Paneer Avocado Kathi Rolls (Indian Cottage Cheese and Avocado Wraps)

Kathi rolls are a popular snack in most parts of India, but originally they were founded on the streets of Kolkata. Something that is closely associated to my childhood days…. a popular street food in CALCUTTA, it was an everyday roadside dish we relished when we spent our school vacations at this “City of Joy”. Adults, kids and elderly, everybody seems to love these rolls made out of heavenly concoctions of incredible ingredients. So many various forms of Kathi rolls are available in India, few popular ones being with chicken, Mutton, eggs and Paneer.

In today’s recipe we have used paneer and avocados. Traditionally avocados are never added to Kathi rolls at the stalls in India. So I must say this definitely is a welcome twist from the original recipe. But avocados add a unique freshness to these rolls and certainly add on to the flavors.

Paneer / cottage cheese is marinated with spices, yogurt and cooked along onions and bell peppers to form a savory filling for the wraps. The spicy paneer makes a great vegetarian filling for an Indian wrap. This however can be substituted with chicken, mutton or eggs for non-vegetarian lovers.

The rotis are prepared by mixing boiled mashed potatoes into the dough. That is a specialty of Calcutta Kathi Rolls. Because of the potatoes, the rotis remain soft for a very long time and it also enhances the taste and aroma.

When the husband-man is overseas, instead of doing something elaborate I prefer a quick, hassle-free yet filling lunch. To me, kathi rolls perfectly fit the bill. My daughter too enjoyed these, she discarded the veggies though and preferred just the rotis with avocado and paneer. 😉 I had these amazingly delicious kathi rolls and immediately got lovely memories from my childhood. Be it an outdoor shopping plan or guests at home, kathi rolls always glorified such occasions. My family assured feasting on kathi rolls becomes an essential part of our daily routine for the entire stay in Kolkata during the summer vacations. Where else could we get such awesome flavors!! Nowhere, except the “City of Joy”!!

Ingredients:

Wheatflour – 1/2 cup

Maida / all-purpose flour – 1/2 cup

Mashed boiled potatoes – 2

Paneer – 1/2 cup

Avocados – 1

Green bell pepper – 1 (Cut in juliennes)

Onions – 1 large (thinly sliced)

Yogurt – 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Ground cumin – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Kasoori methi / Crushed Dried fenugreek leaves – 1/2 tsp

Chaat masala – a pinch over the stuffing

Mint-coriander green chutney

Ketchup / Chilli sauce

Black pepper – 1/4 tsp

Green chillies – finely chopped

Salt – as per taste

Method:

Knead and make a soft dough out of wheat flour, plain flour, salt, oil and mashed boiled potatoes.

For the filling:

Marinade the paneer with yogurt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder and crushed dried fenugreek leaves. Let this marinate for at least 10 mins.

Heat very little oil in a pan. Add the thinly sliced onions and saute for a few mins.

Then add in the julienned bell peppers. Saute for a few mins.

Then add marinated paneer into the pan. Add salt, pepper and chopped green chillies. Mix well, cover and cook until all the moisture is absorbed and the mixture turns dry.

For the green chutney, grind some yogurt, coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, cumin seeds, asafoetida / hing, a small piece of ginger and some salt in a blender.

For the rotis:

Take a medium sized ball of the dough. Dust it with some flour. Roll it out to form a thin roti.

Heat the roti on a hot tava / pan until cooked on both the sides.

 

Now we need to assemble the rolls.

Take a roti. Place some of the paneer filling. Add a few pieces of avocado. Spoon the green chutney and chilli sauce on top. Sprinkle with some chat masala and lemon juice.

 

Carefully roll it up, making sure none of the filling comes out. If you are serving them later, roll them up with aluminium foils so they remain fresh for a longer time.

Cut up the rolls into halves and serve. Enjoy!!