#48 Rainy Day Aloo Paratha

I would like to pass on my legacy of cooking Indian food and especially my favorite Kerala Food to my daughters.  There is another part of  North Indian tradition that I couldn’t resist making for them and here are delicate soft Aloo Parathas both buttery, moist and simply addictive. On those rainy days when Amma made the best “Phulkas” and Aloo Parathas hot off the tava and I got to eat them right in the kitchen-  now that is a nostalgic memory of homemade cooking.

Ingredients:

Russet Potato-1

Onions -1 cut up fine

Green chillies-1 cut up fine

Cilantro or Corainder leaves chopped – 1 Tblspn

Ajwain seeds –2 pinches
Amchoor(Dry Mango Powder)- 1 tspn

Chilli powder and garam masala- 1 pinch each

Whole Wheat Flour- 1 ½  cups

Salt and Olive oil to taste

Ghee for basting

Method:

1. Wash and dry the potato well. Place it in the microwave and cook as directed for a potato.
2. Cool and remove the skin. Mash it well and keep aside.
3. While the potato is cooling, sieve the wheat flour and salt together. Add water as required to make a soft pliable dough.
4. Heat 1 Tblspn olive oil in a skillet and add onions, sauté and then add the ajwain seeds.
5. When the onions are translucent, turn off the fire.
6. Add the potato, green chillies, cilantro, dry powders and enough salt and mix well/
7. Make lemon sized balls from the dough. Make smaller balls from the potato mix.
8. Roll out the dough on a chapathi plank and rolling pin until you have made a round about 4 inches in diameter.
9. Now, place the potato ball in the center, gather the dough around the potato ball until it is completely covered.
10. Smoothen the dough and spread some flour on the board before rolling out the prepared ball into a thick chapathi.
11. Keep repeating the process until there is no dough and potato mix left.
12. Place a skillet or griddle on a medium fire and cook the paratha rounds that you have just made.
13. Gently spread some ghee and cook both sides of the paratha by flipping it over.
14. I like serving these delicious parathas with a knob of butter, a small salad and pickle.