Kathi Roll

The kathi roll is a beautiful thing. One of the greats. This is one serious sandwich.

Think chicken tikka wrapped up in a flaky paratha with a crazy delicious sauce. A sauce with a glebekitchen twist.

I’d put it up there with a Philly cheesesteak. Banh mi. Pulled pork. Maybe even Montreal smoked meat on rye with a kosher dill.

No, not really. Montreal smoked meat is my sandwich holy grail. My king of sandwiches.

The day I put up something I say is better than that is the day you’ll know I’ve lost my mind.

That said, I love with this sandwich. It just works. If I had a food truck it would be on the menu twice a week. At least.

Kathi roll is Bengali street food

Here’s where it gets a little freaky. Nature vs. nurture. I made this sandwich up. I just did it one night when I was jammed for dinner.

Had some tikka. And parathas. Whipped up a sauce. And sat down to eat.

And I loved it. So I thought I’d blog about it. But I needed a name. Jammed for dinner chicken paratha sandwich isn’t really selling it.

So I started googling. To come up with a name that would mean something to somebody. And I discovered the kathi roll.

That’s not the freaky part. It’s hard in the world of food to come up with something completely new. People have been eating for a long time. I wasn’t surprised.

Turns out it’s Bengali street food. That’s the freaky part. I’ve never been to Kollkata. But my genes come from there. My Bengali sandwich gene finally kicked in. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Great chicken tikka makes a great kathi roll

That’s just so patently obvious I’m embarrassed to write it. But it’s also true.

I have my own thoughts on chicken tikka. Bet you are shocked. And I’m a bit unapologetic about it. No big surprise there either.

Want to rock your tikka? Leave out the yoghurt. Seriously.

I can hear you. “No yoghurt? Every recipe on the internet has yoghurt. You’re an idiot. How can it not have yoghurt?”

Here’s the thing. Context matters. Yoghurt marinades work OK. If you have a tandoor.

And it’s the “if you have a tandoor” part matters. That’s important. Are you firing your tikka at 900F? Context matters. Temperature matters.

I’ve tried it with yoghurt. And without. And I think it’s way better without. Over charcoal. At around 500F. If you have a tandoor maybe yoghurt is right for you. Context.

I like a charcoal BBQ for chicken tikka

This recipe works in an oven. It works well. But it’s really hard to beat the kiss of smoke a charcoal grill brings.

Things like tikka are a bit of a pain on a grill. You can use skewers. But if a piece or two stick to the grill it can get tricky.

There’s an easier way. It doesn’t cost much at all. And it’s handy for all sorts of grilling. Shrimp. Vegetables. Tikka. Pork belly. The list is long.

They sell these little wire mesh grills at Asian groceries. At least around here. For around $5 each.

You can even get really nice ones in stainless. For about $20 a pair. Money well spent.

You set them right on your existing grill. Set up your fire up so you have a direct and indirect zone.

Put the tikka on the little Asian grill. And it becomes a single unit. Chicken and grate. You can slide that single unit around.

Start it over indirect heat. Let your chicken cook and pick up some smoke.

When it’s almost done slide the whole thing over direct heat. Give your chicken a little char. If it gets a bit out of hand slide it back to the indirect zone. Total control.

This works on gas as a well. You don’t get the wonderful charcoal smoke but it’s a great trick no matter what fuel you choose. Spend the 10 bucks. Or splurge on stainless steel. It’s so worth it.

Bread matters too

A kathi roll is fancy name for a paratha wrap. So choice of bread matters.

Parathas are hands down my favourite flat bread. No contest. If you’ve never had one you need to fix that.

Naan is good. I think chapatis are better. But parathas are in a whole different league.

They are to naan as a croissants are to a dinner rolls. Puff pastry to wonder bread. Just not the same.

You could try making these kathi rolls with naan. But then they would be naan rolls. You could even try with a tortilla. That would be a tikka wrap.

Neither are anywhere near as good though. If you want the real deal go with parathas. You won’t be sorry.

The sauce makes it

There are a lot of recipes for tikka out there. And quite a few for kathi rolls. This one is a little different. I’m not trying to be authentic here.

This is about making a sandwich I could serve from a food truck. And get famous for it.

That’s where the sauce comes in. There’s a glebekitchen twist here. Traditional is green chutney. That’s pretty tasty. But not tasty enough. Not for my food truck.

