[2] In its original form, it is a skewer-roasted kebab wrapped in a paratha bread, although over the years many variants have evolved all of which now go under the generic name of kati roll.

Internationally, specifically in parts of Canada and the United States, the kathi roll has become a popular fast food found in Indian take-out restaurants.

The kati roll is said to have started its life in the Nizam Restaurant in Kolkata, a popular Mughlai eatery founded in 1932 by one Raza Hassan Saheb.

[5] Some suggest that hurried office commuters wanted something quick and portable to eat; some mention British babus who were too fastidious to make kabab.

Nizam enjoyed a virtual monopoly over this method of serving kababs for decades, but it eventually became commonplace in Kolkata and later spread elsewhere.

When the roll is being prepared, these are taken off the skewers and tossed with onions, chillies and sauces on the tawa, before being laid in a thin strip on the centre of the paratha (egg side up, when applicable).

At this stage, most roll vendors will add various kinds of sauces, a dash of vinegar, a squeeze of lime, sometimes a shake of chaat masala and maybe some julienned carrots.