Chicken kathi rolls recipe
Originally from Kolkata, these spicy and delicious flatbread rolls are now found all over India. The chicken can be barbecued, shallow-fried or baked.
Recipe from Chai, Chaat & Chutney by Chetna Makan, published by Mitchell Beazley, £20.
Ingredients
For the flatbreads- 100 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50 g chapatti flour
- 6 tbsp water
- 12 tsp sunflower oil
- 50 g natural yogurt
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp chilli powder
- 0.5 tsp garam masala
- 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 300 g chicken breast, cut into 1cm (0.5 inch) pieces
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 5 onions (4 thinly sliced and 1 finely chopped)
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 0.2 tsp salt
- 0.2 tsp chaat masala
- 6 tbsp your choice of chutney (to serve)
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 0.2 tsp ground black pepper
- 0.2 tsp asafoetida
- 0.2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp black salt
- 2 tbsp mango powder (amchur)
Details
- Cuisine: Indian
- Recipe Type: Flatbreads
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 35 mins
- Cooking Time: 45 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Make the chaat masala. Heat a dry frying pan over medium to low heat. Add the cumin and fennel seeds and toast for about 2 minutes until they start to change colour.
- Transfer the toasted seeds to a spice grinder and process them to a fine powder.
- Put the remaining ingredients into a clean, dry jar, add the ground toasted seeds and mix well. It’ll make more than you need for the kathi rolls. Store in a cool, dark place and use the rest within 6 months.
- To prepare the kathi roll filling, put the yogurt, salt and spices into a bowl, then stir in the diced chicken. Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but ideally overnight. If marinating the chicken for more than 1 hour, leave it in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and when you’re ready to cook the chicken, lift the chicken pieces out of the marinade, spread them out on a roasting tray and roast for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the flatbreads. Put the flours into a bowl and gradually mix in just enough of the measured water to form a dough.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes, then place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- To finish the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Stir in the chilli, salt and chaat masala, then add the cooked chicken and mix well. Set aside.
- To cook the flatbreads, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Divide the dough into six equal portions. Roll out one portion into a circle with a diameter of 17–18cm (61/2–7 inches).
- Cook the first dough circle in the hot frying pan for 1 minute on each side, until it starts to change colour. Pour 1 teaspoon oil across the top of the flatbread, then turn it over and cook for 2 minutes, until golden. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil across the uncooked surface, turn over the flatbread and cook this side for 2 minutes, until golden.
- Transfer the cooked flatbread to a serving plate. Spoon some of the filling on top, drizzle with your favourite chutney and add a little raw chopped onion. Roll it up and serve it hot. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough and the filling ingredients.
This recipe from Chai, Chaat & Chutney by Chetna Makan, published by Mitchell Beazley, £20. Photo by Nassima Rothacker and Keith James.
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