Part of me wishes I had never discovered this recipe, because now I’m kind of obsessed with these tasty little pan-fried breads. Seriously. They are the best thing that I’ve made in a long, long time. You know that feeling where even as you’re putting something into your mouth your belly is telling you “too much! You will regret this!”? And yet you do it anyways, because whatever you’re eating is really tasty or somebody put a bowl of oreos in front of you or you’re just bored and noshing mindlessly? Well that has happened to me all three times I ate these, except when I’ve finished them and am sitting on the couch with a very full belly, instead of regretting it, I think “that was so worth it.”
Parathas are a type of stuffed, Indian flatbread. You make a filling – in this case a mildly spiced mixture of smashed potatoes and green peas – plop some into the center of a piece of simple whole wheat dough, fold the dough over the filling twice, and then roll it out again so that the potatoes and peas get all mushed into the dough itself. You fry it in a little hot oil for a minute or two, until the dough is cooked and the inside is hot, then you tear it open and devour it, potentially pausing to dip it in a sweet chutney if you have that sort of self control. They’re soft and doughy, addictively salty and spicy, and just so full of savory goodness. They’re a little bit messy to roll out, but even as someone who hates cleaning sticky dough off counters, these are worth the trouble. This particular recipe for parathas is another hit from Mangoes & Curry Leaves – I’m so glad I finally bought myself a copy of this book! For those of you who know me in person, don’t be surprised if I serve you Indian food anytime you come over to my house in the next few months.
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Spiced Potato and Pea Parathas
Recipe adapted very slightly from Mangoes & Curry Leaves. Makes 8 parathas, serves 4-8.
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 c. AP flour
- 1 tsp salt
- scant 1 c. lukewarm water
- 2 c. Spiced Potato and Pea filling, recipe below
- 2 TBS vegetable oil
- Mix flours and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in lukewarm water, then turn dough out into floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 2 hours.
- Split dough into 8 equal sized pieces, keeping the ones you are not working with loosely covered. Roll a piece of dough out to an 8-inch round. Spread 3-4 TBS of the potato filling over one half of the dough. Fold the dough in half to cover the filling, then fold in half again in the other direction so that you have effectively folded the dough into quarters. Roll out again into an 8 inch circle, smushing the filling into the dough. Don’t worry if you’re filling starts to break out of the dough and gets a little messy. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling.
- Heat 1 TBS of the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add a partatha to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Flip over and cook for 1 minute on the other side. Both sides should be golden brown. If they aren’t, cook for another 30-60 seconds on each side. Remove to a plate, add a little bit more oil to the pan, and repeat with remaining parathas. Serve immediately with sweet chutney.
Spiced Potato and Pea Filling
Recipe adapted very slightly from Mangoes & Curry Leaves. Makes 3 cups.
- 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 TBS vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp minced garlic or garlic mashed to a paste (1 large clove)
- 1 c. finely chopped onion
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
- 1 c. frozen peas
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- Place diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain, let cool slightly, and roughly mash potatoes with a potato masher or a fork. Leave some chunks.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high. When oil is shimmering, add mustard seeds, cook for 45 seconds, until they stop spluttering, add the turmeric and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the chopped onion. Lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5-8 minutes, until onion is soft and staring to brown. Add jalapenos and cook for 2 minutes longer, then add potatoes and peas and stir to mix thoroughly together. Cook just to heat peas and potatoes through, about 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Season to taste with salt. Let cool and use as filling for parathas or samosas. Also tasty on it’s own, or shaped into cakes and pan-fried.
Yumm!!! Mum makes them quite often at home. They’re a great bread. I’m pretty sure they are from the northern states in India (Punjab etc), you can tell because of the filling. In those states (where it is generally very cold, people eat heavier, spicier meals to retain warmth. It’s a little bit unhealthy (so save it for a binge) but if you use ghee (clarified butter) to pan-fry them it makes them ever more so obsessive. I love the photos :)
Hi Katie… the parathas look yumm! I love parathas too. We used to have them at least once a week back in my hometown. I don’t make them too often now as it’s time taking but still I don’t miss a chance of having them at out every now and then. But homemade is always special. Thanks for sharing :)
These look amazing – perfect timing too as I’m making an Indian meal on Friday and needed a naan alternative!
Oooh, never heard of these! What a lovely idea! The whole grain flour makes them slightly less unhealthy but I could see myself eating way too many of those!
Damn. I am trying to stop eating gluten, posts like this do not help. Those bread look incredible.
This looks great!!! Definitely something I would overeat, though!! I love my fried foods :)
Wow, these stuffed parathas sound so good! Who doesn’t want a huge plate of tender fresh bread filled with spicy veg? I definitely need to give them a try. :)
why must you leave the dough to stand for 2 hours?
Letting the dough rest allows the gluten to develop and makes it easier to roll the dough out. If you tried to roll it out right away, it would be very wet and difficult to work with. Same idea applies to letting pasta dough rest, or even crepe batter!
What have you done! You have made me fall in love with spicy Indian food all over again!
Those look amazing. I am in love with Indian food and these are something I want to try. Thanks for sharing.
I’m just going to use this to make samosa mashed potatoes and forget the bread
I wonder how these would work with a non wheat flour like rice or cassava
I don’t do a lot of gluten-free baking, so I’m not positive how they would turn out. Flavor/cuisine-wise, I think the first alternative flour I would try would be chickpea flour, though. Let me know how it works if you try it!
Looks fantastic! What is the AP flour used in the recipe – not sure if I’ve heard of that before?
AP just stands for all purpose, so the regular old bleached white stuff!
We were having a cookout so I threw them on the grill. Delicious and no added oil.
Oh yum, what a great idea! I’m definitely doing that the next time I make these.
Looks super yum!!
I made these this week and I loved them, even without chutney! They are better fresh, but I was happy to bring the non-crispy leftovers for lunch a few days in a row. They will be in my rotation for sure. I will try to cook them with less oil next time, or maybe try to oven bake them? I’ll try to freeze some too for lunches. They take a bit of time to make but overall it’s pretty simple. Thank you so much!
This sounds really delicious and something new to try. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
Just made these as the recipe states and they turned out perfectly. Very pleasing, thank you for the recipe!
These sound so good! Can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Can I keep the dough in the fridge and use it as I want to over a few days? Let it come to room temp and then roll out or should I make them all up with the filling and put in the fridge? Or cook them all and then freeze?
I think you could safely keep the dough, separate from the filling, for a day or two in the fridge. I once tried re-rolling these after I’d put filling in the middle and it didn’t go well, so I’d avoid that! Personally, I think it would be easiest to cook them all and freeze (less clean-up!) but either would work.