Paneer Kathi Roll

Paneer kathi roll is chapatti roll filled with spicy paneer filling and green chutney. Kathi rolls are great for lunch boxes or picnics. The filling can be altered according to your choice of vegetables. Enjoy this easy and versatile recipe.

Ingredients:
For Kathi roll : Approx. 4 servings

For Spicy Paneer filling:
Indian cottage cheese (paneer)  - 1/2 lbs or 200 gms
Sweet onion – 1 cup thickly sliced
Green bell pepper - 1 cut in thick slices
Tomato ketchup – 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds (Jira) – 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

For Chapattis/ Rotis:
Whole wheat flour (atta) - 1 cup
Water – 3/4 cup
Salt to taste
Green Chutney – 1 cup

Method:

• For Filling: Cut paneer in long sticks and soak them in medium hot water for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, when it starts crackling add sliced onions. Stir fry on high heat for a couple of minutes. Add ginger, garlic paste and green bell pepper and stir fry for couple of more minutes. Add paneer.
• Finally add tomato ketchup, chaat masala, red chili powder and salt. Mix well and keep aside.
• For chapattis or rotis: In a bowl or food processor combine wheat flour and water and knead into soft dough. Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Roll out each portion into a thin chapatti or roti.
• Heat shallow pan or tawa and cook each chapatti lightly on both sides. Set aside.
• Apply green chutney on one side of the chapatti, put some filling in the center and roll up tightly.
• Warm these rolls on the tawa or pan just before you are ready to serve. Cut each roll diagonally and serve.

Serving suggestion:
Wrap these rolls in aluminum foil and enjoy these warm kathi rolls with hot and sweet mango chutney.

Note: Fresh tortillas can be used in place of chapatties/rotis.

Chaat Special: Sev puri dahi puri (SPDP)

Chaat is the common term used for mouth watering street food in India. It has many varieties as gol guppe or pani puri, sev puri, dahi puri, chole tikki, papdi chaat, bhel puri. All of them has common mint-cilantro (green chutney) and tamarind (sweet imli) chutney. If you have all the ingredients, these chaats can be prepared in jiffy. I always keep green chutney and tamarind chutney ready in my refrigerator so preparing chaat is very easy.

The recipe here is for Sev puri dahi puri also called as SPDP, in Pune, India. I'm using store bought pani puri shells. They are as good as home made ones; sometimes even better:). These shells are versatiel, can be used with pani to eat as golguppe/ pani puri  or can be prepared as sev puri dahi puri. The same recipe is also called sev batata puri beacuer the pani puri shells are filled with boiled potatoes. Enjoy this lip smacking snack.

Ingredients:
For Sev puri dahi puri: Approx. 4 servings

• Plain Golguppe (pani puri shells) – 24
• Fine namkee sev– 2 cups
• Potatoes boiled – 2
• Sweet onion – 1 finely chopped
• Fresh cilantro – 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Tamarind chutney – 3/4 cup

Link for Tamarind Chutney:
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/06/sweet-tamarind-chutney-imli-chutney.html

• Green chutney – 1/2 cup [OPTIONAL]

Link for Green Chutney:
http://shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/03/mint-cilantro-chutney-green-chutney.html

• Yogurt (dahi) -1 cup (add some salt and sugar)
• Chaat Masala – 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Boil and peel potatoes. In a bowl, mash these potatoes roughly and add chaat masala and salt. Mix and keep aside.
2. Finely cut sweet onions and fresh cilantro, keep aside.
3. Prepare tamarind chutney and green chutney as directed.  Keep aside.
4. In a bowl, take yogurt; add some sugar and salt. Mix well. Keep aside.
5. Now for final chaat assembly; first take puffed plain golguppe or Pani Puri and make a small hole in each of them. Fill each puri with boiled potatoes.
6. Keep 6 Pani Puris in each plate. Add a ladle full of smooth yogurt mix on these puris.
7. Now add a tsp tamarind chutney and green chutney on each puri.
8. Top it off with chopped onions and fine namkeen sev.
9. Finally garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, chaat masala, red chili powder and salt.

Enjoy this mouth watering chaat as soon as assembled, or it will get soggy.

Sweet Tamarind Chutney (Imli chutney)

Sweet Tamarind Chutney
Tamarind or Imli chutney is a must condiment for any chaat snack. It can be prepared in advance and can be stored for days.
Ingredients:

• Tamarind (Imli) – 2 cups without seeds
• Jaggery (Gur) – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Pitted dates (Pind khajoor) – 1 cup [OPTIONAL]
• Roasted cumin seeds – 2 tsp
• Red chili powder – 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
• Rock salt -  2 tsp
• Water – 2 cups

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add tamarind, dates and water.
2. Boil it first and let it simmer on medium low heat for 15 minutes. Check, all the dates and tamarind become pulp. Cool it a bit and sieve the pulp through a thin strainer.
3. Put the pulp back in the pan; add jaggery, sugar and all the spices. Cook on medium low heat till the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Dip a spoon in the sauce, if it coats the spoon evenly and is not too runny, tamarind chutney is ready.
5. It can be stored in an air tight container, in the refrigerator for a month.

Enjoy tangy and sweet tamarind chutney with your favorite snack or in any chaat.