Paneer Kathi Roll

About this recipe

Long batons of paneer charred hard in a screaming-hot pan develop a golden crust while staying creamy inside—that textural contrast is half the street food charm, and it happens in two minutes flat. The paneer is marinated in tandoori-spiced yoghurt first, so it carries flavour into the char, then rolled into a soft paratha with sliced onion, capsicum, and mint-coriander chutney. The char is the whole technique; the rest is assembly and the right amount of squeeze from a lemon wedge. The hero is the yoghurt marinade seasoned with tandoori masala, Kashmiri chilli, and ginger-garlic paste—it clings to the paneer and caramelizes in the char, building depth that plain paneer would never reach. The chaat masala dusted on just before rolling brings sharp, tongue-tingling notes from amchur and black salt. The whole thing comes together in thirty minutes with pantry ingredients, making this a weeknight dinner that tastes like you've spent hours on it. The key technique is the marinade rest—just twenty minutes is enough for flavour to penetrate, but longer is fine. The grill pan must be hot enough that the paneer sizzles on contact and chars in ninety seconds per side; too cool and it sweats instead of crisps. Roll tight enough that it holds when you slice diagonally, and wrap the bottom in parchment so your hands don't get messy. One-pot, street-food authentic, high-protein. Serve immediately while the bread is still warm and the paneer still has some give. This rolls up into a portable lunch, works for weeknight dinner, and leftovers don't dry out if wrapped well. It's the North Indian street food that's travelled globally and tastes just as good at home.