Monday, October 27, 2014

Kolkata Egg Chicken Roll -- Quick-easy version


IBM's Watson is being consulted by chefs to suggest new and exciting recipes. It can help in situations where you have people with dietary restrictions or in case of food shortage. Given a set of ingredients and the person's dietary restrictions Watson apparently creates and suggests recipe, by analyzing the key flavor compounds in the ingredients.

I am very very piqued to send off an e-mail to Watson with an ingredient list that reads
1.Frozen Parathas preferably Malaysian Parathas
2.Eggs
3.Onion
4.Green Chillies
5.Chicken

And the dietary instructions would read "For people whose senses have been assaulted with such a wide range of tastes and flavor that it is hard to surprise them".

What recipe do you think Watson would suggest given these requirements ?

But we don't need to send him(or is it a her) an e-mail as we all know what this will churn up.

Of course the quick and easy version of Kolkata Style Egg Roll or Kolkata Style Egg Chicken Roll.


Even a decade back, I wouldn't think of using any other name for it other than the simple "Egg Roll" or "Egg Chicken Roll". But I add the "Kolkata Style" just to make sure that you do not confuse it with the Spring Rolls which have gained popularity as Egg Rolls in American Chinese cuisine.

Honestly, I wouldn't even call them Kati Rolls as that was not a common nomenclature in the era I grew up."Roll Khaabi?" or "Roll Khabo" was the common lingo. Now I hear that the rolls at Nizam's were called Kati Rolls as the kabab was made in bamboo skewers also called "kathi" in Bengali.

Egg Rolls and Egg-Chicken Rolls are the most popular of all street foods in Kolkata. In fact "phuchka"(golgappa) and "egg roll" were the only street food that I was allowed to eat as an angst-y teenager. "Phuchka" was more of a girly kind of a thing and though some of my friends survived on a diet of "phuchka" and "tak water"(sour tamarind water), I wasn't one of them. When it came to egg roll it was another story. I can give anything for the authentic egg roll.



Even now when I go back home, the first thing I reach out for after the jet lag period is the egg roll at the street corner. That upsets my now mollycoddled tummy, I take entroquinols and after the dosage is done, again reach out for the egg roll.

All egg rolls or egg chicken rolls are not created equal and so do not spoil your senses by chomping on a egg roll at a tom-dick-harry place. If in Kolkata go out with a connoisseur to the right place. Hot Kati on the corner of Park Street was my personal favorite. Their rolls were oh so good. My Baba used to get egg roll from a place near home (some branch of Rahmania) which was also great. D's town has its own favorite egg roll stall and they swear by it.Every para(neighborhood) has their own famous egg roll counter and also their very own famous phuchkawala and you need to know the locals for that information.


I have been away from the country for a long time and I hear there are many famous "roll er dokan" across the state. All over India, this is now famous as "Kati Roll". Even NYC boasts of its own Kati Roll Company. If you have a "Roll er dokan" near your house, I would suggest you head straight for it to get your fix.

But, a sad but exciting "but",if you do not have anything like that, then resort to the husband-man's brilliant invention of Egg Roll with Malaysian Paratha. It is easy, quick and super delicious. For Watson's clients with calorie restrictions, I would suggest usage of whole wheat chapati or tortilla. However, in those cases, do not call it a "Kolkata Style Egg Roll". Please.

First we will prep the chicken

Cut 1 lb of chicken breast or chicken tenderloin in bite size pieces.

Marinate the chicken in
1/4th cup of hung yogurt( Put regular yogurt on a strainer and strain the excess whey to give a creamy yogurt)
2 tsp of Garlic paste
1 tsp of Ginger paste
2 tsp of tandoori masala(I use Rajah brand)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp of homemade Garam Masala
 for at least an hour.
I usually do it overnight so that when it is dinner time next evening, I already have something in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to make the egg rolls, take out the chicken. Add 2 tsp of melted butter or regular cooking oil and mix together.

Now pre-heat oven to 350F.

Put the chicken pieces on an oven rack with a drip tray below it. The drip tray ensures to catch the drippings and thus prevents any oven mess.

