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PROPSTYLIN
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BYBEATRICE^ CHASTKAAloo (Potato)
Parathas
MAKES 4; Photo p. 43
Active: 1 hr. 50 min.
Total: 2 hr. 40 min.
Aloo, or potato, is a classic
paratha filling, creating a flat-
bread that is particularly soft
and pillowy, but there are dozens
of va riations to choose from. Tr y
swa pping in either of the other
fillings below for the potato in
this recipe. Serve the finished
parathas with a mix of condi-
ments such as chutney, achar,
raita, or yogurt.
For the dough:
1 cup whole-wheat flour,
plus more for dusting
¼ tsp. vegetable oil
¼ tsp. kosher salt
For the potato filling:
2 medium russet potatoes
(1 lb. 4 oz.)
¼ tsp. ground cayenne
¾ tsp. fennel seeds, finely
ground
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh
cilantro (leaves and stems)
½ tsp. kosher salt
For cooking and serving:
¼ cup ghee or vegetable oil
Achar, chutney, raita, or yogurt
(optional)
1 Ma ke the doug h: In a me dium
bowl, add the flour, oil, salt,
and ½ cup room-temperature
water, and stir with a fork until
a dough forms. Knead with your
hands until the dough is smooth,
soft, and slightly sticky, but not
too wet. Wrap tightly in plastic
wrap, and refrigerate for at least
20 minu te s or up to overnig ht.
2 Meanwhile, make the filling:
In a medium pot over medium-
high heat, add the potatoes and
enough cold water to cover by
1 inch. Bring to a boil, then lower
the heat to maintain a strong
simmer, and cook until the pota-
toes are tender when poked with
a knife, 30–45 minutes. Drain
and reserve.
3 Rub the skin off the potatoes if
desired, then use your hands or
a potato masher to finely mash
the flesh until smooth. Fold in the
cayenne, g round fennel se e ds ,
cilantro, and salt.
Cauliflower Filling for
Parathas
MAKES ENOUGH FOR
4 PARATHAS
Total: 25 min.
Gingery mashed cauliflower
adds a subtle sweetness to
these whole-wheat flatbreads
and is balanced by a bit of heat
from green chiles. Squeeze to
discard any excess moisture
before using as a filling.1 medium head cauliflower,
broken into small florets
(4 cups)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh
cilantro (leaves and stems)
1 small Indian green chile
or serrano chile, finely
chopped
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
¼ tsp. ground cayenne
1½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more
as needed
1 In a medium pot, add the florets
and enough water to fully sub-
merge them. Bring to a boil, then
let cook until soft, 5–6 minutes.
Drain the florets, discarding the
cooking liquid, and transfer to
a large bowl. Let cool to room
temperature.
2 When the cauliflower has
cooled, add the cilantro, chile,
ginger, and cayenne, and mashwell with a potato ma sher or fork
to form a coa r se tex ture. S ea -
son with kosher salt, and roll the
resulting filling into four equal
balls. Squeeze each tightly to
extract as much liquid as possi-
ble before filling the parathas.Paneer Filling for
Parathas
MAKES ENOUGH FOR
4 PARATHAS
Total: 10 min.
Paneer is a mild, crumbly
cheese that absorbs flavors well
and doesn’t melt, making it a
great low-moisture filling for
flatbreads.One 8 oz. piece paneer, finely
grated (2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped fresh
cilantro (leaves and stems)
1½ Tbsp. finely chopped fresh
mint
1 small Indian or Thai green
chile, finely chopped
1½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more
as neededIn a medium bowl, add the pan-
eer, cilantro, mint, chile, and
salt. Mix well, then taste and add
more salt as needed. Divide into
4 equal portions before filling the
parathas.Paratha fillings are endlessly
riffable, as long as they’re
well-seasoned and not too
wet. From left: Mashed
potato with fennel seed;
grated paneer and cilantro;
and cauliflower and ginger.4 Divide the dough into 4 equal
portions, rolling each of them
into a ball. Repeat with the
potato filling.
5 Generously dust a clean work
surface with flour. Lightly coat a
dough ball with flour, then use a
rolling pin to roll it out into a 6-inch
circle, rotating it as needed to
maintain a circular shape and add-
ing more flour to the work surface
a s ne e de d to prevent sticking.
Place a potato ball in the center
of the circle, then pull the edges
of the dough over the top of the
ball to enclose the filling. Pinch
together the edges of the dough
to seal completely.
6 Flip the paratha over so the
seal is on the bottom. Then use
a rolling pin to roll it out into an
8-inch disk. Repeat filling and
rolling the remaining parathas.
7 Warm a medium cast-iron skil-
let over medium-high heat, and
set the ghee in a small bowl
nex t to the stove. O nce the
pan is hot, add a paratha. Cook
for 2 minutes, until browned
and blistered, then flip. Add 1½
teaspoons of the ghee to the sur-
face of the paratha, and spread
it a round with a spoon. C ook for
2 minutes, until the other side
is starting to brown and blister.
Flip once more, and add 1½ tea-
spoons of the ghee to the top of
the paratha, spread it around,
and continue cooking until the
underside has dark-brown spots,
about 1 minute. Flip again, and
cook the other side until dark-
brown spots form, no more than
1 minute. Transfer the paratha
to a plate, wipe out any residual
flour from the pan, and continue
cooking the remaining parathas
in this manner. Serve hot, with
acha r, chu tney, ra ita , or yog ur t,
if desired.RANGE Parathas