French Paratha (Potatoes with Chicken stuffed Paratha)

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

There is a place in New Delhi called Parathe Wali Gali which literally means a street where fried breads are sold. Although it may sound like just another place where street vendors sell Parathas, it isn’t, because they have been selling Parathas for generations. They prepare Parathas using different ingredients and serve them with various types of chutneys and curries. This is a very popular area for food lovers and you can see locals and tourists sitting side by side enjoying hot Parathas and talking in one common tongue – the language of food.

I think cooking is one of those treasures which is passed down through generations. Anyone who has learnt anything from their Mother or Grandmothers always seem eager to tell and share the recipe. Family stories are often told around the dinner table, like my Papa (maternal Grandfather) always used to tell funny stories and make us laugh. He used to make family meal time a fun time. I think, by preparing a dish which we used to share with our grandparents we relive those happy moments and feel proud and accomplished at the same time. 

The recipe I am going to share today is a heavy stuffed Paratha. Although Debarshi has prepared this Paratha only a couple of times it has earned its special place on my blog. It is perfect for the weekend brunch and will please all the members of the family. I present to you the 3rd generation recipe of - French Paratha (Potatoes with Chicken stuffed Paratha). 

Debarshi makes these awesome Alu ka Parathas and whenever we get Alu (Potato) I start bugging him to prepare some Parathas for me. He prepares them with such a proficiency that even the professional restaurant bought Parathas don’t score. A few months back I woke up late on a weekend and found him very busy in the kitchen. He was very excited and refused to let me enter the kitchen even to get my coffee. He said it was a surprise. So I waited patiently and soon he presented to me the most delicious Paratha I have ever had. 

Now I must confess that I have never prepared this Paratha myself. Debarshi got the recipe from his mom who had gotten it from her mom. So it’s his Grand Ma’s recipe and he takes great pride in preparing it himself. I came to know that his Grand Ma used to deep fry the bread and make a French Poori (The bread is rolled in a small circular shape and filled with the stuffing. It is then deep fried and the crust gets puffed up). However, I would recommend preparing the Paratha as the Pur (Stuffing) is heavy and may break out. Last week when Debarshi was trying to surprise me by preparing this Paratha I requested him to let me take some pictures for the blog for which he happily agreed. So here you go, step by step pictures with directions.

Now this Paratha will be different than the Methi Saag Paratha. In this case we will be stuffing the dough cup and then roll the Paratha, but I would recommend you to read the tips given in the Methi Saag Paratha article as they may be helpful. 

This time after preparing the Parathas we were left with some Pur and I reused it in the evening by preparing French chops. I served it to Debarshi along with Dhania Chutney and Tea in the evening. It was a wonderful treat and we both loved it. 

There is a quote on Indian Parathas - “Ghar Ki Roti sabse achi” which means homemade bread is the best so give this a try today!

Ingredients:

• Potato – 400 grams (about 1 big Russet Potato), washed, boiled and mashed 
• Ground Chicken – 400 grams 
• Red Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped 
• Green Chilies – 3 -4, finely chopped 
• Garlic – 5 -6, minced 
• Ginger – 1 ½ inch, minced 
• Oil – 4–5 tablespoon (for stuffing) plus 2-3 tablespoon for frying the Parathas 
• Cumin Powder - 1 heaped teaspoon 
• Garam Masala – ½ teaspoon 
• Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon 
• Salt - To Taste (about 1 teaspoon) 
• Meat Masala - 1 heaped teaspoon 
• Amchur (Mango Powder) - 1 heaped teaspoon 
• Cilantro – a handful (chopped) 
• Whole Wheat Flour – about 2 cups 
• All Purpose Flour – about half a cup for rolling 

Directions: Kneading the Dough by Hand

• Wash your hands, you will be using them a lot. 
• In a large bowl mix the Whole Wheat Flour with a pinch or two of Salt. Mix using either your fingers or a whisk. 
• Add water, a little at a time, and knead into a dough. You may need a few extra tablespoons of water if the dough feels tough. It should be soft and slightly sticky. Keep kneading it for another minute. 
• When the dough feels smooth, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest while we prepare the Pur (stuffing). 

