Really awesome Kati Roll

Kati Roll, Park Street.

Street food in Kolkata has always been something of an adventure: as in this is really tasty, but maybe it will, quite literally be the death of me by cholera, gastro, or some other interesting disease. I bet Atilla the Hun, Genghis Khan, Alexander and other conquerors felt much the same as the looked over lands beyond their realm; so peaceful, so much wealth, it could all be mine; but then again, it could rip my empire apart. Anyway, did that ever deter them? Nope! And the prospect of dying a hideous death never deters the average Bong from pursuing happiness in the form of totally unnecessary plates of kabab and mutton rolls. In my limited experience, Kati Roll at the junction of Chounringhee and Park Street is the best place to go to in Kolkata for mutton rolls, chicken rolls, even, God forbid, vegetable rolls, in fact for rolls of any description. This place is truly awesome.

It is also so popular that we have to stand in a line for getting the roll of our choice. In fact, I should change that; we Bongs line up for pretty much everything and anything, from electing absolutely horrid governments into power for the eighth time, to pick up college admission forms, to submit the same, to catch an autorick home, to receive the ‘charanamrito’ after a pujo Apparently there was a rather famous incident near my house where a gang of petty thieves who used to snatch purses and chains from women had been apprehended. Well, the entire neighbourhood stood in line to slap the thieves before they were escorted away by the cops. But we do not line up at Kati Roll. There we see a free for all, where I got elbowed in the ribs by a perfectly respectable bloke with peppered gray hair, old enough to be my father. He just pushed me aside and grabbed his roll first. Bugger!!

The way they make the rolls is a treat to watch. You pay. You wait. The bloke inside is kneading the dough and making it into nice flat paratha sized circles. He tosses them as they are made to the bloke who is frying them. This bloke fries them ten or more at a time on a bloody huge tawa. Once they are fried, he takes them off and passes them to bloke number three. He now places them lined up so that about 40% of the surface area of each is exposed. He now proceeds to shovel pieces of chicken/mutton, salad, dressing and other stuff of indeterminate provenance on the exposed 40%. Now bloke number four joins him in layering this with garnishing salts and sauces. Then they roll the parathas with paper and hand them over. Then you eat and thank heavens that you are a Bong/an Honourable Bong. That is the magic of Kati Roll.