International Recipes




Indian Recipes

Potato Stuffed Paranthas

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water

Filling:
8 medium potatoes, boiled until tender and peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili (or cayenne) powder (or to taste_
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green chile, minced without the seeds (or to taste)
1 cup coriander leaves (cilantro), washed, dried
    and removed from the stems

Mix flour and water with your fingers, adding water gradually, until you've formed a soft, smooth dough - as soft as possible without being at all sticky. After about five minutes of mixing, it should be the general consistency of bread dough. Cover the dough with a damp towel and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Mash potatoes by hand; don't put them in a food processor or they will become gluey. Stir in all the ingredients for the filling.

Put a large cast iron or other heavy-gauge pan on medium heat.

To form each paratha: Roll two chunks of dough in the palms of your lightly floured hands, to form two balls the size of golf balls. Roll each one on a lightly-floured surface until it is 4-5 inches in diameter. Put a tablespoon of the filling in the center of one disc, place the second disc on top, pinch the edges together to form a big circular envelope, and then lightly roll the whole thing until flat, about 1/4-inch thick. At this point the potato filling and the dough will have become pressed together, they will have merged; it should look sort of like a pancake with flecks of potato and spices in it.

Drizzle a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil on the pan, wait until it's hot but not smoking, and then lightly brown the paratha; it will take around one minute per side. If desired, drizzle a little more oil on top of the paratha and spread it on the surface with a spoon, just before taking it off the heat.

Serve with plain yogurt and a salad of carrots, cucumbers, onions and cabbage, cut into matchsticks and tossed with a little fresh-squeezed lemon juice.