New Kati + Frankie at Katirollco Now in LA!

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Los Angelenos can discover  whether they prefer a Frankie or a Kati – or both- with an order at Kati Roll Company (#katirollco).  The new company brings authentic, lively Indian Street food to LA with the Kati  and  Frankie in wrap and in bowl form. Add to this a line of side dishes and unusual fruit drinks. To order food online, please see: //katirollco.com.

On the Kati menu:  Chicken Tikka Kati Roll ($8.99);Fried Chicken ($8.99);Crispy Fish ($9.99); Paneer Makhani Kati Roll ($8.99); Tofu Makhani Kati Roll ($8.99).

Katiroll offers Frankies filled with Chicken Tikka Masala  ($10.99); Crispy Fish ($12.99); Paneer Tandoori ($8.99); Aloo Gobi ($8.99)

Bowl dishes include:  Saag Paneer Bowl, Channa Masala Bowl, and Dal Bowl (Yellow/Dal Tadka)at $8.99; Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl ($9.99) and a Salmon Bowl ($14.99).

Sides include Spicy Potato Fries ($3.99); Plain Roti ($2.49); Spinach Roti ($2.49; roasted Brussels Sprouts ($9.99); Cheese Naan ($4.99). 

All of the dishes go beautifully with refreshing fruit Lassis, a carefully prepared house-made blend of fruit, organic yogurt and milk. The most famous is Mango Lassi, here Alfonzo Mango. Also on the menu: blueberry, strawberry and mixed berry ($4.99) 

Street vendors in Mumbay and Calcutta thought up the concept when they didn’t have time to wash plates between customers. So they started serving their marinated and grilled kebabs wrapped in hand-held roti wraps – and, presto, no need for plates.

Everyone affectionately calls the “Kati (or Kathi)” that originated in Kolkata (Calcutta) the “roll” in Bengal. The word Kati in native Bengali roughly translates to “stick”, referring to how they were originally made on skewers.

Stuffing variations include assorted veggies, cheese, meat, paneer, soy.  The traditional Kati fillings include coriander and chutney, with egg, and chicken proteins.   A warm, lingering layer of flavor comes from the addition of a sparkling array of spices.  Plain roti or a parantha that has some lamination is used as a Kati roll wrap. 

The Frankie was created in Mumbai (Bombay) in the north and is unique to this area.  A Frankie is an Indian wrap best described as a “Mumbai Burrito” with no rice or beans. The standard Mumbai version wrap is roti.   Stuffed with a veggies, cottage cheese cutlet, it is seasoned with a combination of tangy sauces, then  rolled into an omelette-like layer on the inside.    Frankies are also distinguished by  the practice of egg washing the casing of the wrap.   

In American versions of the Frankie, naan baked in a tandoor oven is used, whether traditional nan or the roti with darker wheat. Naans are slightly puffy with a crackling thin, crisp crust spotted with bits of smoky char that breaks open to reveal airy, stretchy, slightly chewy bread underneath.

Each dish is carefully sourced for ingredients, prepared and wrapped. The food is prepared at in the kitchens of Kapoor just northwest of DTLA, popular and well-respected for two generations in the city. Indian restaurants run by Indian families in recent decades, in Canada and the United States, have propelled the Frankie and Kati into a “favorite” ranking in take-out restaurants.

Pick up a Kati and a Frankie at Kapoor’s Akbar Indian Restaurant, 701 W. Cesar E Chavez Ave., Suite 107, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 372-5590.