Here is my kid-friendly and lunch box special version of the favorite street food prepared with potatoes – Aloo Frankie. Wheat rotis stuffed with yummy potato patties. I am kickstarting the A to Z lunch box series with this Aloo Frankie. Check out the detailed recipe below.
So the April spree begins. There is a lot of stuff going on at both house front and work front. But still, I signed up for this month-long marathon. Coming to think about it, that’s what made me sign up for this mega marathon and to pick this theme – ” A – Z Kids-Friendly Lunch Box Recipes.” This entire month, I will be posting what I pack for vaandu in the alphabetical order. Luckily, only for few alphabets, I had to look for recipes. For the rest, I played with Tamil – English names. :-)
I took a break from blogging marathon and resumed last month. I was skeptical if I should participate in the April month or not. I am not prepared. I still have recipes to do and click. But as its day-to-day lunch box recipe and nothing exotic, I decided to go for it. I hope I can make it.
As you all know, what Santa gave us last Christmas – A golden retriever pup. Rhino joined as the fourth member of our family on 24th December 2017. Jan and Feb were very crazy, and my schedule was in a whirlwind. Both husband and I were working on an insane schedule so that vaandu and Rhinos schedule are not messed up. Just because of this craziness, we cannot keep ordering food from outside. So I tried a lot of quick new recipes with the help of both instant pot and pressure cooker till my in-laws came. And surprisingly 90% of it was approved by kiddo.
I cook mostly in the evenings, and we have the same for dinner as well as for the next day’s lunch. Yes, I do give leftovers for the kiddo. And, if you are a regular reader, this doesn’t come as a surprise, as I have mentioned this before as well, especially in this post.
Before getting into the recipe, let me share few key things.
- I prepare all the dishes according to vaandus taste preference. Please check the notes for variations and how I pack for us.
- The kiddo is nine years old, and his spice tolerance is entirely different now. He loves jalapeno and cheese, idli and molaga podi but still when a big no-no when it comes to peppercorns in Pongal and green chilies in pulavs.
- We usually pack his lunch between 6:30 AM to 6:45 AM and his lunch break are at 11:30 AM.
- I started packing his food in stainless steel boxes and keep in an insulated lunch bag. For fruits, I used glassware as he can handle them.
- I do prefer healthy choices and homemade ones, but when it comes to busy mornings, I am up for semi-homemade recipes(still pick healthy ones though) and also the make-ahead options. So you will find a lot of make ahead and semihomemade methods in this series.
- Last, but not the least, I am not promoting lunch bots. :-) You will see the pictures of their tiffin box in every single post because that’s what I use. I like them. Period. :-)
I think I wrote a lot, so let’s dive into the recipe details right away,
Aloo Frankie
A kid-friendly and lunch box special version of the favorite street food prepared with potatoes – Aloo Frankie. Wheat rotis stuffed with yummy potato patties.
Ingredients:
- Potato – 2
- Onion – ¼ or chopped onion – 3 tbsp
- Chopped green bell pepper – 2 tbsp
- Chopped orange bell pepper – 2 tbsp
- Water – ¼ cup
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Garam masala – ½ tsp
- Chaat masala – ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder – ¼ tsp
- Cumin powder – ¼ tsp
- Turmeric powder – ⅛ tsp
- Oil – 2 tsps
- Roti – as required. I used 6
- Shredded carrot – a handful
- Ketchup – 1 tsp for each roti
- Chopped Cilantro – 3 tbsp
Prep – Work:
- I prepared the rotis well ahead (a day before) and just warmed it up before stuffing. You can either make them fresh or use tortillas as well. So make sure you have sufficient rotis or tortillas.
- Wash and boil the potatoes in your preferred way. You can either microwave them or boil them on the stove top or pressure cook for one whistle. I microwave them under potato setting and let it cool.
- Peel the skin and mash the potatoes.
- Chop the onion, cilantro, bell peppers, and set aside required amount.
- Grate the carrots and set aside.
- Take all the dry spice powders including (red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chaat masala and salt) in a bowl.
- Add the ¼ cup of water and mix it well without any lumps.
Steps:
- Heat a pan or kadai and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and bell peppers and cook until the bell peppers are tender and soft.
- Now add the spice water mix and stir well.
- Then add the mashed potatoes.
- Slowly, mix the mashed potatoes and ensure the spices are all incorporated well.
- Let it cook over medium flame for five minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro and mix again. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
Assembling:
- Now take a roti and warm it up.
