Chicken Kati Roll (Chicken Frankie)

 

A Kati Roll is a style of Indian Kebab that originated in Kolkata, the original version of the Kati roll was said to be an enclosed parcel, very similar to a stuffed paratha bread. There are various versions of a Kati roll, curried chicken, paneer, vegetables, regardless of the filling they all have one thing in common, that is that they are all flippin' amazing.

 

Bizarrely I did not try this in Kolkata but in Fort Cochin Kerala, this is by no means Keralan food at all but I was advised by a chef friend that I visit a particular restaurant called Dal Roti. I had spent a long time in Varkarla, Kerala eating fabulous coconut based fish curries and to be quite honest that suited me, I had met a local chef who told me about this particular restaurant, he had explained that the owner was his mentor and had taught him to cook, I was told that if I like good food this would be a pilgrimage for me, but the food is north Indian. The restaurant itself is down a dusty lane which feels in the middle of no where, the restaurant much like most of the best restaurants that I have visited looked rough around the edges, and when we arrived we were told to leave and come back in an hour as it was ramadan, none of this put me off because I was desperate to see what all the fuss was about, that was possibly one of the best decisions that I have ever made, not only was it the best indian food I have ever tasted but it has made such an impact on how I cook Indian food that I will forever try to match the quality of food I tasted that day. 

 

For those of you who read regularly you will know that obviously I cook a lot, I blog about recipes that I feel that I could honestly share so that people who would cook it will love it, but the Kati roll is in a league of its own, it is the best recipe that I have written, now you know i'm serious when I say that! Paratha bread with fried egg on one side, then stuffed with curried chicken, green chutney and red onions, perfection.

 I cooked a huge batch of kati rolls for some friends for dinner and have since been hounded for the recipe, so here it is guys, ENJOY!

For the Paratha:

You will need:

1 cup of white bread flour

1/2 cup of chapatti flour

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

a pinch of salt

100ml water

Blend all of all of the above ingredients together and knead for ten minutes until you have a soft pliable dough. Place to one side.

For the green chutney:

1/2 cup of mint

1/2 cup of coriander

4 green chillies (seeds and all)

1 tbsp of caster sugar

3 tsp of maldon seasalt, if you are using table salt  reduce the amount

1 cup of white onion

6 tsp of lemon juice

3 tsp of water

Blend all the above items in a food processor until very fine.

For the chicken filling:

500g of boneless and skinless chicken thighs, diced.

1 pureed red onion

2 tbsp of oil

2 medium diced tomatoes

1 tbsp of garlic and ginger paste (from a jar)

1/2 tsp of chilli powder or cayenne 

1/2 tsp of black pepper powder (use Indian pepper powder only it is totally different)

a pinch of cumin powder

1 tsp of chaat masala seasoning

30ml of lemon juice

2 tsp of maldon salt

a pinch of chat masala to finish

Firstly puree the onion by blending it in a food processor until fine, you can add a little water to help it blend. Place a large frying pan on a high heat and fry the onion puree in the oil until golden brown, add the garlic and ginger paste, chilli powder, chat masala, pepper powder and cumin, fry for five minutes then add the tomatoes, cook the tomatoes until they have completely broken down, this should take 5-10 minutes, you can help the tomatoes by pressing them down with the back of a  wooden spoon. 

 Add the chicken and salt and cook the chicken on a low heat for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is super soft (chicken thighs do not dry out). Finish the chicken with the lemon juice and an extra pinch of chaat masala, place to one side.

(other things you will need)

Whisk up 3 eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper powder.

1 sliced red onion

To assemble the Kati roll split your dough into four and roll each ball out on a floured work surface until they are super thin roughly 30cm in diameter. Place a very large frying pan on the heat and add a tbsp of oil, place the paratha into the pan and whilst one side is cooking pour a quarter of the omelette mixture onto the other side of the paratha bread and spread out the egg, allow it to cook for a minute or until bubbles begin to appear in the bread, flip over and allow the egg to cook until the bread puffs up, remove from the pan.

