Kolkata Kathi Roll (Egg Paratha Roll with Chicken Tikka)
کولکتہ کاٹھی رول (انڈے والے پراٹھے میں چکن تکہ)
The kathi roll was born in Kolkata in the 1930s at Nizam's restaurant, so the story goes, when office workers wanted to eat kebabs without getting their hands greasy. The cooks wrapped the skewered meat in paratha, and the roll was born. The Kolkata style is distinctive: an egg is broken onto the paratha as it cooks, so the bread has a thin omelette layer, then it's filled with tikka, raw onion, green chilli, lemon and chaat masala. Pakistani readers will find it a close cousin of the chicken paratha roll.
- ⏱ Total: 55 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the chicken with the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, garam masala, half the lemon juice and the salt. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Knead the maida with 1 tbsp ghee, a pinch of salt and water into a soft dough. Rest for 20 minutes and divide into 4 balls.
Cook the chicken in the oil over high heat for 8–10 minutes until cooked through and lightly charred at the edges.
Roll a ball into a thin 20 cm round. Cook on a medium tawa with a little ghee for 1 minute per side. Crack an egg into a bowl, beat it with a pinch of salt and pour it onto the tawa; immediately press the paratha on top. Cook 1 minute, then flip so the egg side is up.
Lay a line of chicken down the middle, top with onion, green chilli, chaat masala, a squeeze of lemon and sauce if you like. Roll up tightly, wrap the bottom in paper and serve hot.
Kitchen notes
Shop-bought frozen parathas work very well and make this a 20-minute meal.
For a vegetarian roll, use paneer tikka or spiced potatoes.
Soaking the sliced onion in iced water for 10 minutes makes it crisp and milder.
Born on Park Street
Kolkata’s food scene owes a lot to its Mughlai restaurants, and the kathi roll is their most famous street creation. The original rolls used kebabs cooked on bamboo sticks (kathi), rolled in paratha for easy eating. Today kathi roll shops are everywhere in Kolkata and have spread across India and abroad.
The egg paratha
The Kolkata technique is to pour beaten egg onto the tawa and press the half-cooked paratha on top, so the egg sets into a thin layer bonded to the bread. It adds richness and makes the roll sturdier.
Simple fillings
Kolkata rolls are not overloaded with sauces. The classic filling is just spiced meat, raw onion, green chilli, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of chaat masala. Ketchup and chilli sauce are optional modern extras.
Serving
Wrap the bottom half in paper and eat on the move, with a cold nimbu soda or masala chai. For a Pakistani take, see our chicken paratha roll.
Questions people ask
Why is it called kathi roll?
Kathi means stick in Bengali, after the bamboo skewers the kebabs were originally cooked on.
Is the egg layer necessary?
It's the Kolkata signature, but you can skip it for a plain paratha roll.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 560
- Protein
- 33 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
