These Spinach, Avocado & Cheese Aloo Parathas are just so delicious. Aloo Parathas are good on their own but adding some green goodness and cheese makes these stuffed parathas unreal. They become softer and the flavours are elevated to another level. Also they are a perfect way to hide your green. The Green Aloo Parathas recipe is below. These are known by many as Hulk parathas and are a great way of getting greens into your diet.
If you like your parathas spicy add in more green chillies. The parathas taste best warm with either a blob of butter, your favourite pickle or plain yoghurt spiced with ground cumin, red chilli powder and salt. Oh and do not forget the masala chai.
What equipment do I need to make Parathas
Making parathas does not require any fancy equipment. You just need
- Food processor or equivalent to blitz your spinach
- Two large bowls to combine make your dough and your filling
- Rolling Pin
- A flat clean surface to roll your paratha (or a chapati board)
- A pancake pan or equivalent
- A solid turner, this can be silicone or metal one
Tips for making these Aloo Parathas
- too much oil may make it greasy so we don’t use a lot
- if the heat is too low the parathas will get crispy, you want it on medium heat
- monitor the heat.. if you notice the parathas are burning, turn it down a bit
- you can make these parathas more spicy by adding more green chillies
What type of cheese can I use for these parathas
I used cathedral city cheese, which is medium in flavour yet gives a nice melty filling. Any other hard cheese would work. I do not recommend using a soft cheese or a cheese that is very strong in flavour. You can use a more stringy cheese but this may cause a problem when cooking i.e. the parathas may start to bleed while cooking. Paneer works great with these parathas.
What can I use instead of Avocado in the parathas
Avocados are nutritious and when used in parathas create a soft texture. You can skip the avocado in the recipe below.
What other ingredients can I use to make these green parathas
You can add in fresh blanched fenugreek leaves to this mixture. Blitz broccoli and cauliflower work well too. The key it to not have chunky bits in the dough.
The green colour dough is from spinach. You can add a bit of coriander too but the taste will change.
Can I use this recipe to make Spinach Roti aka Spinach Chapati
If you do not want the stuffed parathas, you can skip the fillings of potato and cheese from the recipe and just roll out the dough on its own to create green rotlis. They taste delicious and are a great way of getting your greens in. For the chapati/rotli, just make the dough as per the recipe below then just roll it out on its own. You do not need oil to cook the rotli.
What do you eat Aloo Parathas with
The parathas can be enjoyed on their own with a cup of masala chai. They are filling and have a nice taste to them therefore better without a curry.
You can enjoy them with some butter on top, spiced yoghurt or a pickle. For the spiced yoghurt, mix some greek yoghurt with salt, chilli powder, ground cumin and black pepper.
How long to these Avocado Parathas last
The avocados and spinach reduce the life of these parathas. Once they are cool, cover with foil and keep them in the fridge for a maximum of 2 days. To warm up, heat on a pan.
Green Aloo Parathas
Ingredients
Paratha base
- 400 g chapati wheat flour plus about 1/2 cup more to help with the rolling of the paratha
- 150 g baby spinach
- 1 ripe mashed avocado
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil Plus about 1/4 cup more to assist in cooking the parathat
- 6 oz tepid water
Paratha filling
- 800 g boiled grated potatoes (boil potatoes with the skin on. Once cooked, cool and peel then grate)
- 3/4 cup chopped spring onions
- 40 g coriander
- 150 g cheese hard cheese
- 2 tsp garlic ginger
- 1 tsp green chilli more if you like spice
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Dough for the paratha
- Blitz the spinach or finely chop them. You want it in little pieces but not totally puréed
- In a large bowl add the flour, spinach, avocado,salt, oil and combine
- Now slowly add in the water and knead the mixture to form a soft dough
- Once combined, make 10 balls around 75g each
- Cover lightly with a cloth and set aside
Filling method
- Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl. I find it easier to do it with my hand.
- Make 10 balls from this filling. They should weigh roughly 100 grams each
Assembly of the parathas
- Take a ball of dough and flatten it lightly before dipping it in the flour to cover it lightly
- Roll it lightly to form a circle about 5 inches round. You don’t want it thin at this stage especially in the middle. Keep it round if possible but don’t worry if you can’t
- Now add in a ball of the potato filling and wrap the dough around it. Lift the flour dough lightly and pinch it at the top to form pleats all on the top which you can then lightly bring together.
- Once the potato ball is covered, using your hands, flatten the dough to get you started. The pleated part being in the middle
- Now using the rolling pin, roll the dough out gently to form the paratha. Whilst rolling if you feel the dough is sticking sprinkle some flour on it/under it. Don’t turn the paratha while rolling i.e. it should always be the same side up. You can turn it clockwise or turn the rolling board around to aid in forming a circle
- Don’t worry if the potato starts to come out of the dough
- You want a paratha that’s around 8 inches wide
- Heat a pancake pan on medium heat
- Put about 1/2 tbsp oil on the pan to grease the pan lightly
- Now gently lift the paratha from the rolling mat and place it, rolled side down, on the pan. So whatever side you have been rolling, should go down first
- You will notice the colour of the paratha change slightly and little bubbles form (about 30 seconds)
- Use a wide spatula to turn the paratha over carefully
- Dip a tablespoon in oil and then spread the oil on the top of the paratha. You don’t need a lot of oil hence why you just dip the tablespoon. You can use a brush if you prefer
- After 30 seconds, turn the paratha with the help of the spatula. Put some oil on top again.
- You can lightly tap the paratha with the spatula to ensure it cooks evenly
- Turn it again after 30 ish seconds
- It should start to puff, showing it is ready
- Take it out of the pan. Place the side that was touching the pan facing up
Are you looking for more breakfast ideas that taste nice yet have some greens? Try out this flavour packed, protein packed broad beans on toast.
[…] to add more vegetables into your diet? How about added spinach and avocado to your parathas? It works so well and the end result are these soft melt in your mouth […]