I’m going with a mango and green chili pickle sauce. With yoghurt. And mayonnaise. And it’s the mayonnaise that makes it.

Believe. It’s what makes a great sandwich amazing.

Kathi roll – one serious sandwich

Some really good tikka hot off the grill. Fresh cilantro. Sliced shallots. A good drizzle of sauce. All wrapped up in a warm, flaky paratha.

Might not be a Montreal smoked meat sandwich. But it’s a serious contender for second place. I need to get on the food truck thing. To spread the word. The world needs more kathi rolls. Care to join me?

Kathi rolls – food truck style

Ingredients

Kathi roll sauce

• 3 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp mango pickle
• 1 tsp green chili pickle

Chicken tikka

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Look at the chicken pieces. Doesn’t always work out exactly.
• 2 tbsp tandoori masala – look for a low sodium brand or make your own (see notes).
• 1 tsp kasoor methi
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt – you may need more or less depending on how salty your tandoori masala is.
• 1/2 tsp naga pickle – optional but really tasty. Not as crazy as you might think but pretty spicy. Definitely not for those that don’t like heat.
• 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil – any neutral oil

kathi rolls

• 4 parathas
• the chicken tikka
• the kathi roll sauce
• garnish as you like. thinly sliced shallots, thinly sliced green chilies, cilantro, fried shallots. Have fun here…

Instructions

Make the sauce

• Chop the pickles as finely as you can. Mix the pickle with the mayo and the yoghurt. That’s it. Sometimes simple can be great.
• The quantites really depend on the brand of pickle you choose. If it’s a particularly salty pickle you may need to cut it with a bit more mayo/yoghurt. Or you may need to add a bit more pickle. Trust your instincts.
• If you want to use a squirt bottle make around 10 times as much and use a blender. Like a restaurant would. It’s good on burgers too. Especially lamb burgers. Mmmm… lamb burgers.

Make the chicken tikka

• Combine the tandoori masala, kasoori methi, salt and oil. Stir to combine. If you like a bit of spice a little naga pickle goes nicely in this mix.
• Mix your marinade with the chicken thighs. Really stir to get it each piece coated. Use tongs for this. And watch your clothes. This stuff stains. Badly. Unless you make your own tandoori masala of course.
• Marinate anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.

Oven method

• While the chicken marinates, preheat your oven to 400F. Pre-heat a sturdy baking pan.
• Remember to use your tongs. Place the chicken onto the pre-heated baking sheet and return the baking sheet to the oven.
• Cook for around 6 minutes. A timer is never a bad idea. Flip each piece and return the baking sheet to the oven.
• Continue to cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170-175F. This somewhere between 4-8 minutes. Total cooking time depends on how big your chicken thigh pieces are. When you’ve hit your target internal temp remove the chicken from the oven and set the chicken aside.

Grilling (BBQ) method

• I really like a BBQ for chicken tikka. Truth be told I strongly prefer charcoal over gas. Set yourself up for a direct zone and an indirect zone.
• You can use skewers but if you can get one of those little wire screens they use for grilling at an Asian grocer or restaurant supply store they are super handy.
• Cook the chicken over the indirect zone until you get to an internal temp of about 160F then char the chicken up a bit over the direct zone. You may have to move it back to the indirect zone if it starts to char too much before it gets to the target internal temp.
• Remove the chicken when you get to 175F and set aside.

Make the kathi rolls

• Warm the parathas.
• Put a smear of sauce on the paratha. Top with chicken tikka. You may want to cut the pieces in half to make things easier to eat.
• Drizzle with a bit more sauce.
• Garnish with cilantro, thinly sliced shallots, green chilies or crispy fried onions. Garnish with what you like is what I’m saying here. Make these kathi rolls your own.
• Eat them as you would a taco. Tilt your head as you take a bite. And enjoy!

