Veg roll: Popular Indian Street Food Since Colonial Times
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This healthy and tasty snack is immensely filling. It is easy on the pocket and comes with the goodness of fibre. This vegetable roll makes a great choice for lunch. It is simply bonne bouche when you crave something filling and yummy. With an interplay of textures, it is a great way to repurpose the humble roti with fillings of your choice. Make it with wheat instead of white flour and retain the fibres too. Fibres are good for digestion. It is easy to cook and easy to pack. For those on the run, it is ideal.  

History of Veg roll in India:

There are a variety of vegetarian rolls- round bread rolled with fillings in India. The most famous are Kathi rolls The history of Kathi rolls goes back to colonial times in Calcutta. In 1932, in the famous Nizam eatery, kababs and parathas were sold separately. Due to the rising demands for kababs, the limited number of iron skewers was insufficient. Moreover, the sahibs found the business of eating kababs way too messy. Hence Bamboo skewers were introduced to balance the kababs demand and supply. The word for a bamboo stick is 'Kathi" in Bengali. Also, kababs were now rolled in parathas with an additional napkin to facilitate the sahibs’ vanity. That is how Kathi rolls were born in India.

The Mumbai version of the same dish is called Frankie. It was the predecessor to even Kathi rolls. Frankie rolls were thin and soft Rumali roti -like whereas the Kathi rolls had flaky white flour parathas as rolls. 

Ingredients:

  •  1 cup flour/maida
  •  2 tsp oil
  •  ½ tsp salt
  •  ½ cup of water
  •  ¼ cup onion (cut into slices)
  •  ½ cup tomato (cut into slices)
  •  ½ tsp turmeric powder
  •  ½ tsp red chili powder
  •  ½ tsp coriander powder
  •  ½ tsp garam masala
  •  salt as per taste
  •  1 tsp garlic, ginger 
  •  1 cup cabbage (cut into slices)
  •  ½ cup carrot
  •  ½ cup capsicum (chopped)
  •  cook for 2-3 min.
  •  ¼ cup grated paneer

Method:

  • To make roll filling:
  • Mix flour and water & make fine dough (you can add some oil and salt too)
  • Cover the dough for fifteen minutes and set aside
  • Now take some oil in a Wok
  • Add the onions, tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste and cook for 2-3 min
  • Add a little water so that the ground spices don’t get burned
  • Add cabbage, carrots, and capsicum that are cut into long slices and cook for another 2-3 minutes( not finely chopped otherwise the texture will become gravy-like)
  • Add the grated paneer and mix 
  • Sprinkle some chopped coriander 
  • To make a roll:
  • Divide the dough into small balls
  • Roll & flatten the dough
  • Fry both sides until they are roasted and no longer raw
  • Spread the tomato sauce on the roll
  • Spread mayonnaise (you can skip this if you want)
  • Pour the veg filling
  • Add chopped raw onion for better texture
  • Add some more coriander leaves
  • Roll into a cylindrical shape
  • Wrap with a napkin if you want it to resemble a Kathi roll or cut in diagonal slants without wrapping if you are in the mood for a Frankie

The veg rolls are ready