Cook the chicken in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking make the egg roll

Pictorial instructions

Buy Malayasian Paratha. Well, I mean you must have already bought it so take it out from freezer. This is really IMPORTANT. The quality of the Paratha plays an important part in egg roll. If making your own paratha, make the dough with Maida(All Purpose Flour) and enough shortening so that the paratha is very soft and pliable, You can use tortilla, whole wheat roti or the regular parathas, but it WILL NOT taste the same. The Malaysian parathas are very soft and make perfect rolls

Heat a tawa or a griddle on the stove. Put the paratha and cook both sides. Remove and keep aside

Beat one egg + 1 tbsp whole milk + little salt + little pepper

Smear the tawa/griddle/frying pan with little oil and pour the egg. Spread it out in a circle.

Once the egg is a little cooked on the edges, put the cooked paratha on top

When the edges of the egg starts browning flip the paratha + egg.Give it a couple of seconds.

Remove and assemble the filing. The filling goes only on the egg side.The standard filing for a Kolkata egg roll is thinly sliced red onions, thinly chopped green chili and thinly sliced cucumber. Squirt a little lime juice on them and put the filling on the center. Add tomato ketchup in a thin squiggly line along the center. The ketchup is debatable but I do like it on mine.
Note: I usually chop the onion and green chilli and let them sit in a tsp of lime juice while the paratha is getting done.

For Egg-Chicken Roll

Make the egg roll as above.

Now heat very little oil in a frying pan. Add thin slices of onion to it. Also add the chicken which by now is done in the oven. Saute till onion is soft. Make sure chicken is cooked through. Squeeze some lime juice on the chicken.

Assemble the filling. On the egg side of the paratha, add the chicken, fried onions, some raw onions and green chilli. Add a dash of Ketchup and Chilli sauce.

Place the whole thing on wax paper or newspaper or foil and start rolling from one end. When the roll has been wrapped, tuck in the bottom end of the paper.

Enjoy.




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15 comments:

  1. I often make egg rolls with "basi" rooti....leftover rotis from the previous night...and they usually taste as good as 'kolkata egg roll'. Sandeepa your post rekindled my love for egg roll...i used to eat hot kati roll from park street every time I went there. I also loved the roll from Golpark Bedwin. And "fuchka" oh my god...to me it is the yummiest food on earth. I miss fuchka sooooo much.

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    Replies
    1. Leftover rooti diye ? I used to like basi rooti bhaja with aloo charchari

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  2. Ki shundor photo ta! It may sound strange but I love the paratha in the egg roll than the egg or any filling. The slightly crispy sides and soggy with ketchup and lime juice and egg and all the flavours ... aaah. :)

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  3. Hi Sandipa, With that list.. I would suggest Mutta Paratha or Kothu Paratha. Think of it as a scramble with parathas, chiken and eggs very liberally spiced.
    Enjoy your blog a lot.
    Tibik

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, I like Kothu Paratha too. Mostly in restaurants. Once I made at home with chapati. Never with paratha though

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  4. I use the uncooked breakfast tortillas from Costco. They are very close to the Kolkata parathas and not as unhealthy and thick as the Malaysian ones.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, should look out for them next. Thanks.

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  5. Hi

    I stay in India and I am happy to share that this month's famous magazine FEMINA has featured your blog with a very good write up . I am a regular reader and make these dishes from yr blog which is simple. All the Best for your future and blogging.

    Take cre
    Thanks Sunita

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  6. I have heard a lot about kathir olls, egg rolls and chicken rolls in the streets of Kolkata by my friend. I so so wanted to taste whenever he mentions about it but havent till now.

    The pics of egg chicken roll are inviting.. Can we make the chicken on a stove instead of the oven.

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  7. looks deliciousss... definitely gonna try it.. thanks for the recipe

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  8. Can these be prepared a day in advance and served the next day by just reheating in microwave, planning for 50 guests..

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  9. Plz change the method of recipe.. we grew up eating eggchicken roll in kolkata.. but never the way u taught how to make egg chicken roll. They never used curd and all.. make it simple or else visit kolkata once again

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you know how they make the chicken or rather what they marinate the chicken in ? I would love to update the recipe with your pointers.

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