Make Ahead

Rosemary Alu Paratha (Potato Parathas with Fresh Rosemary)

by:
November 19, 2013
4
4 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 45 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Makes 6
Author Notes

This concept arose from a simple mathematical property of commutativity (correction.. i believe the right term is 'transitivity' Thank you croquembuche! ). A pairs well with B, B pairs well with C, so A should work well with C. Rosemary pairs well with potatoes, and potatoes stuffed inside a paratha flatbread is of course a classic Indian breakfast. This logic may not work all the time with food, but in this particular instance, I found a new variation of a well loved classic bread which has become a favorite breakfast dish at home: the Rosemary potato Paratha!
There are no spice blends to worry about in this dish; the fresh chopped rosemary and some finely minced green chile for heat is all you need. If heat is not something you care for, omit the chili. Feel free to substitute the ghee with oil for a vegan version. —Panfusine

Test Kitchen Notes

I really liked this. It was tasty and fun. The recipe was well written and easy to follow, which was helpful since it was my first time making paratha. It wasn't as spicy as I would have liked; the end result could have used more heat, but that's an easy fix with a spicier pepper! The dough was nice -- the whole wheat flour added an earthiness and the potato mixture was warming. I served it with tzatziki like the recipe suggested. It was a hit! —Audrey

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Dough
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 6 ounces water (approximately)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • Rosemary potato filling
  • 2 large Idaho potatoes
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary (leaves stripped off the twig)
  • 1 to 2 small fresh green chiles (adjust as per your taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons melted ghee, for brushing the paratha
Directions
  1. Dough
  2. Combine the flour and salt, add the water in increments, and knead to make a firm ball of dough. Divide into six and cover with a wet towel until ready to roll into parathas.
  1. Rosemary potato filling
  2. Finely chop the chili and rosemary leaves almost to a minced consistency. Wash and cut the potatoes into half, then boil until a knife slips through with little resistance through the cooked tuber.
  3. Drain excess water, peel the potatoes, and place in a mixing bowl along with the salt, lime juice and finely chopped rosemary and green chili blend.
  4. Break the hot potatoes so that the steam is released. This helps the filling to be as dry as possible. Mash the potatoes to crush any lumps to get a smooth filling. Shape the filling into spheres, approximately the size of ping pong balls.
  5. Roll a portion of dough into a 6-inch flat round, like a tortilla. (Use a generous amount of extra flour to ensure that the dough does not stick to the surface or rolling pin.)
  6. Place a ball of filling and roll the dough around like you would do for an enchilada. Pinch the ends and fold over so that the filling is evenly enclosed within the dough.
  7. Flour the board and gently roll out the the potato-filled dough into a 5-inch circle.
  8. Heat a flat griddle and place the paratha on it. Brush liberally with ghee, then after two minutes flip to the other side and brush the other side with ghee as well. The paratha is done when both sides have turned a golden brown with tiny black spots. Serve with a raita, tzatziki, or an Indian mango or lime pickle.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sadassa_Ulna
    Sadassa_Ulna
  • Lemongrass&Lime
    Lemongrass&Lime
  • SpaCook
    SpaCook
  • Tracie
    Tracie
  • foxeslovelemons
    foxeslovelemons
A biomedical engineer/ neuroscientist by training, currently a mommy blogger on a quest for all things food - Indian Palate, Global perspective!

13 Reviews

croquembuche January 3, 2018
Love this!

Although I think you mean transitivity instead of commutativity; commutativity would be "rosemary pairs well with potatoes so potatoes pair well with rosemary" ie A+B therefore B+A :)
 
Panfusine January 3, 2018
YEEEKS.. you're absolutely right. Thanks for pointing it out.. made the correction!
 
Sadassa_Ulna December 11, 2013
Mmmmm I love paratha! And I admire your use of commutative properties, can't wait to try this ;)
 
Lemongrass&Lime December 7, 2013
Looks wonderful. I'm looking forward to trying your recipe. I can't quite picture what you mean by 'roll the dough around like you would do for an enchilada'. With a 6 inch circle of dough and a ping pong ball of filling, could you clarify how this should look? I'm having trouble with the enchilada reference so clearly need more exposure to Mexican foods!
 
Panfusine December 8, 2013
I place the 'ball of filling near an edge of the dough circle and roll the dough around the filling (Kinda how candy is wrapped around the wrapper before the edges are twisted)
then press down around the filling to seal it and fold the extra flap of dough over to enclose the filling. I don't have a suitable picture, but I'll whip up some paratha later today so that I can click some pics.
 
SpaCook December 6, 2013
How long is the kneading? Quickly just to get it to shape or 8-10 min like a standard bread dough?
 
Panfusine December 6, 2013
Not quite the standaRd bread dough but definitely more than getting it into shape. I usually knead for around 5 minutes, after it comes together.
 
Tracie December 5, 2013
Can you explain what ghee is?
 
Panfusine December 6, 2013
Ghee is the Indian term for clarified butter. basically just butter with all the milk solids cooked & strained out.
http://food52.com/blog/5871-how-to-make-clarified-butter-and-ghee
 
foxeslovelemons December 5, 2013
I love your math logic here, and this recipe looks just wonderful. Congrats on the CP!
 
Panfusine December 5, 2013
Thanks Foxeslovelemons!
 
vvvanessa November 19, 2013
I have been wanting to give a go at making paratha. Looks like I'm officially out of excuses now! This looks lovely.
 
Panfusine November 19, 2013
Thanks vvvanessa! I'm sure you'll love it!