 To assemble the roll place the fried paratha bread egg side up and place a quarter of the chicken onto the eggy bread, then a few teaspoons of the green chutney and sliced red onion, wrap the roll like a tortilla and wrap it in foil, serve immediately.

Meen Pollichathu (fish wrapped in banana leaf)

I have made no secret of my love for Indian food, it's an obsession that is ever growing. Indian food in England is not a true representation of the real food that is available in India itself, the variety of food available due to seasonal diversity throughout the country is staggering. One of the most amazing places that I have ever been to and will always have a place in my heart is Varkala in Kerala, a cliff top hippy hide away, populated by keralans, tiebtans and of course back packers. It's a hard life watching the sun rise in a stunning location, yoga in the mornings, ayurverdic massage for lunch followed by a dip in the stunning coconut fringed sea but hey someone has to do it. The absolute highlight of my day, and the highlight of my trip in India was always when night fell, the fishermen would bring in their daily catch and it would be displayed on a table in front of each restaurant, you have to get there early for the best and freshest fish. One particular dish that I found myself eating repeatedly was Meen Pollichathu, which is a spiced fish wrapped in a banana leaf, when the fish cooks the juices and the spices combine to make a delicious sauce inside the parcel. I suspect that when I had this dish, it was usually made with shark, tilapia or tuna but I think it can work with most fish, especially white fish. Insanely easy to make with maximum flavour results.

You will need (for the fish marinade):

500g of haddock fillet
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of indian pepper powder (trust me it's totally different)
4 tsp of garlic and ginger paste
1 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tsp of maldon sea salt
2 tsp of kashmiri chilli powder

Firstly place the sea salt into a pestle and mortar with the garlic and ginger and pound until it is a paste. Add the lemon juice and spices and then spread this all over the fish, allow this to marinate for at least an hour.

Mean while make the curry sauce.

You will need:
150g of chopped indian onions (or use shallots)
2 tsp of grated ginger
3 chopped green chillies
15 curry leaves
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 cup of thick coconut milk
1 tsp of maldon sea salt
2 tbsp of coconut oil
3 tsp of jaggery (indian sugar)

Firstly fry the onions in the coconut oil until the onions start to turn golden brown, add the curry leaves, chilli powder and turmeric, fry this for a further five minutes, then add the ginger and chillies, fry for five more minutes, then add the coconut milk, salt and sugar, cook the sauce until it starts to split, this is when then oil returns to the dish and is usually an indicator in Indian cooking that it is done, this should only take 5 to ten minutes on a high heat. 

 Mean while take two large banana leaves and soften them over the gas flame until they turn a vivid green and become soft to handle, this way they will not break when you wrap the fish.

In a frying pan fry the fish on either side for a couple of minutes in coconut oil, it does not need to be cooked through. Place one banana leaf horizontally and place another on top vertically so that it looks like a cross, place half of the curry sauce in the centre of the banana leaf cross and then add the fish on top of the sauce and then the remaining half of the sauce on top of the fish, wrap the fish up in the leaves and then secure the parcel with cocktail sticks. 

Cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees c.
Heavenly with fluffy pilau rice and an indian salad.

South Indian Coconut Chutney

There is no better Chutney for Samosas, Dosas or Vada (lentil patties) than South Indian coconut chutney. If you love Indian food this is an absolute must to make. At one stage in Kerala I think I was eating more chutney than curry because I became that obsessed with it. There are many variations of coconut chutney, but this is the one that I love, spicy, sour, sweet, creamy and earthy with roast chana dal. Heavenly!

You will need:
(to grind)


50g of roasted chickpeas
2 green chillies
1 1/2 tsp of maldon sea salt
75g of freshly grated coconut
7 tbsp of natural yogurt
1 tsp of sugar

(for the tempering)

1 tbsp of coconut oil
1/2 tsp of asafoetida
1/2 tsp of mustard seed
10 curry leaves
2 dries red chillies split in half

Firstly soak the roasted chickpeas for about an hour and then drain. Combine the chickpeas, coconut, green chillies, sea salt, yogurt and sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth. meanwhile in a sauce pan heat the coconut oil and then add the black mustard seed, curry leaves, asafoetida, and red chillies and cook then together until the mustard seeds pop and the curry leaves begin to infuse the air with their aroma, take it off the heat and then decant the coconut mixture from the processor and combine the tempered oil and yogurt mixture. 

