Kathi Roll

Ingredients

Kebab

• 700 gboneless chicken thigh, in strips
• 150 gthick yoghurt
• 1 tbspginger paste
• 1 tbspgarlic paste
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• 1 tspgaram masala
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspchilli powder
• 1/2 tspturmeric
• 2 tbspmustard oil
• salt

Paratha

• 400 gplain flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 250 mlwarm water
• 4 tbspghee, plus more for frying

Egg coating, if wanted

• 4eggs, beaten
• salt

To fill

• 2red onions, very finely sliced
• 3green chillies, sliced
• a handful of coriander, chopped
• green chutney
• juice of 1 lemon
• chaat masala, to sprinkle

Equipment

• metal skewers
• a heavy tawa or flat pan

Directions

1. Cut the chicken thigh into strips about two centimetres wide. Whisk the yoghurt with the ginger, garlic, lemon juice and spices. Add the mustard oil and salt and whisk it smooth. Heat the mustard oil first and let it cool if it smells harsh. Turn the chicken through the marinade until every piece is coated. Cover it and refrigerate it for at least two hours, or overnight.
2. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and add the warm water gradually. Bring it together and knead for eight minutes until smooth and soft. The dough should be softer than a bread dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and rest it for thirty minutes. Divide the dough into six pieces and roll each into a ball.
3. Roll one ball out into a thin circle. Brush the surface generously with melted ghee. Dust it lightly with dry flour over the ghee. Roll the circle up tightly into a rope. Press it down and let it rest for ten minutes. Roll the coil out again into a circle about twenty centimetres across.
4. Roll gently, since heavy pressure squeezes the layers together. Now cooking the kebab, which is done on skewers. Thread the marinated chicken onto metal skewers. Do not pack the pieces tight, since they need heat between them.
5. Cook them over charcoal if you can, turning every two minutes. A very hot grill or a ridged pan will also do it. Cook them for about ten minutes until charred at the edges and cooked through. Now cooking the paratha, which is done just before assembly.
6. Heat a heavy tawa over a medium-high heat. Lay a rolled paratha on the dry pan for forty seconds. Turn it and cook the other side for the same time. Brush ghee over the surface and turn it again.
7. Press the edges down with a spatula as it cooks. It should blister and take brown spots, and the layers should separate. Pour a ladle of beaten seasoned egg onto the pan. Lay the cooked paratha straight onto the wet egg. Press it down so the egg bonds to the bread. Cook it for a minute until the egg is set.
8. Flip it briefly to finish, then lift it out egg side up. Slice the red onions as finely as you possibly can. Rinse them in cold water and squeeze them dry. Rinsing takes out the harshness without losing the crunch.
9. Toss them with the lemon juice, chopped chilli and coriander. Lay the hot paratha flat, egg side up if you made one. Spread green chutney across the middle. Lay the kebab pieces in a line down the centre. Pile the onion mixture over the kebab. Sprinkle chaat masala generously over everything. Do not overfill it, since it must roll tightly.
10. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling. Roll it away from you into a tight cylinder. Wrap the bottom half in paper to hold it and to catch the juices. Serve it immediately, still hot, to be eaten in the hand.

Technique

• Use chicken thigh, since breast dries out on the skewer.
• Rinse the sliced onion to take the harshness out without losing the crunch.
• Roll it tightly and wrap the bottom in paper, since the juices will run.

Substitutions

• Shop-bought parathas, warmed and layered on the pan.
• Lamb or paneer in place of chicken.

Variations

• The original beef seekh version.
• Egg roll, with the egg-coated paratha.
• Paneer roll, for a vegetarian version.

History

Invented at Nizam’s in Kolkata, which wrapped kebabs in paratha so office clerks could eat without greasing their hands.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kathi Roll?

Kathi Roll is a street food from India: paratha wrapped around skewered kebab, raw onion and chutney, eaten walking. Invented at Nizam’s in Kolkata, which wrapped kebabs in paratha so office clerks could eat without greasing their hands.

How long does Kathi Roll take to make?

Kathi Roll takes 40 min plus 2 hours marinating of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 rolls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kathi Roll?

Yes, within limits. Shop-bought parathas, warmed and layered on the pan. Lamb or paneer in place of chicken.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kathi Roll?

Roll gently, since heavy pressure squeezes the layers together. Now cooking the kebab, which is done on skewers. Thread the marinated chicken onto metal skewers. Do not pack the pieces tight, since they need heat between them.