Notes

Kathi rolls - food truck style

Ingredients

Kathi roll sauce

• 3 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp mango pickle
• 1 tsp green chili pickle

Chicken tikka

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Look at the chicken pieces. Doesn’t always work out exactly.
• 2 tbsp tandoori masala - look for a low sodium brand or make your own (see notes).
• 1 tsp kasoor methi
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt - you may need more or less depending on how salty your tandoori masala is.
• 1/2 tsp naga pickle - optional but really tasty. Not as crazy as you might think but pretty spicy. Definitely not for those that don’t like heat.
• 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil - any neutral oil

kathi rolls

• 4 parathas
• the chicken tikka
• the kathi roll sauce
• garnish as you like. thinly sliced shallots, thinly sliced green chilies, cilantro, fried shallots. Have fun here…

Instructions

Make the sauce

• Chop the pickles as finely as you can. Mix the pickle with the mayo and the yoghurt. That’s it. Sometimes simple can be great.
• The quantites really depend on the brand of pickle you choose. If it’s a particularly salty pickle you may need to cut it with a bit more mayo/yoghurt. Or you may need to add a bit more pickle. Trust your instincts.
• If you want to use a squirt bottle make around 10 times as much and use a blender. Like a restaurant would. It’s good on burgers too. Especially lamb burgers. Mmmm… lamb burgers.

Make the chicken tikka

• Combine the tandoori masala, kasoori methi, salt and oil. Stir to combine. If you like a bit of spice a little naga pickle goes nicely in this mix.
• Mix your marinade with the chicken thighs. Really stir to get it each piece coated. Use tongs for this. And watch your clothes. This stuff stains. Badly. Unless you make your own tandoori masala of course.
• Marinate anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.

Oven method

• While the chicken marinates, preheat your oven to 400F. Pre-heat a sturdy baking pan.
• Remember to use your tongs. Place the chicken onto the pre-heated baking sheet and return the baking sheet to the oven.
• Cook for around 6 minutes. A timer is never a bad idea. Flip each piece and return the baking sheet to the oven.
• Continue to cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170-175F. This somewhere between 4-8 minutes. Total cooking time depends on how big your chicken thigh pieces are. When you’ve hit your target internal temp remove the chicken from the oven and set the chicken aside.

Grilling (BBQ) method

• I really like a BBQ for chicken tikka. Truth be told I strongly prefer charcoal over gas. Set yourself up for a direct zone and an indirect zone.
• You can use skewers but if you can get one of those little wire screens they use for grilling at an Asian grocer or restaurant supply store they are super handy.
• Cook the chicken over the indirect zone until you get to an internal temp of about 160F then char the chicken up a bit over the direct zone. You may have to move it back to the indirect zone if it starts to char too much before it gets to the target internal temp.
• Remove the chicken when you get to 175F and set aside.

Make the kathi rolls

• Warm the parathas.
• Put a smear of sauce on the paratha. Top with chicken tikka. You may want to cut the pieces in half to make things easier to eat.
• Drizzle with a bit more sauce.
• Garnish with cilantro, thinly sliced shallots, green chilies or crispy fried onions. Garnish with what you like is what I’m saying here. Make these kathi rolls your own.
• Eat them as you would a taco. Tilt your head as you take a bite. And enjoy!

Notes

Palak chicken curry is something you need to try. If you haven’t already. Spinach, chicken, and spice. Deceptively simple. Seriously delicious.

It’s not one of the big ones. But it’s a really good one. And a great way to sneak in a bit of greens.

Although this isn’t really a sneak. Spinach is what makes this dish great. It there. Balanced perfectly against the other big flavours. A bit of magic.

You have to taste it to understand. And you really do need to taste it. All the cool kids are eating palak chicken curry. Just ask them.

Palak chicken is spinach chicken curry

NO! You are saying NO. I can hear you. Everybody knows spinach curry is called saag. Or saagwala. It even says saagwala in the title.

I put saagwala in the title on purpose. So you’d find this. And hopefully read enough of this post to get to this point. Saag is greens in Hindi. Spinach is a green. But it’s not the only green.

Chard is a green. Mustards greens – well the name says it all. Kale is a green too. Not a great green though.

I don’t know the word for kale in Hindi. My guess is blech. Could be yuck. Hard to say.

Palak is the name of a specific green. Spinach. So palak chicken curry is spinach chicken curry.

Spinach chicken sounds terrible though. Who would order that? My guess is nobody.

Palak chicken is way better marketing. I’d totally order palak chicken curry. And I’d love it.

Maybe if they had a cool name for kale I’d order that too. But I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t love it.

This is the posh restaurant version of palak chicken

If you’ve been around glebekitchen you can probably skip this section. If you’re new read on.

This is fancy restaurant cooking. It’s not what you may be used to if you already cook restaurant style.

