Roasted Sweet Potato Kathi Roll
When I grew up in India, I used to skip swimming classes to eat Frankies made by Tibb’s. They’re also the first thing I order from the menu on my flights to India (it shows up often on the menu of Emirates and Etihad) and are called kathi rolls. There is some debate as to whether Tibb’s Frankies are the same as kathi rolls, I find them similar, but diehard fans might argue against this. What I think everyone can agree on is that they’re all tasty. Frankies are a trademarked name, so it’s rarely used outside the domain of Tibb’s.
- Yield: 4
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato, diced into 1 in/2.5 cm cubes
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt
For the Chutney
- 1 bunch cilantro, tender stems and leaves
- 1 green chilli such as jalapeno, serrano, or bird’s eye
- 2 in piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- ½ tsp whole cumin
- ½ tsp whole coriander
- ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- ½ cup cold water
- Fine sea salt
For the Roll
- 4 soft rotis (homemade or store-bought), parathas, or flour tortillas
- 4 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt
- 1 shallot or small red onion, minced
- 4 Tbsp chopped cilantro, tender stems and leaves
- 2 Tbsp chaat masala homemade or store-bought
Instructions
For the Sweet Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. Toss the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet with the olive oil, season with salt and roast in the oven for 30 minutes until tender and golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through during cooking. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
For the Chutney
Blend the cilantro, green chilli, ginger, cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, and lime juice. Add ¼ cup/60 ml water and blend until smooth. Keeping adding more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, as needed to help the ingredients come together. Taste and season with salt. This chutney can be made a day ahead of time, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
For the Roll
Prepare one kathi roll at a time. Lightly toast a roti on both sides directly over a gas flame or over dry skillet, until it develops light blisters. Keep aside.
Whisk one egg in a small bowl with a tiny pinch of salt. Fry the egg in a skillet with ½ Tbsp oil. Once the egg starts to set, about 1 minute, take the toasted roti and place it over the egg and gently press down to help them stick together. Once the egg is cooked, about 30 seconds, flip the roti over and transfer to a plate, egg side facing upwards. Place about ½ cup of the roasted sweet potato in the center of the egg roti, leave the ends, top and bottom empty. Top with the chopped shallot and cilantro. Sprinkle ½ Tbsp of the chaat masala and a generous teaspoon of the cilantro chutney. Fold the roti tightly from the sides like a burrito, 1 in to 2 in/2.5 cm to 5 cm inwards over the following, followed by the bottom, so that the roti completely encases the filling. The top should be left open. You can tie the roll with kitchen thread or with parchment paper to hold it together. Prepare the remaining rotis. Serve within 15 minutes of preparing with extra chutney on the side.
Notes
- For the rotis, you can use my soft roti recipe or a paratha, or even flour tortillas. What you shouldn’t use here is a naan. It’s too thick for this.
- If you plan to serve the rolls as an appetizer, cut them into pinwheels.
- This recipe yields 1 cup/240 ml of chutney. Serve some extra on the side, leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
6 Responses
Great recipe!
Just a quick clarification – the “kathi” in kathi roll refers to the kebabs made by roasting marinated meat or chicken pieces on a stick/skewer (kathi) which were originally used in the rolls. Also while having that layer of egg is great, it’s not mandatory in a kathi roll. Also, a kathi roll wrap is generally a crispy paratha (often a layered maida paratha).
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Just made these for dinner using flour tortillas. They were amazing. They would work for any meal of the day and will be going into regular rotation around here. So many thanks!
That makes me so happy! Thank you.
I personally loved this recipe. The sweet potatoes are fantastic. I made the chutney according to the recipe, but it came out a bit runny. I only put in a quarter cup of water. I may have goofed something up. The next time I make this, I think I’ll start with a 1/8 cup of water and add tablespoons if I need it. What I appreciate about Nik is that he’s a science guy and I am too. While he does a great job putting exact amounts down (which I love), I didn’t know how much a bunch of cilantro weighed. I googled it and a bunch is supposed to be 2.8 ounces. I grabbed our cilantro from our herb garden and began weighing it when my wife walked in. She rolled her eyes, said I was pathetic, and walked out. It drives her nuts that I’m like this and sometimes it drives me nuts too.
HAHA, a bunch of herbs is the most annoying thing to weigh but it does help to have sense of weight just in case the recipe needs to be scaled up.