Desi breakfast · Stuffed paratha

Aloo Paratha Recipe (Stuffed Potato Paratha)

Soft dough. Dry filling. Gentle rolling.

Farwa ZeeshanRecipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Aloo paratha is a flatbread stuffed with spiced potato, cooked in ghee until crisp. It tears when the filling is wet or lumpy, or the dough is stiff. The fix is a soft rested dough, a dry, smooth filling and rolling gently from the centre outwards.

Prep25m
Cook20m
Servings4
kcal / serving350
LevelMedium
Jump to the method

The 3 laws of aloo paratha

Why this recipe works

Soft dough

Stiff dough

Soft dough stretches around the filling.

Dry filling

Wet mash

Moisture tears the paratha.

Roll gently

Pressing hard

Light pressure keeps it whole.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings
Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Dough

Filling

The NineFoods tawa gauge

Is the tawa hot enough?

Place the rolled paratha on the tawa and watch.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 4 stages

Step by step

1

Dough

No heat · 20 min
  1. Knead atta, salt, oil and water into a soft dough.
  2. Rest 20 minutes covered.
Look for: soft, smooth dough.
20:00
2

Filling

No heat · 5 min
  1. Mix grated potato with onion, spices and herbs.
  2. Divide into balls.
Look for: dry, smooth filling.
05:00
3

Stuff and roll

No heat · 10 min
  1. Wrap filling in dough, pinch closed and flatten.
  2. Roll gently from the centre out.
Look for: even round with no tears.
10:00
4

Cook

Medium-high · 4 min each
  1. Cook on a hot tawa, flip, add ghee on both sides.
  2. Press edges until golden spots.
Look for: crisp, golden paratha.
04:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Wet or lumpy filling.

Fix next time

Grate cold potatoes and use finely chopped onion.

Why

Stiff dough or cool tawa.

Fix next time

Use soft dough and a hot tawa.

Why

Tawa too hot.

Fix next time

Cook on medium-high and press with a spatula.

Why

Under-seasoned.

Fix next time

Taste the filling before stuffing.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

IngredientJob in the dishSwap with
AttaDoughHalf atta, half plain flour
GheeCrispnessButter or oil
AnardanaTangAmchur
OnionCrunchSkip for an easier roll

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Yogurt, white butter, achar and chai.

Store

Cooked parathas fridge 2 days, freezer 1 month with paper between.

Reheat

Warm on a hot tawa 1 minute per side.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Farwa Zeeshan

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

  • Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
  • Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
  • The doneness check (is the tawa hot enough) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
  • Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

Keep cooking

Related recipes and guides

All breads and nashtaAtta and Roti GuideWeekly Meal Prep for Pakistani Cooking10 Essential Pakistani Spices and How to Use Them

Quick answers

Aloo Paratha FAQ

Why does my aloo paratha tear?

The filling is wet or lumpy, or the dough is stiff.

Should potatoes be hot or cold?

Cold. Cooled, grated potatoes are drier.

Can I freeze aloo paratha?

Yes, half-cook them, cool and freeze with paper between.

Ghee or oil?

Ghee gives the best flavour and crisp layers.