If you have grown up in India, there is no way you haven’t heard of the famous Kathi rolls. It is not only India’s answer to wraps of the west, but also one of the most filling snack options for millions of Indians today. The legend says that the first-ever Kathi rolls were made by the Nizam restaurant in Kolkata (then Calcutta) back in 1930s. The Nizams were popular for their Kathi Kebabs, they were meaty kebabs served with a stick or ‘Kathi’. The British stationed in Calcutta were still quite wary of using their hands to eat kebabs. I mean, it is the only fair way to indulge into something as delish, right? So, to make sure the British also enjoyed a taste of these tempting kebabs, the Nizams started wrapping these kebabs in crispy parathas. In due course of time, these Kathi rolls became a sensation across Calcutta and beyond. They have become a tremendously popular street food across the country today, and the many renditions of the same are proof.
Chicken Kathi Roll, With A Twist
There are so many ways in which you can prepare Kathi Rolls. You can play with the ingredients inside; you can even use different breads to wrap your meat and veggies. Take for instance these Kathi Rolls by chef Sumit Sethi of Crowne Plaza Today, Okhla, New Delhi, wherein the chef has used Rumali rotis for his chicken Kathi Rolls. Rumali roti is a thin and limp bread, that gained currency during the Mughal rule. The word ‘Rumali’ is a play on the word Rumal which means Handkerchief. The bread is as thin as a handkerchief which further helps highlight the chicken masala that is stuffed inside. And that is not all, the chef also gives an “egg binding” to the roll so that the fillings do not spill out, and instead of dropping the egg inside the roll, he wraps the roll in an egg casing from outside. “The egg sometimes, does not cook inside, which is why, I am preparing this omelette in which I will tightly wrap and seal this roll”, he tells me. Isn’t that fascinating?
Making the Chicken Filling
Now coming to the filling itself, we love how quick and fuss-free the whole dish is. For the chicken filling, he combines, shredded chicken tikka, butter, sliced onions, tomatoes, shredded bell pepper, capsicum, whole green chillies, coriander, tomato-onion paste and ginger-garlic paste, cumin, and salt and cooks it together to make a hot and dry chicken stuffing that could be lined inside the rotis. He insists on cooking these together to retain the crunch and freshness of the veggies. You can also omit certain ingredients if you do not have them in your pantry. It is your Kathi roll, give it your spin.
You can watch the complete recipe video here. Try making chicken Kathi Rolls this way and let us know how you liked it.