Parippu vada (lentil Patties)

 Train journeys throughout India are not for the faint hearted, if you are expecting air conditioned plush carriages you will be sadly dissapointed. I know that british trains are very comfortable and clean but in all honesty I would prefer to be on an Indian train any day of the week, yes they are hot, smoggy, terribly dirty, and a western face usually attracts a crowd of deep brown eyes to become fixated on you, but the food is possibly some of the best indian food I have ever tasted, whats more is that it costs pence.

 On British trains you are lucky if you get a half filled undercooked bacon sandwich, so to get a full meal and snacks, and an amazing tasting meal at that on an Indian train was over whelming. I travelled from Goa to Cochin in Kerala and feeling particularly peckish I bought some snacks, I was given a newspaper parcel which costed 10p, when I opened the parcel I saw what looked like six large fritters, I had never seen them before or heard of them but I will never forget the taste as long as I live, lightly spiced lentil patties with a crisp sandy crumb and smooth fragrant interior. If this is the quality of food you can get on an Indian train that quite frankly didn't even have toilet paper, then why cant British trains pull their fingers out and get some decent food onboard? This is the perfect picnic snack, and tastes far more complicated than it actually is to make. I urge you to try it. Serve with my coconut chutney

You will need:

100g split chana dal
1 finely diced red onion
3 chopped green chillies (birds eye will be perfect)
1 1/2 tbsp of finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp of asafetida
1 1/4 tsp of maldon sea salt
10 finely chopped fresh curry leaves (don't even think about using dried)
1/2 tsp of fennel seed
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Soak the dal in cold water for at least 2 hours. Drain the soaked dal onto kitchen paper and dry it as much as possible. Place the Dal in a food processor and blend until it is a course paste, not a smooth paste. Remove the blended dal from the processor and decant it into a bowl, add all of the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form the dough into five patties or ten small patties and then deep fry until golden brown. Drain onto kitchen paper and serve immediately.

Keralan Fish Moilee

 I can almost taste this curry as I am writing about it, I can smell the hot Keralan Air that I smelt the night I tasted Moilee. Prior to my taste sensation I had signed myself up rather foolishly to cruise along the Keralan backwaters in a "Luxury Yacht" which turned out to be an evening of hell, but thats another tale..When the bamboo dingy complete with drunken captain finally docked I could not wait to get the heck out of there and make my way to varkarla, a hippy hide away where the entire community exist on the cliff edge right next to a stunning beach abundant with the most sublime seafood, each night the days catch would be laid out to entice customers into their restaurants.

I ended up becoming great friends with some of the locals, one of which was a young chef who was half Moroccan half indian but had a huge passion for Italian food, he was possibly Jamie Oliver's biggest fan, I have to say that he was extremely talented, he cooked for me on two occasions, the deal was that I would try his Italian food (reluctantly as I all I wanted to eat was authentic Indian food) and he would cook me an authentic Keralan dish, He actually made amazing italian food but his Keralan food was astonishing, I didn't know what I would be having at the time but I will never forget Fish Moilee, it encompasses everything that is regional to Kerala, fresh coconut and amazing fish, what's not to love?