- Spread about a tsp of ketchup over the roti.
- Add some shredded carrot in the middle followed by few cilantro.
- Now take a small lemon sized portion of the potato masala and shape into a small oval or like a tubular structure.
- Place this in the middle and now fold the roti into a roll.
- I usually fold the bottom first and then the sides. Finally, place them on the aluminum foil and wrap the bottom of the roll similarly.
That’s Aloo Frankie is ready for packing.
Notes:
- Shredded carrots are optional. Also, instead of that, you can add chopped lettuce or a mix of lettuce and carrots.
- Mixing the spices in the water helps in combining them well with the potatoes.
- Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference.
- As I mentioned, instead of rotis, you can use tortillas too.
- I have prepared the stuffing with potatoes and did not include any other veggies except bell peppers. But the sky is the limit here. Depending on your child’s taste preference, you can add other vegetables, or paneer or tofu even.
- How do I pack for us?
- Instead of ketchup, I used dates and tamarind chutney spread and also on top of the aloo masala I add some green chutney and make it little spicier.
📖 Recipe
Aloo Frankie
Ingredients
- 2 potato
- ¼ onion when chopped 3 tbsp
- 2 tbsp green bell pepper chopped
- 2 tbsp orange bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp chaat masala
- ¼ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp oil
- 6 roti as required. I used 6
- ¼ cup carrot Shredded
- 6 tsp ketchup 1 tsp for each roti
- 3 tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
Prep - Work:
- I prepared the rotis well ahead (a day before) and just warmed it up before stuffing. You can either make them fresh or use tortillas as well. So make sure you have sufficient rotis or tortillas.
- Wash and boil the potatoes in your preferred way. You can either microwave them or boil them on the stove top or pressure cook for one whistle. I microwave them under potato setting and let it cool.
- Peel the skin and mash the potatoes.
- Chop the onion, cilantro, bell peppers, and set aside required amount.
- Grate the carrots and set aside.
- Take all the dry spice powders including (red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chaat masala and salt) in a bowl.
- Add the ¼ cup of water and mix it well without any lumps.
Steps:
- Heat a pan or kadai and add oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and bell peppers and cook until the bell peppers are tender and soft.
- Now add the spice water mix and stir well.
- Then add the mashed potatoes.
- Slowly, mix the mashed potatoes and ensure the spices are all incorporated well.
- Let it cook over medium flame for five minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro and mix again. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
Assembling:
- Now take a roti and warm it up.
- Spread about a tsp of ketchup over the roti.
- Add some shredded carrot in the middle followed by few cilantro.
- Now take a small lemon sized portion of the potato masala and shape into a small oval or like a tubular structure.
- Place this in the middle and now fold the roti into a roll.
- I usually fold the bottom first and then the sides. Finally, place them on the aluminum foil and wrap the bottom of the roll similarly.
- That's Aloo Frankie is ready for packing.
Notes
- Shredded carrots are optional. Also, instead of that, you can add chopped lettuce or a mix of lettuce and carrots.
- Mixing the spices in the water helps in combining them well with the potatoes.
- Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference. As I mentioned, instead of rotis, you can use tortillas too.
- I have prepared the stuffing with potatoes and did not include any other veggies except bell peppers. But the sky is the limit here. Depending on your child's taste preference, you can add other vegetables, or paneer or tofu even.
- How do I pack for us?
- Instead of ketchup, I used dates and tamarind chutney spread and also on top of the aloo masala I add some green chutney and make it little spicier.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Hii Srividhya…ur recipes are awesome! Can u make the stuffing also at night?
Thanks
Yes, I do. :-) I rely a lot on leftovers.
I don’t know why but I did not see some of the comments I left sometime last month. And so, I waited until now to see if my comments are really going through. Love the theme choice of yours. It’s going to help those busy moms who face the lunch box struggles. I kinda passed that stage now. Aloo frankies look so inviting and are a great way to start the wonderful theme.
Thanks much Suma. I did not receive the first comment. Not sure why. Anyways thanks again for taking the time to comment. Appreciate it.
A healthy and filling lunch. Looking forward to your other recipes. I too have yet to make a lot of my dishes for my chosen theme. I use to make frankie when the craze began in India. Forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding me… can make dinner healthy and yet tasty.
Errr glad you are sailing on the same boat as me. Hope both of us can complete all our recipes. Thanks much Mayuri.