Directions: Kneading the Dough using a Stand Mixer

• Attach the Bowl and Hook to your Stand Mixer and connect it. 
• Add the Whole Wheat Flour with a pinch or two of Salt to the bowl. 
• Give the Flour and the Salt a whir on the lowest speed until its well blended. 
• Now we start the kneading, start the mixer on lowest speed and slowly start adding half a cup of water in the flour. I give it time to knead and form the dough. If the sides are sticking with the bowl too much I switch off the mixer and clean the sides using a spatula. 
• I keep it running until the dough begins to come together adding a tablespoon of water at a time. 
• At this stage it will look dry, normally for 2 cups of flour 1 cup of water will be sufficient so make sure not to add too much water at this stage. Keep running the mixer. 
• Now sometimes the dough turns out a bit stickier I usually add a little flour and keep kneading it until its smooth and almost non sticky. 
• Remove the hook and cover the bowl. Let the dough rest while we prepare the Pur (stuffing). 

Let’s prepare the Pur (Stuffing):

• Heat a wok over medium high heat. 
• Add about 4-5 tablespoons of Oil in it. 
• Add the Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Green Chili in the wok and fry them till they are golden brown in color. 
• Add the ground Chicken and mashed Potato in it and mix well. 
• Fry the mixture for a while. When the Potato and Chicken are half done start adding the spices (Cumin Powder, Garam Masala, Red Chili Powder, Salt, Meat Masala, Amchur and Cilantro). Mix everything well and fry the whole mixture. The prepared Pur will look like this: 

Let’s do a little prep:

• Re-knead the dough for a few seconds. Then divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each part into a log like a thick breadstick. Divide both the logs into 6 equal pieces. 
• Now these 6 pieces will make 6 Parathas. Take a piece of dough between your palms and roll it into a ball. Put all the other balls of dough back in the bowl and cover it. This will prevent the dough from drying out. This stuffed Paratha will be thicker than the Methi Saag Paratha so there should be enough dough in each piece to form a cup so that we can put the Pur inside it. 

• Now take a piece of dough and roll it with both your palms. Press the dough roll with both your palms and start flattening the edges, the trick is to keep the edges thin and the center thick. 
• Put about 2 tablespoons of the Pur in the center of this dough cup. 

• Carefully pull the edges together to close it and make a crown on top, it will look like a garlic head. 

• Press the ball between your palms lightly to flatten it a little like a disc. 
• Do the same with all the dough balls. Fill them up with the Pur and close the edges and flatten them like discs. 

• Dip that disc of dough lightly into the All Purpose Flour. This will give it a smoother texture. Place the disc on the rolling board and start rolling it. 
• I usually spread a little flour whenever the dough starts to stick on the board and roll it into a round shape with even thickness on all sides. 
• Roll the Parathas very gently so that the stuffing does not break out. 
• It takes some time and experience to measure the stuffing. It may break out or not spread evenly. Have patience, it will still taste good. 
• Now let’s fry the Paratha. Heat a big Skillet over medium high heat. Transfer the rolled out Paratha to the pan and do this carefully. Lift the Paratha with both hands and place it on the skillet. If it folds while placing, carefully straighten it using a spatula. 
• Use a brush to apply Oil on the Paratha and let it cook for about a minute. If you see a few reddish brown spots beginning to form, it’s ready to be flipped. 

• Flip the Paratha and apply oil on this side as well and flip it again. The Paratha will start puffing up. If it doesn’t, press onto the Paratha with your spatula on different places for 5-10 seconds. 
• Flip the Paratha back over and press the other side with your spatula for a few seconds. 
• Turn the heat down to medium low. 
• Transfer the cooked Paratha on a plate lined with paper towel. 
• Serve the Paratha hot with Pickles, Onion Rings and a dollop of butter. 

**This article has also been published in the 2016 Durga Pujo magazine of Birmingham (Alabama).

Recommend reading: 

• Make Cumin Powder at Home
• Methi Saag Paratha
• French Chops
• Garam Masala
• Meat Masala
• Dhania Chutney
• Kabiraji Paratha (Fried bread stuffed with Potatoes and Egg)
• Debarshi’s Alu ka Paratha (Fried Bread stuffed with Potatoes)
• Indian Salad
• How to re-use the leftover dough