Rising time:
1 hr

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups chapatti flour
1/2 tsp fine salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the stuffing:
9oz (250g) sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra
for brushing
½ red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped red or jalapeño chile,
or to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 heaping tbsp chopped cilantro
½ tsp garam masala
sea salt

Method:
1 To make the dough, sift the flour and salt together. Add the butter and 2⁄3 cup water and bring the mixture together to form a soft dough. Knead by hand for 10 minutes, or for 5 minutes in the electric mixer, then leave the dough to rest, covered, for 1 hour.

2 Boil the sweet potato for about 7 minutes, until tender. Drain well. In a frying pan, heat the sunflower oil over medium heat, and cook the red onion for 3–5 minutes, until soft, but not golden. Add the garlic, chile, and ginger and cook for 1–2 minutes.

3 Add the cooked onion mixture to the sweet potato and mash. You should not need any extra liquid. Add the chopped cilantro, garam masala, and salt and beat until smooth. Set aside to cool.

4 When the dough has rested, divide it into 4 equal pieces. Knead each piece a little and roll it out into a small circle, around 4in (10cm) in diameter. Put a quarter of the stuffing mixture into the middle of the dough and pull the edges up around it into the middle, forming a purse shape.

5 Pinch the edges together to seal in the stuffing, turn the dough over, and roll out carefully into a circle about 7in (18cm) in diameter, making sure not to roll too hard. If the filling bursts out of the dough, pinch the dough together to reseal the paratha.

6 Heat a large cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Cook the parathas for 2 minutes on each side, turning occasionally to make sure they are well cooked and browning in places. Once they have cooked on each side once, brush the surface with a little sunflower oil before turning them again. Serve immediately alongside a curry, or as a light lunch dish with a green salad.

PREPARE AHEAD:
These can be stored overnight, wrapped in plastic wrap. To reheat (from fresh or frozen), scrunch up a piece of parchment paper and soak in water. Squeeze out the excess water, and use to wrap the parathas. Place them in a warm oven for 10 minutes until soft.

BAKER’S TIP:
These Indian flat breads are made with traditional chapatti flour, but if you cannot find it easily, use whole wheat flour instead. Try stuffing them with a variety of fillings, including leftover vegetable curry; just make sure the ingredients are diced small so the stuffing is easily contained.

Stuffed Paratha