Rolls - Snack, Meal, All rolled in one!

As far as the story goes, which is pretty much common knowledge, Nizam’s at Hogg’s Street (near New Market) is credited to have come up with the idea of the Kathi Roll in the early ‘30s. If one were to deconstruct this marvellous food, it’s basically nothing but roasted skewered meat wrapped in a flaky paratha. But you cannot ever convince a Kolkatan that a roll is “nothing but…”

Iron rods that used to roast the meat were apparently replaced by bamboo skewers, which the Bengalis called ‘kathi’, meaning ‘stick’, and soon the roll became the Kathi Roll. By the mid 70s, Nizam’s no longer was the emperor of rolls (even though people continue to swear by their product); the snack had soon spread like wildfire, with local joints cooking up their versions. Ask any expert and you’ll be told that the trick is in the paratha – it has to be flaky, crisp but not over browned so that it holds the meat inside without breaking away. Cooked on a large tawa, each paratha is usually cooked twice – gently roasted first, and then fried in oil. And then there’s the speed involved in it – you can never eat a Kathi Roll cold.

NIZAM'S

Nizam’s was the pioneer in Kathi rolls. Kolkatans simply love this place when it comes to Kathi rolls.A visit to Kolkata and a visit to Nizam’s is kind of synonymous. The crisp paratha outside and the juicy filling inside is sure to tickle your taste buds. This legendary roll shop came into existence more than a century ago in 1900 and if the timestamp wasn’t enough to persuade you into devouring the special delicacy of Nizam’s, the fact that this place invented the kathi roll will. Although, the shop chose a new location in 1932, the rolls here are still said to have the same charm.

HOT KATHI ROLL

Hot Kathi roll is a famous joint in Park Street. Most of the time you can find people standing in a long queue patiently to have their desired Kathi roll. From mutton,chicken,paneer to specialized kebab rolls, you can have it all here. Hot kati roll, like Nizam’s, has been around Kolkata for a very long time, gracing the public with its ever so divine kathi rolls. One thing that distinguishes this roll centre is the fact that it doesn’t cheap out when it comes to the roll filling, meaning you get your money’s worth while enjoying delicious rolls.

KUSUM ROLLS

A legendary eatery located near the Park hotel in Park street.Their rolls are not only tasty and famous but also the right balance of sauce, chillies, onions, capsicum, and the special masala which is the real secret of the rolls made by the owners of this joint. Kusum rolls takes the cake and the award for serving the best rolls by the Times Now group. This small takeaway counter doesn’t exclude vegetarians from its repertoire as it also serves fully vegetarian rolls alongside classical non vegetarian ones.

CAMPARI

Campari, located at the centre of the shopping district of South Calcutta, is legendary. Campari is the one stop for all roll-lovers, burdened with their shopping bags. The Campari Special Chicken/Mutton Roll, Tandoori Fish Roll and the Egg Chicken Roll are the famous one.