Kathi Roll

This one is for Teesta After looking high and low for the best Kathi Roll in Kolkata I have come to the conclusion that “Hot Kathi Roll ” on 1/1 Park Street, Kolkata is by far the best. Yes it has 2000 calories per roll, the paratha (bread) is deep fried in Dalda (hydrogenated oil, containing high amounts of trans fat) and then coated with eggs and stuffed with masala mutton (a pure cholesterol shot), but as you bite into its crispy shell savoring the texture of the soft egg and then the chewy meat it makes it all worth it.
Whilst I am at it I thought of delving a bit into the history of “Kathi Rolls”, this is by far the most popular street food in Kolkata, rolls of dough are neatly piled on the side of the Tawa (girdle) ready to be rolled out and fried. The meat is precooked and ready for stuffing however in the olden times the meat was put on bamboo skewers (and hence the name “kathi” which stands for the bamboo skewer) and grilled before being stuffed and rolled in the Paratha.
A restaurant called Nizam’s in 1932 in Kolkata for the office goers who wanted a quick hearty snack on the run launched Kathi rolls. (Who would have thought that fast food was a necessity 100 years ago!) Nizam’s originally used metal skewers to grill the meat but later switched to bamboo skewers. These skewers are referred to in Bengali as “Kathi” and hence the name.
Today the “Kathi” skewered meat has been abandoned for precooked stuffing that comes in various forms – chicken, mutton, paneer and potatoes. Even the bread in various parts of the country has been substituted by roomali roti (thin whole wheat bread) or Nan bread.
Coming back to the original reason for this blog - Teesta is a dear friend and is craving kathi rolls, I am happy to share my healthier version of kathi roll for her.

Crowd gathering at “Hot kathi roll”

Nizams kathi roll being rolled out