Wow.. simple and healthy recipe for kids.. everyone love it.
Thanks Preeti.
The frankie looks wonderful ! And lovely theme for bm too :) am sure along with this, am gonna be bookmarking a lot from this Srries :)
Thank You, Kalyani.
Awesome theme da… You have kick started with a bang as always.. Waiting for your full collection.. Will be very helpful palling LB for kids!! Frankie is not only my kids fav ,Mine too :D
Thanks a lot, Sharmila… Yeah, Frankie is quite popular and I think all of us love it. :-)
That is a wonderful theme Vidya and doing it as A-Z is awesome. Love the details you have provided for the packing. A perfect guide for beginners. Aloo is every kid’s fav and I am sure these rolls would be a great hit if I make them for Sruti. Looks yum..
Thanks, Gayathri. Please try for Sruti. I bet she will love these.
Srividhya , Vandoo is a lovely boy and it is so nice that he enjoys most food . Kids can give you a hard time with lunch boxes! Aloo frankie is a great lunch pack , and the way you have packed it looks awesome .
Very very interesting theme , I too wanted to go with it but with no little kids , gave up … and my street food Love is stronger . ( hope none of my kids are reading this – ehe he ! )
ha ha ha… Thanks a lot, Vaishali. Between, my street food love is stronger too. Last year I did chaat series, hence lunch box this time. ;-)
Aloo Frankie sounds like a perfect lunch box item Vidhya. Why did I never think of it?? My 10 year old loves potatoes and roti and I’m sure he will enjoy these. Thanks for all the tips. I am sooo looking forward to your lunchbox creations this month. I am sure I will get a ton of ideas for my kids.
Thanks a lot, Pavani. Please do try it for your 10-year-old. I am sure he/she will love it.
Great recipe and wonderful lunch for kids and kids at heart!!!
ha ha ha so true. :-)
Aloo Frakie looks so delicious and it’s perfect for lunch box,Vidhya !!! Great start to mega BM & looking forward to your A-Z series !!!
Thanks much Sandhiya.
i remember seeing the pic of the new member in IG vidhya! Congrats on your new pet!!! Aloo frankie looks amazing! love that first click,potato peeping thru the wrap!! Totally scrumptious!!
Thanks a lot, Priya.
A to Z kids lunch box recipes, wow amazing. Now I know where to come if I would ever stuck on my girls lunchbox. The aloo frankie looks absolutely delicious and even I can have it as such. Looking forward ti seeing your other recipes.
Thanks a lot, Sapana. :-)
Such a fulfilling lunch this is and would love to take it any day of the week. Kids and adults alike would enjoy these aloo Frankies in their lunch boxes. Can’t wait to see all you lunch box recipes this month.
Thanks Sandhya.
Srividhya, wow what a fantastic theme, a theme that’s so close to my heart!. I dread each time I think I have to pack for my kids, whose tastes are so different from each other…their school starts from wednesdays and I am already tensed as to what to make…so your 26 dishes are really so welcome. From what I have read about your son, he has wonderful food habits and such a chammathu…I love our disclaimers.heheheh..
Thanks a lot Valli. I read your comment aloud to vaandu and he is on cloud nine and giving that face of “Look amma, you are the one complaining”… :-) Hope you like the other recipes as well.
Wow, such a fabulous theme you have picked Vidhya, lovely start yaar. Aloo frankie looks absolutely prefect to pack even for a picky eaters. Am so eager to see what is ur next. Fabulous.
Thank you, Priya. Glad you liked the theme.
Wonderful recipe for lunch box. Looking forward to more ideas. Loved the detailed explanation of how you plan. Most of all loved the steel lunch box :)
Thanks, much Harini. :-)
Amazing frankies to start the lunch box series with, first of all kudos on picking this theme, the Frankie’s looks perfect and wonderful presentation, can’t wait to see all your bento box recipes this month .. am curious on knowing what you got for the letter Z vidhya :D
Thanks, Manjula. Guess what, Z was quite easy for me but I am still contemplating for X…
superb theme srividhya! I was almost going to choose this theme or adults lunch box but went on with another theme. I too make ahead some dishes so that it is easy to pack for the next day. I am yet to try such dishes for the lunch box as I am not sure how LO will take it! Anyway nice choice for lunch box and I will probably be bookmarking the whole series :)
Thanks a lot, Padma. Yeah initially I was bit hesitant too, but slowly started trying. It kind of worked out. :-)