Aloo Methi paratha are whole wheat indian flatbreads stuffed with mashed potatoes,methi (fresh fenugreek leaves) and minimal spices. These skillet fried stuffed parathas are soft & super delicious and you do not need any special equipment to make them.This paratha recipe is vegan friendly and perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, tiffins, lunchboxes.
Parathas are a thing of beauty! These unleavened indian flatbreads are a crowd favorite and in our homes, usually made with atta (wholewheat flour).
Plain or stuffed, I love stuffed parathas of all kinds especially during the winter season. Though she made plain triangle shaped methi paratha alomst every week, I remember often mom used to stuff the leftover aloo methi sabji inside the dough and make parathas. That warm paratha with potatoes and specks of methi paired with a cold bowl of yogurt and achar is one of my most comforting food memory.
About Recipe
Aloo methi paratha are soft to eat and the best part is that they taste great at room temperature so they travel well too.
Whenever I am cooking with methi leaves, I like to keep the flavorings very simple so that the true taste of methi shines.
Here I begin preparing the stuffing by sautéing boiled potatoes and fresh methi leaves together with garlic, chili flakes and few powdered spices. Go light handed on spices! You can skip the garlic in the stuffing if you wish, however methi & garlic is very lovely paired together.
If you dont want to saute the stuffing, thats perfectly fine too, however I feel that this extra step makes the parathas taste really delicious.
Once the stuffing is cooled, simply place a small ball in dough and roll to a 6 or 7 inch circle. The dough is my plain paratha dough recipe.
The pictures included later in this post will help you understand better. Also, dont forget to read the tips section.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for making these parathas.
- Methi or Fresh fenugreek leaves are easily available in indian grocery stores during cold months. You could also use frozen methi that is available year round. If you want, you can also use 1- 2 tablespoon of kasuri methi if you cannot find fresh or frozen. Kasuri methi isn't a substitute for fresh methi, however in this particular recipe it works!
Please go through my methi recipe posts on how to clean store and prepare fresh methi leaves.
How To Make Aloo Methi Paratha (Step By Step)
Make The Dough
Make a soft and pliable paratha dough (see instructions here). Let the dough rest while you make the stuffing. You could make the dough in a bowl or in a food processor (I do the same).
Make The Stuffing
Mash the potatoes with your hands or a masher. Dont grate the potatoes. We want some texture, it's okay to have small pieces. Chop the methi using a sharp knife.
In a pan, heat up the oil and temper with garlic & chilli flakes. Add chopped methi and saute for 1-2 minutes till wilted. Add the potato along with spices and salt and saute for about 1-2 minutes. Let stuffing cool down.
Stuff & Roll the Paratha
On a floured surface or a chakla, place a small dough ball and flatten slightly. Sprinkle dry flour and roll it into a 3 or 4 inch circle.
Place the stuffing in the center and bring the sides of the dough together to make a small parcel. While dusting with flour as needed, roll the stuffed dough parcel into a 6 or 7 inch circle.
Pro tip - Stuffed parathas taste better when they are rolled not too thick or thin. While rolling don't apply a a lot of pressure else the dough will tear and the stuffing will come out.
Cook the paratha on wawa
Place the stuffed paratha on the hot tawa. When you see small bubbles on the top flip, brush oil and then flip again to let cook on the oil side. Brush oil on the second side, flip and cook till both the sides are golden.
Pro Tip - Personally, I dont press the stuffed parathas while cooking them because then the layers start sticking together. For a flaky and crispy parathas, allow to cook low and slow flipping and browning on both sides as needed on a constant heat.
How To Make Aloo Methi Paratha Without Stuffing
If you want to make aloo methi parathas in a hurry, you can skip the stuffing part!
Simply add all the ingredients for the stuffing to atta (whole wheat flour) and knead adding water slowly to make a soft & pliable dough. You cannot rest the dough for long else the methi will start releasing water. Rest for 10-15 minutes and then make the parathas.
Roll the parathas into any kind of shape- round, triangle or square and fry on a tawa similar to plain parathas.
Tips for Success
Dough
- Always make a fresh dough. Avoid using dough lying around in the fridge.
- Do not add a too much salt to the dough else as the dough rests, it starts getting sticky and you will have a difficulty rolling it.
- Rolling takes practice to come naturally. The thing with flatbreads is that you get better the more you make them. Dont be frustrated if you cannot get a perfect shape. If you ask me, taste should be good 🙂
- Always rest the dough for 10-15 minutes, this rests the gluten in the atta.
Stuffing & Rolling
- Make sure that there are no big pieces of potatoes else the parathas will tear when you roll.
