd, I am going to have it with Capsico hot sauce mixed with a few drops of tomato ketchup. For those who cannot handle hot sauce, it should be the opposite, that is ketchup with a few drops of Capsico/Tabasco sauce.

So here is the recipe....enjoy!

Ingredients (for two breads):

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Salt to taste

1 large potato

1 sprig of coriander leaves

3/4th teaspoon of ginger paste

2 green chillies (finely chopped and totally optional)

1 teaspoon of bhuna masala (a mixture of dried red chilli, cumin seeds and black peppercorn - roasted until aromatic and ground to a coarse powder)

Lime juice/dried mango powder

A small knob of butter (optional)

Method:

Sift the flour and make a well in the centre. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil and mix with your fingertips. It will help make the paratha flakier. Add water slowly and make a semi-soft dough. You should knead until the dough is elastic and if you poke the surface, it springs right back. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a wet towel and set aside. Boil the potatos and mash thoroughly. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok/kadai/saucepan. Add the ginger-paste first. Make sure to add some water to the paste, for otherwise it will burn. Increase the heat and as the ginger-paste splutters and starts to dry up, add the mashed potato and stir. Add chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chillies, bhuna masala, mango powder/lime juice (as per taste, I like to add the juice of half a lime) and salt. Continue stirring on a medium flame. First it will start to stick to the bottom. Don't panic for soon it will be dry enough. Scrape the bottom well while stirring. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add salt/lime juice/masala if needed. An aloo paratha is only as good as its stuffing. If the stuffing doesn't taste yummy, it will be a wasted effort. Once the potato mixture doesn't stick any more to the pan, switch off the flame. Set it aside and let it cool.

Now divide the dough into two balls. Make a bowl like shape with the help of your fingers and place a ball of the potato stuffing inside and carefully pull up all sides of the bowl and seal them. Roll the stuffed ball between greased palms so that they are somewhat smooth. Above, you can see the picture of the stuffing balls and a couple of stuffed dough. Place one stuffed ball on a greased surface and flatten it with the help of your fingertips, being very careful not to stretch the surface too much for it may break and stuffing may come out. Use a rolling pin to roll it out in a disc-like shape, moving it from time to time so that all sides are equally rolled. Use gentle pressure.

Now heat a flat skillet/tawa and make sure it is very hot. Roast the parathas on both sides. Don't over-burn them though there might me a few spots of black. Lower the heat if needed. Remember they should look cooked. If you over-roast them, they would become hard. Now brush the tawa with oil and place one roasted paratha and increase the heat. Press it down with a spatula. Add a few drops of oil on the top portion and use a brush to cover the entire surface. Flip it and place the other paratha on top of it. Again press down and brush some oil on the top of the second paratha. Flip both parathas so that the second paratha is now face-down on the tawa. Keep flipping them until both sides of both the parathas are well cooked. You can do them individually also, but I just find it convenient to cook four parathas simultaneously, one absorbing the oil from the other one. While flipping them, use a spatula and a spoon for support.

After you remove the parathas from tawa you can lightly brush them with butter (optional). Now serve the delicious parathas with a dip or pickle. Usually it is served with sour curd (sour cream will also work, I guess), but since it is winter, I just went with the hot sauce.