How to Make Aalu Paratha (Punjabi Breakfast)

Since as long as I can remember, breakfast at my parents house on any given Sunday is Aalu Paratha. It's a tradition of sorts. You know, if you happen to visit the Channis on a Sunday morning (and some people often planned it such ;)), you will get aalu parathas. When I got married 10 years back, I gradually brought this tradition into my own home too. Cut to today, the Channi-Tiwary household craves aalu parathas too and every Sunday, we look forward to our fix. 

You can prepare the potato mixture the previous day, if you like, so then all you need to do when you want to prepare the parathas is to roll them out and cook them on the tawa. Here is a fool-proof recipe on how to make Aalu Parathas, Punjabi style. 

Recipe

Serves 2 

Time Taken: 30 mins

Ingredients

Potatoes - 2 (medium, boiled and mashed well)

Onion - 1 (small, finely chopped)

Salt - To taste

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Anardana - 1/2 tsp (skip if you don't have)

Green Chilli - 1/2 (finely chopped)

Aata (dough made from a cup of flour)

Method

1) Mix the potatoes, onion, masalas and chilli thoroughly. Make sure there are no lumps.

2) Take a ball of dough (aata) and flatten it out with your fingers only. Put 2 tsp of the mixture in it and carefully pleat and fold in the aata so that it becomes like a ball with the mixture inside it. 

3) Very softly, flatten it out with the belan (roller) so that the mixture doesn't come out. If it does, in places, just put a little piece of aata and roll on it. 

4) Heat the tawa on high heat so it is hot. Put the aalu paratha on it and let it cook for a minute or 2 so that it is only partially cooked and not raw. 

5) Put 1/2 tsp oil on the top side of the paratha and flip it over. Press a couple of times on the sides to cook evenly. When cooked at the bottom, put oil on the top side and flip for the last time. Make sure it doesn't burn. 

6) Remove and eat hot with curd, pickles, butter or malai.