Kolkata Egg Roll

Kolkata Egg roll, or simply egg roll is a loved street food item in the city of Kolkata, India. It's a type of flatbread wrap with a layer of beaten egg and vegetables like onions, cucumber and green chilies. It is is commonly enjoyed as a quick and satisfying snack. Egg rolls are very popular during Durga Puja.

I can eat these egg rolls everyday, they are so delightful! My love affair with Calcutta Egg rolls started much before I married into a Bengali family.

Delhi is a culturally diverse city and during Durga Pujo you would find a lot of puja pandals sprouting up throughout the walled city. The evenings of navami were dedictaed to pandal hopping for us. There used to be a big pandal near our house and we used to walk there to attend the evening aarti and savor the delectable offerings from the food stalls.

Most of it is a fading memory because its been over a decade since I went to a pujo pandal but as I write this, I vividly remember the vibe, besides the aroma of egg rolls and the fried fish that filled the air.

About Kolkata Egg Roll

Kolkata egg rolls are immensely popular for their delicous taste and beautiful textures and flavors. Flaky flatbreads (similar to parathas, but made with all purpose flour) are rolled from a dough made of flour(maida) and then cooked on a heavy tawa(griddle).

Beaten eggs are then spread on the flatbread, thereafter the flatbread is flipped to cook the egg mixture and then flipped again to crisp the flatbread itself. Imagine it as a crispy flatbread with a thin layer of omelette.

Then, the rolls are stuffed with either a fresh filling made of vegetables like sliced onions, cucumber & cilantro, green chilies. Or stuffed with small pieces of grilled mutton or chicken. A dash of lemon juice is added to enhance the flavor of the filling along with sprinkle of roll masala (dry spice blend). I simply use chaat masala instead.

Instructions to Make Egg Rolls

Making these egg rolls is very simple. Probably the only time consuming part is making the paratha. However, if you don't want to do that, you can very easily take a shortcut and buy unleavened flatbreads from store.

Prepare the dough for paratha

1. In a large bowl, add all purpose flour, sugar, salt and oil. Mix with hands. When the flour can be held in a lump when you squeeze it between your palms, its ready for adding water. This is similar to how we add moyan in sweet or savory pastries prepared in north india.
2. Slowly add water and knead the dough well. It should be soft and pliable and not sticky at all. It took me little over ½ cup water to knead the dough.
3. Once the dough starts coming together into a ball, moisten your hands with some oil and knead for 2 minutes to form a smooth ball.
4. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, you can make the fresh salad (recipe below).

Prepare The Vegetables & Sauce

5. In a bowl, mix onions, cucumbers, cilantro, green chili with black salt and salt. Toss well and keep ready. Due to salt the vegetables will get slightly soft, but we want that texture.
6. In a small bowl, mix the ketchup and chili sauce (or sriracha). Mix and keep ready.

Make the Egg rolls 

7. Take one egg, crack it in a bowl, add salt and using a fork beat the egg lightly. 
8. Once rested, divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a round smooth ball. 
9. Roll each portion into a 6 to 7 inch diameter circular flatbread. Don't make very thin or very thick flatbreads. Thin parathas will not take the weight of egg and tear away, thick ones won't crisp and remain undercooked.
10. Heat a tawa or heavy pan on medium heat. Once hot, lower the flame. 
11. Place the rolled paratha on the tawa and lightly cook for a minute. Flip and cook for 30 seconds on the second side. Lift and place the paratha on a plate nearby. 
12. Now, add one tablespoon of oil and pour the egg mixture on oil. Let the egg semi cook for a minute. 
13. Place the semi cooked paratha on top of semi cooked egg and press down slightly. The paratha will stick to the egg. Let cook for another minute till the egg is completely cooked. Flip using a spatula and brown the paratha on the other side, you can crisp it as you like.

Stuff & Assemble The Egg Roll

14. Place the egg paratha on a plate and on the egg side, slather a little sauce, then add little salad that we made earlier.
15. Sprinkle the chaat masala and roll it up. You can wrap in parchment or secure with a tooth pick. Repeat for all the parathas. Serve egg rolls while still warm.

Recipe Tips

• Make the dough for the parathas ahead and always always rest it for atleast 30 minutes. You can make the parathas ahead, cook them ever so slightly, don't brown too much, cool them down and stash them one on top of other with a parchment/wax paper in between. Refrigerate for 2 days and freeze for up to two months. If you want to freeze, layer the parathas in a single layer on a plate or sheet and freeze for 3 hours.Once frozen, store them in a zip loc bag.
• One egg per roll is more than enough. If you will addd too much egg, it will remain raw while your paratha will become soggy. I like to individually crack and beat an egg for each roll while I make them.
• Salad :- The traditional salad is onions + cucumbers +green chillies + cilantro tossed with some black salt. However you can add tomato or green pepper as well, it tastes quite good, especially the peppers.
• Sauces :- The vendors have their own secret sauces. However, at my in-laws I saw them using ketchup mixed with red chili sauce (Ching's brand :)) and it tastes good. I sometimes add little sriracha as well.