Circa 1932
A sahib (a term used by the native inhabitants of colonial India when addressing or speaking of a European of some social or official status) is in queue outside the Nizam Restaurant in Calcutta’s Sir Stuart Hogg Market (present-day ‘New Market Area’ in Kolkata). Frequent glances at his watch suggest he is in a hurry to get a takeaway of his favourite mutton kebabs (minced meat that is cooked on skewers).
However, the flock of equally hungry patrons makes the wait a long one. When he finally does reach the counter, owner Raza Hassan Saheb wastes no time in shouting out orders to the restaurant workers.
The sahib waits as meat is ground; slathered in a bowl of spices and a melange of onions, garlic, ginger and herbs; formed into desired shapes and fitted on iron skewers before they are placed over an open flame. Juicy, succulent, delectable — the meats give off an enticing aroma as they cook to perfection. At the Nizam Restaurant, the making of kebabs is almost clockwork, owing to the burgeoning demand that the place sees from British officers who prize the snack for the amazing taste it delivers on a shoestring budget.
While the kebabs are ready, Raza suddenly has an idea. He looks around for a spare paratha (Indian flatbread) and puts the kebabs into it, serving the sahib his much-awaited snack.
History calls this moment the one where the kathi roll was born!
Innovation at its best
The fleeting inclusion (of wrapping the kebab in a paratha) was an ingenious one, and soon, it became a norm at Nizam’s. Raza was quick to note how the idea put a smile on the sahib’s face. From then on, Nizam’s decided to serve ‘that dish’ to everyone who came to eat kebabs at the restaurant. The fact that it became a no-mess affair for anyone who wanted to grab a quick snack ensured its longevity.
But now for the story of the dish’s name.
In addition to the hack of wrapping the kebab in a paratha, Nizam’s also decided to tweak its strategy a little. The iron skewers that were in use were proving heavy and tedious, and so, these were swapped with substitutes made out of bamboo also called kathi (the Bengali word for stick).
In time, the dish made it to the menu under the name ‘kathi roll’. And history smiled as it knew a cult favourite was born. In the years to come, the kathi roll’s definition expanded to include not just mutton kebabs but vegetarian options and egg-layered meats as well.
From a snack that was invented as a hasty binge-eat, the kathi roll became etched in people’s memories for cultural reasons. As an article in Money Control underscores the significance of the roll during Durga Puja, it explores how amidst the slew of vendors selling fish fry, kabiraji (fried fish fillets), chilli chicken, and phuchkas (fried puris that are filled with mashed potatoes, tamarind pulp, black chickpeas and flavoured with red chilli, cumin powder, black salt), there is bound to be a place selling kathi rolls with egg rolls being a crowd puller.
A side of nostalgia
The British Raj may have ended but the kathi roll remained a permanent fixture on people’s minds and plates.
Recalling his fond memories of the snack, television journalist, food critic, and author of ‘The Indian Pantry’ (2018), Vir Sanghvi writes in a blog, “I have many memories of eating at the original Nizam’s. A large tawa (pan) which I was assured was a hundred years old (the next time I went, they said 60 years old, so let’s just agree it was very old) was put on an open fire.”
“The cook had already rolled a maida paratha (Indian flatbread made of refined flour) on the tawa. Then, he broke an egg on the paratha and cooked it on both sides so that the result was part paratha and part omelette.”
He goes on, “I can never forget those days in 1986 when I would eat a Nizam’s roll for lunch every day. I had just come from Bombay, had no experience of rolls (a Frankie does not count, I’m afraid, despite the resemblances) and was blown away by the excellence of the Nizam’s version.”
The kathi roll has had many ardent fans throughout history and one of them is none other than Amitabh Bachchan. While promoting a film a few years ago, he was asked by a reporter about his fondest memories about Kolkata and he replied that the beauty of Nizam’s still persists from his earlier visits to the city. “The kathi kebabs were amazing,” he said.
Beyond Nizam’s
While the glory of the kathi roll lies in Nizam’s, there is a bucketload of places in the city that also serve their own take on this iconic snack. For instance, Chaccha Jaan on Chowbhagha Road, which makes a mean rumali roti kebab roll; Kareem’s; Kusum Rolls; Campari, which is famous for the fish tandoori roll; and Zeesha, whose brain egg roll is a treat to the senses.
But you’ll agree that the essence of the kathi roll is its versatility — a quality that has helped it reach global stages. The filling can be altered to suit local palates.
Proof lies in a MasterChef Australia Season 13 episode in 2021 where Indian-origin home chef Depinder Chhibber made kathi rolls, adding a twist to them by making the snack out of crayfish and deep lobster masala along with egg, pickled onions, mint, coriander chutney, fresh carrots, capsicum, and coriander leaves. She served the rolls with mint and coriander chutney and tomato kasundi (a traditional Bengali sauce).
As Chhiber pointed out, nostalgia backed her choice of dish.
“One of my favourites to make at home for the family with leftover meats, paneer and sometimes egg. This dish was invented by the Nizam’s restaurant many decades ago particularly using lamb kebab skewers. Today kathi rolls have been reinvented time and time again,” she had written on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the roll had its moment of fame in 2002 when businesswoman and Kolkata native Payal Saha started the Kati Roll Company with outlets in Manhattan and London; one of the first of its kind.
“To have the option of just picking up a roll and going about their work seemed like a very feasible idea for New Yorkers,” she said in an interview with The Better India. “It’s a food that’s also inexpensive but filling at the same time,” she adds. She had added that it was her love for the snack in her hometown that compelled her to start this endeavour. “It was always something that I relished, and I wanted to reproduce that very feeling in New York.”
Sources
Kolkata-style kathi roll: The origin story, competition, and present-day avatar by Kamalika Mukherjee, Published on 25 July 2022.
I have many memories of eating at the original Nizam’s by Vir Sanghvi.
MasterChef Australia: Indian chef cooks Kolkata kathi roll with a twist by Indian Express, Published on 9 June 2021.
Edited by Pranita Bhat.
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