- Do not over fill the stuffing. It will start to come out when you roll.
- If you roll the parathas too thin, they will not be soft or if you roll thick(they will remain uncooked).
- Dont use a lot of dry flour while rolling the parathas, it will burn when you cook the parathas and there will be black specks on the paratha(that look quite unappetizing).
Cooking The Parathas
- The texture of paratha is dependent on the material of skillet. Personally, I use a heavy tawa or cast iron griddle for cooking the paratha, however non stick or aluminum pans work too (I feel that the parathas aren't that khasta(crispy flaky) when cooked on those).
- For a flaky and crisp parathas that are soft on the inside, allow to cook on a constant heat, flipping and browning as needed.
Serving & Storing
Serve aloo methi parathas with a bowl of yogurt and achar. I like to add a few onion slices on top along with a dollop of butter.
To store, cool down the parathas on a cookie rack or similar. Stack them with a wax paper in between and store refrigerated for 3-4 days. Warm on a heated tawa or in a microwave(for 5-7 seconds) and serve.
You can freeze these parathas too. Thaw overnight and warm as mentioned above.
Super Soft Aloo Methi Paratha
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- Tawa Or Griddle
- Small Pan
- Rolling Surface and Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For The Dough
- 1.5 cup dry atta (whole wheat flour) + extra for dusting
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water room temperature (or as needed)
For The Stuffing
- 100 g Fresh methi Fresh Fenugreek leaves
- 150 g Potatoes (2 medium) boiled & peeled
- 1 teaspoon garlic grated (I use microplane)
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes adjust to taste
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon amchoor dry mango powder
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 6 tablespoon Oil (approximately 1 tablespoon for cooking each paratha)
Instructions
Make The Dough
- In a Large Bowl or Parat - See instructions in this post.
- In a Stand Mixer or Food Processor - Fit the plastic/dough blade in the bowl of the food processor. Add the atta, salt, oil. Close the lid and start the processor on low. Start adding water slowly (½ cup to begin with) through the opening in the lid. You will see that as you add water the atta will start clumping around the blade.
- Keep adding water slowly to make a soft and pliable dough. I used ¾ cup water. The quantity of water will differ brand to brand depending on how fine the grind is as well as absorption quality of flour. If needed open the lid and check the atta with hands to understand if you need to add more water.
- After I stop adding water, I let the machine run for 2-3 minutes to smoothen the dough. Once the dough is kneaded, take out from the processor and place in a bowl. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Make the stuffing in the mean time.
Make The Aloo Methi Stuffing
- Peel and mash the potatoes with your hands or a masher. Don't grate the potatoes. It's okay to have small pieces. Chop the cleaned methi using a sharp knife. Make sure that the washed methi is dry before you start chopping. Else the stuffing will become wet.
- In a pan, heat up the oil on low and temper with garlic, cumin powder & chilli flakes. Saute for 10 seconds taking care that nothing burns. Add chopped methi and saute for 1-2 minutes till the leaves are wilted and appear dry.
- Add the potato along with all the powdered spices and salt. Add cilantro as well. Saute for about 1-2 minutes. Mash lightly as you go. We dont want any big lumps in the stuffing. When it feels smooth and appears "bhuna", stuffing is ready. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Switch off the stove and let it cool down. I portion out the stuffing into 6 equal parts and make small balls out of it.
Stuff & Roll the Paratha
- Place a tawa or griddle on the stove on low medium to heat up. Pinch equal portions of the dough and roll between your palms to make smooth balls.
- On a floured surface or a chakla, place a dough ball and flatten slightly. Sprinkle dry flour and with the help of rolling pin, roll it into a 3 or 4 inch circle.
- Place one portion of stuffing in the center and bring the sides of the dough together to make a small round parcel. Flatten slightly and then while dusting with flour as needed, roll the stuffed dough parcel into a 6 or 7 inch circle. Pro tip - Stuffed parathas taste better when they are rolled not too thick or thin. While rolling dont apply a a lot of pressure else the dough will tear and the stuffing will come out.
Cook the paratha on Tawa
- Place the stuffed paratha on the hot tawa. When you see small bubbles on the top flip using a spatula or tongs, brush oil and then flip again to let cook on the oil side. Brush oil on the second side, flip and then cook till both the sides are golden.Pro Tip - Personally, I dont press the stuffed parathas while cooking them because then the layer start sticking together. For a flaky and crispy parathas, allow to cook low and slow flipping and browning as needed on a constant heat.
- Serve with few slices of onion, a bowl of yogurt and achar. Dont forget a dollop of butter on top.
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