ALOO PARANTHAS ( DECONSTRUCTED )

I adore Aloo Paranthas and so does my little family.The best part of making these for dinner is that we don't need any curry to accompany this hearty griddle bread. Sometimes, I like to dip mine in a nice spicy mango pickle but, not yogurt,as many people love to. I like yogurt with rice,better. Ian started enjoying these a few months ago and everytime I make it, he will be standing right there by the stove!

This is not your regular Aloo Paranthas. There's no stuffing involved! Yes, you read it right! Instead, potatoes are boiled,mashed and mixed along with a fragrant herb mixture and whole wheat flour. It makes life so much easier. It's so quick to make and tastes fantabulous! It is perfect for weeknights when you don't have time to make a curry but need something filling.

I started enjoying Paranthas during my college days. Vasu, my best friend, knew a very good place in Commercial Street ( Bangalore) which made amaaaazing paranthas of every kind! Being a hard core non vegetarian, I would always order meat paranthas and they used to be heavenly! Warm,pliable whole wheat paranthas with a dollop of butter on to was a piece of heaven for us, who were literally starving in our hostels!

I don't know how many of you have tried the meat Parantha's from a popular departmental store in Kottayam,Kerala. It is to-die-for! I've actually forgotten the name of that store because it's been a while since we went there.

I've borrowed this recipe from Mr. Raghavan Iyer's latest, Indian Cooking Unfolded.That book is a treasure chest waiting to be opened. I've bookmarked so many recipes from it by now and I don't know what to cook next. Every recipe is so well explained and everything looks and sounds delicious! Once you make these and realise how easy and quick it is, you will not go back to the stuffed version of Aloo Paranthas.

ALOO PARANTHA

Makes 16

Ingredients:
1 pound russet potatoes
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 inch piece ginger
2 green chili
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
Ghee

Method: Peel the potatoes and place them in a small saucepan . Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to medium and let the potatoes simmer, covered, until they are very tender,15-20 minutes. Meantime, grind together cilantro,ginger and green chili.Once the potatoes are cooked,reserve 1/2 cup of the hot liquid and drain the rest. Mash the potatoes very well. Add the ground herb mixture, garam masala , salt and fold it in. Add the flour and stir to mix. Add the reserved cooking liquid by the tablespoon and form a smooth ball of dough. I needed only 1/4 cup of the liquid. Divide into 16 and roll them out into discs measuring 5-6 inches in diameter.

Heat a skillet on medium heat. Place one parantha over it and cook till the surface has some bumps and bubbles and the underside has some brown spots and looks cooked, 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until it has brown spots, 2-3 minutes. Apply some ghee and turn over to sear it, about 15 seconds. Brush the top with ghee and flip the bread once again and sear the second side, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked bread into a hot box or you can store them between sheets of aluminium foil. These re-heat very well!

You need to make these to know how soft they are! They are incredibly delicious and like how I mentioned earlier, you really don't need a curry for this. I just placed a kadai with some Adraki Masoor Dal that I had just made (another one from his book!) just for aesthetics.
These paranthas vanish in our household. 16 never seems to be enough ! :)