Chicken Kathi Rolls How To Make Kati Roll Frankie Rolls

About the recipe

Kathi Roll is a very popular street food recipe from Kolkata, West Bengal. Traditionally, the skewer-roasted chicken kebab is wrapped in paratha. But now, any grilled meat or veggies that are rolled in Indian flatbreads (chapati, paratha, roti, naan) is called a Kati roll. These rolls are good as appetizers, evening snacks, for your lunchbox, or even as a completely satisfying weeknight dinner.

Is Frankie Roll similar to Kathi Roll?

Depending on the type of bread used and the filling, some restaurants and street food vendors call it Frankie or Kati roll. The main difference is the place where these rolls originated. Frankie roll is from Bombay (Mumbai), and Kati roll is from Kolkata (Calcutta).

Ingredients

For the Chicken

240 g Chicken thighs, boneless, cut into medium pieces1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste, 1-inch ginger and 5 small garlic cloves ground to a coarse paste¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder1 teaspoon Paprika, or Chile powder¾ teaspoon Salt1 teaspoon Garam masala or Tandoori Masala powder1 Lemon fresh juice1 tablespoon Oil, for cooking½ teaspoon Cumin seeds

For Chapati Rolls - yields 2 rolls (you can even use store-bought rolls or roti)

110 g Whole wheat flour, ¾ cup⅛ teaspoon Salt2 teaspoon Oil, for frying

For the Green Mint Chutney

3 Green chilies1 cup Coriander leaves or Cilantro15 to 20 Mint Leaves6 to 8 Cashews, soaked in water for 15 mins and drained2 to 3 tablespoon Water½ teaspoon Salt2 to 3 tablespoon YogurtJuice of ½ lemon

Other Ingredients

Cucumber, cut lengthwiseOnions, chopped lengthwise. Optional step - soak chopped onions in ¼ cup vinegar and one teaspoon of sugar for 15 minutes.

How to make the Best Chicken Kathi Rolls at Home?

For the Chicken

Add chicken pieces, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, garam masala powder, and lemon juice to a bowl, and toss until combined. Let this marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, heat oil in a pan. To this, add cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds. Add the marinated chicken and spread it around the pan. Cook on one side for 6 minutes and then flip and cook on another side for an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Switch off the flame. Keep this aside.

For the Chapati (Roti or Flatbread)

Ignore this if you are using store-bought, ready-made flatbreads. In a bowl, add flour, salt, and water little by little and knead to form a medium-stiff dough. Divide the dough into equal parts. Roll each ball into a circle of 8 to 10-inch diameter. Heat the pan or tava. Add the rolled chapati to hot tava and cook on one side (approximately 1 minute); when golden spots appear at the bottom, flip and cook on another side (about 30 seconds). Drizzle oil if needed during cooking.

For the green mint chutney

In a mixie jar or blender, add green chilies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, water, salt, cashew, and yogurt and blend to smooth paste. To this, add lemon juice and mix.

Assembling the Kathi Roll

Place the parchment paper on the working surface and keep the cooked chapati or roti on top of it. Spread the prepared green mint chutney over the flatbread. Then, add the chicken filling at the center. Top it with pickled onions, cucumber, and some more mint chutney. First, fold it from below, then wrap the two sides like a jacket. You can check the video here. Chicken Kathi rolls are ready. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

If you want to cut short, you can use ready-made store-bought parathas, Malabar parathas, or tortillas. All are easily available at Indian stores, Payless, Target, or Trader Joe’s. I have made fresh chapatis using wheat flour as it is easy to prepare at home and is tasty and healthy.To make it an authentic street-style kathi roll, you have to first prepare anda paratha. Add egg, a pinch of salt, and red chile powder, and whisk well in a bowl. Once you have cooked the paratha/chapati, remove it from the pan, spread the whisked egg mixture in the pan, add the chapati and cook until the egg sets through. Remove the anda paratha (or egg roll) from the pan. To assemble the roll, place the anda paratha on the parchment sheet, egg side up, load it with chicken, chutney, and other condiments and wrap it up. It gives your Kathi roll a different taste.

Variations

Below are some popular variations of kathi rolls that I tried during my college and working days. Follow the same recipe given above for all. Just the main ingredient gets changed.

Chicken Tikka RollKathi Kabab RollPaneer Kathi RollsEgg Kati RollMixed Vegetable Kathi RollChana Palak Kathi Roll