Indulge In Flavours Of Peshawari Street Food: How To Make Delicious Katlama

It’s Sunday again, meaning, it’s time to get set with your culinary arsenal to create something new in your kitchen. If you are a foodie like us, then cooking is therapeutic for you too. The satisfaction of seeing a perfectly prepared dish is hard to describe. Hence, we are in constant search for unique recipes that we can try our hands on. This weekend, we will take you through the streets of Lahore and introduce a popular street food named Katlama. To put it simply, katlama is a deep-fried paratha, with a spicy besan coating on the top.

Where Is Katlama From?

Katlama, traditionally referred to as Qatlma, is a deep-fried paratha that finds its origin in a Peshawari kitchen. For the unversed, Peshawar is a province in Pakistan, known for its rich culinary heritage. If you delve in deep, you would find the food here has diversified flavours that are known to have evolved over the years under myriad influences.
What seems fascinating is, you would find a Mughlai influence in the foods of Peshawar region, striking a chord with us with some prominent flavours and aroma. In fact, you can find quite similarities between the food culture of Purani Dilli and Peshawar, in terms of usage of spices and other ingredients.
Also Read: 5 Of The Most Rich And Robust Lahori Recipes That You Must Try

Peshawari-Style Fried Paratha Recipe: How To Make Katlama:  

If you have explored parathe wali gali, then you know the taste of fried parathas already. Much like those Old Delhi-style parathas, here, you need to prepare a dough, spread a spicy besan batter on the top and deep fry. Some people also add sprouted moong dal for an added layer of texture and crunch. But to start with, we thought of keeping it simple.
To make katlama, you need to first knead a soft dough with maida, salt, oil and water. Some people replace oil with butter and add some milk for added softness. While you let the dough rest, prepare a masala paste with besan, ginger, garlic, chilli, cumin powder and various other spices. You can customise the masalas as per your palate.
Also Read: Lahori Chicken Hareesa: A Delectable Chicken Kebab Curry From Lahori Cuisine (Recipe Inside)
Now, cut a roundel from the dough, roll it flat, spread the paste on the top and deep fry until it turns golden in colour. Some people, prepare a lachha paratha with dough and add the stuffing at the centre. Click here for the recipe.
Katlama is usually served with tomato chutney or pickle. We tried it with garlic achar and loved the combination totally. If you want to try it too, click here for the garlic achar recipe. 

Prepare Peshawari Kalama this weekend and treat your family and friends with something unique and delicious. Happy Weekend, everyone! 

About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.