Ingredients
Batter
- 250 grice flour
- 50 gplain flour
- 400 mlwater
- 1 tspsalt
- ¼ tspground turmeric
Topping
- 300 gminced buffalo, mutton or chicken
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 2 clovesgarlic, crushed
- 1 tspginger paste
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- ½ tspground timur
- ½ tspchilli powder
- 2 tbspoil
- salt
To finish
- 6eggs
- chopped coriander
- sliced green chilli
- mustard oil or ghee, for the pan
Directions
- Whisk the rice flour, plain flour, salt, turmeric and water into a thin, completely smooth batter, closer to single cream than to a pancake batter.
- Rest it for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours. Rice flour absorbs slowly, and an unrested batter tears the moment it hits the pan.
- Fry the mince with the onion, garlic, ginger and spices for about 12 minutes, until cooked through and dry, then let it cool a little.
- Timur, the Nepali Sichuan pepper, is the flavour that makes this Newari rather than generically South Asian, and it should be present enough to tingle.
- Heat a heavy pan over a medium heat and rub it with mustard oil.
- Pour in a ladle of batter and swirl it to about 18 cm across. Do not spread it thin like a crêpe: chatamari has a soft, slightly thick base with a crisp edge, and it is not a dosa.
- Scatter the cooked mince over the surface immediately, while the batter is still wet, so that it sinks in and binds rather than sitting loose on top.
- Crack an egg over the middle, break the yolk, and spread it across with the back of a spoon.
- Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the egg is just set and the base lifts away cleanly and crisply.
- It is only ever cooked on one side. Flipping it would destroy the topping, and the covered pan does that work instead.
- Scatter with coriander and green chilli, slide it out whole, and cut into wedges.
- Serve hot, with a glass of aila if you are keeping it properly Newari.
Technique
- One side only, under a lid. That is the technique, and it is what separates chatamari from every other filled pancake.
- It comes from the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley and is made for festivals, though it is now sold year round.
- It is often marketed abroad as Nepali pizza, which sells it short considerably.
Substitutions
- Chicken mince, which is what most Kathmandu cafés now use.
- A vegetarian topping of peas, potato and paneer.
Variations
- Plain, with nothing but egg on top.
- With grated cheese, which is the modern café version.
- With the mince left out and extra vegetables instead.
History
Newari rice-flour crepe from the Kathmandu Valley, made for festivals and often marketed abroad as Nepali pizza.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chatamari?
Chatamari is a street food from Nepal: newari rice-flour crepe topped with minced meat and egg. Newari rice-flour crepe from the Kathmandu Valley, made for festivals and often marketed abroad as Nepali pizza.
How long does Chatamari take to make?
Chatamari takes 20 min plus 30 min resting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 crepes. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Chatamari?
Yes, within limits. Chicken mince, which is what most Kathmandu cafés now use. A vegetarian topping of peas, potato and paneer.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chatamari?
Timur, the Nepali Sichuan pepper, is the flavour that makes this Newari rather than generically South Asian, and it should be present enough to tingle.
