I was inspired to make this because I wanted to make something a little unique using leftover mashed potato I had from making Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins (yet again….I love them!). This recipe is from my favourite Indian food blog, Priya’s Kitchenette. Besides the fact that Priya is an incredibly generous and kind person, she is phenonemal in the kitchen and her blog opened up the world of Indian cooking to me. She shares dishes that I order at Indian restaurants and shows how easy they are to make at home. And a whole lot healthier too because Indian food at restaurants and takeout places here in Sydney is really, really oily. But Indian home cooking is not. All the flavour with far less oil. Win, win!
“The flatbread dough is just flour, salt and water and takes 3 minutes to make. The filling is flavoured with garam masala, a staple Indian spice, but don’t worry if you don’t have it, there are easy alternatives!” Parathas (Indian flatbreads) are very popular in India and are typically served for breakfast. However, in the Western world this is served as a side with curries, or as an appetiser. Along with naan, parathas are always a “must have” when I go out for Indian. You can get plain Parathas, but my favourite is Aloo Paratha (“Aloo” means “Potato”). I’m a carb monster. So a double carb hit is pretty much my idea of Perfect Food. “This is one of those recipes where it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the listed ingredients – you can even substitute the potato! Change it up and use what you have. I’ve provided loads of suggestions for substitutions and alternatives. It is still going to be delicious!” I promised you right up front that this is really easy and the main reason is because the dough is so easy to make and work with:
- It is just made with flour, water and salt;
- It only takes about 1 1/2 minutes to knead;
- You don’t need to flour the work surface because the dough is not sticky. Even after kneading and rolling it out, the work surface will be perfectly clean; and
- The dough is smooth, silky and elastic so it is really easy to roll out and stretch into the shape you want. The filling is very simple: potato, shallots (scallions), ginger, coriander (cilantro) and some spices. The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have all the ingredients, you can substitute with so many other things or simply leave it out. Sure, what you end up with might not strictly be Aloo Paratha, but it is still going to be delicious. I’ve provided loads of suggestions for substitutions and alternatives. You don’t even need to use potato! You could use, for example, broccoli! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pile of Parathas calling my name. Until next time! – Nagi
More things stuffed in flatbreads!
Things stuffed inside flatbreads are always a good thing! I’ve done a few over the years:
Gozleme – Crispy Turkish olive oil flatbreads stuffed with spinach and feta Crispy Ham and Cheese Pockets Quesadillas And handy Oven Baked Chicken Quesadillas! And though not stuffed, this ever popular Easy Soft Flatbreads has to make the list (use as naan for curries, Greek Gyros, Doner Kebab, Chicken Shawarma – the options are extensive!)