You will need:

8 green birds eye chillies sliced in half

1 1/2 tsp of mustard seed

2 tbsp of coconut oil

1/2 sliced red onion

30 curry leaves

2 inch stick of cassia bark

4 cloves

1 tsp of fennel seed

8 cardamon pods

50g of garlic pounded in a pestle and mortar

50g of ginger pounded in a pestle and mortar

1 tsp of cumin powder

1 tsp of turmeric

50ml of water

100g of chopped fresh tomatoes

350ml of coconut milk

2 tbsp of sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of maldon salt

250g of white firm fish cut into inch thick cubes

50g of toasted cashew nuts

the juice of a quarter of a lemon

small handful of coriander

1 tsp of white vinegar

Start by melting the coconut oil and frying the onions, mustard seed, fennel seed, cassia bark, cardamon pods and curry leaves for five minutes until they pop, add the cumin powder,turmeric and the garlic and ginger pastes and sliced green chillies, fry for a couple of minutes before adding the water and chopped tomatoes. Pour in the coconut milk and add the sugar, salt, vinegar, lemon juice and then add the fish, cook on a low heat for 5 minutes and the garnish with coriander and the toasted cashews and serve with rice.

Mumbai Aloo

 I have always loved Indian food ever since a school friend of mine invited me to her house for dinner when I was seven, her family were Hindu, and strictly vegetarian. Most children of that age are usually fussy with most foods especially vegetables but not me, tasting true Indian home cooked food for the first time sparked a long love affair with the cuisine, one that I will never want to end. I have always been a meat eater, but if I had to give up meat for good I could do so, as long as I could live on authentic Indian food. I think that Indians are true spice magicians, the complex task of spicing a dish correctly can only be classed as a science, one that I have great admiration for and one that will forever entice me to experiment myself. 
 In 2007 I backpacked through out India, a place that I had always longed to visit, for the culture, diversity but mainly for the food. When you travel, certain places are branded in your mind, experiences such as the people you meet, the music you hear or the food you taste can have such a lasting impression on you that you will forever yearn to go back, Mumbai was that place. It was dirty, smoggy, overcrowded, intense and I loved every second of it. I originally wanted to visit Mumbai because I became captivated with a novel I had read whilst travelling from Delhi to Kerala called Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, it tells the story of his escape from prison to Mumbai to start a new life, one particular place that is mentioned in his book is the Leopold cafe, one that has become popular with backpackers since because of his book. After my pilgrimage to the Leopold cafe I found a little underground restaurant, one that accommodated the money, or lack there of that I had. I ordered a simple Aloo curry with a chapati, something so simple but yet so delicious, I have never forgotten that curry served with whole raw red onions as a side, nothing could have made that meal any better. I know that in the UK we have an extremely mediocre version called Bombay Potatoes, which I feel are a total injustice to what the dish is about, so I have spent many years perfecting the dish that I tasted in Colaba Mumbai.

You will need:
700g of peeled and halved if they are large new potatoes (they hold their shape well)
75g of ghee (an indian clarified butter)
300g of white grated onion
30 curry leaves
1 teaspoon of onion seed

3 whole green birdseye chillies 
2 large green chillies
1 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
2 tsp of cumin powder
1/2 tsp of cumin seed
1/2 garam masala
1/2 tsp of asafoetida
5 cloves
5 green cardamon pods
75g of garlic
75g of ginger

2 tbsp of salt
2 tbsp of sugar
1 1/2 tsp of mango powder
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
400ml of water of vegetable stock
250g of natural yogurt
25g of chopped fresh coriander 

In a large cast iron pan or sauce pan melt the ghee and add the onion seed and curry leaves, when the seed begin to pop add the grated onion and cook for 15-20 minutes until the onions are browned and caramelised. Meanwhile in a pestle and mortar crush the garlic,large green chillies and ginger with the sugar and salt until you have a paste. Add the spices to the onions when the onions are browned, that is chilli powder, asafoetida, cumin powder, cumin seed, garam masala, turmeric, mango powder, cloves and cardamon pods, cook the spices until it has mixed with the onions to create a paste, add the paste from the pestle and mortar to the saucepan and cook for five minutes until the rawness has been cooked out of the garlic. Add the peeled and halved potatoes, tinned tomatoes and stock, add the whole birds eye chillies for flavour, and allow to cook with the lid off until the sauce is thick and reduced and the potatoes are knife point tender, this should take 25-30 mins depending on the size of the potatoes. To finished stir through the natural yogurt and fresh coriander, it may need a little more seasoning to finish. Serve with a fried egg and an indian salad.