This isn’t the one size fits all base gravy approach. You don’t have to fry your gravy hard to get the taste. You don’t have to put up with the mess either.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with restaurant style . Not at all. I’m a fan. Look around. There are many, many restaurant style recipes here.

I cook them all the time. It’s fun. And it’s tasty. And it is just exactly what you’re getting at your local Indian restaurant I bet.

But if you want to cook like the best restaurants. Or like you ate in restaurants in India. Then hotel style is worth a hard look.

Hotel style is about deeper flavours

When I want to pull out all the stops. When I want to really impress. That’s when I go for hotel style. It’s about a few specialized gravies. The right tool for the job.

Think fine dining. You wouldn’t make a brown sauce for rack of lamb using béchamel. And you don’t make all your curries using the same base gravy. Not when you’re cooking hotel style anyway.

It’s a different approach. Hotel style is about deeply flavoured gravies. Restaurant style gravy is bland by design.

Hotel style goes the other way. Put as much of the right flavours in a gravy. And use that gravy where it fits.

You don’t shoe-horn the wrong gravy into a recipe. You use a different one. Or you use combinations. A little of this one. A little of that one. High-end cooking.

Put palak chicken in your curry rotation

Palak chicken curry or chicken saag may not be your go to curry. It may not even be one you’ve heard of. But it’s tasty stuff.

A little spicy. Earthy. Almost rustic. Lush at the same time. And deeply flavoured. That’s the magic of hotel style cooking.

When you need a break from madras or jalfrezi or whatever your favourite is remember this. Order it next time. Or better yet, make it yourself. You owe your tastebuds this one.

palak chicken curry – Indian hotel style

Ingredients

The spice mix

• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp kasoor methi – dried fenugreek leaves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp garam masala – garam masala is potent stuff. A little goes a long way.
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

palak chicken curry

• 4 tbsp neutral oil e.g. vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste – recipe link below
• 2 green chilies – (jwala chilies) seeded and finely chopped
• the spice mix from above
• 1 cup Indian hotel curry gravy – Recipe link in the notes. It’s meant to be thick. The juices from the chicken will thin it and you can adjust it to taste at the end.
• 3 tbsp cilantro leaves and stems – finely diced
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 4 pieces each
• 4 oz frozen spinach – the shredded stuff. Thawed and drained. See note below.
• 1/4 cup chicken stock – up to 1/4 cup as needed. Add enough to get the curry to the consistency you like.
• 1/6 lemon juiced

Instructions

Do your prep

• Measure out your spices. Prep your chicken. Measure out a cup (237 ml) of Indian hotel curry gravy.
• Thaw and drain your spinach. Chop your cilantro and green chilies. Be ready to go.

Make the palak chicken curry

• Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan over medium heat until the oil just starts to shimmer.
• Stir in the garlic ginger paste. Gently fry until the garlic ginger paste stops sputtering. This can get a little messy.
• Add the chopped green chilies. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
• Turn your heat down to medium low and add your spice mix. Cook for about 30 seconds. You want to fry your spices in the oil. Do not skimp on the oil. Bad things happen if the spices stick and burn. The oil (and temperature control) are your friends. Nothing worse than burned spices. Chuck it and start again if that happens. There’s no fixing it…
• Add the Indian hotel curry gravy. Stir it really well to get the oil to combine with the curry gravy. You want everything mixed together at this point. Bring to a simmer.
• Stir in the cilantro.
• Add the chicken thigh pieces in a single layer. Nestle them down into the sauce. Cover and cook about 5 minutes.
• Remove the lid, flip the chicken and replace the lid. Continue simmering until the chicken is done. You are shooting for an internal temperature of 160F. It will get to 170F as the curry finishes cooking. Don’t have an instant read thermometer? Not a bad idea to get one. Done is not subjective. It’s a measurement that you cannot do without a thermometer. You are guessing otherwise.
• Add the spinach and stir it to combine.
• At this point you have a decision to make. If the chicken threw a lot of liquid the sauce might be right. My guess is you’d like it a bit thinner. More like a restaurant sauce. Add a couple tablespoons of chicken stock. Check it again. If it’s still too thick, add a bit more stock. I’ve never added more than a 1/4 cup.
• Add the lemon juice, cover, and simmer for another two minutes.
• Palak chicken goes great with chapatis or rice. A nice tarka dal rounds the meal out nicely.

Notes

Nutrition