Anyone who knows me knows I have a DEEP and abiding love of Indian food. I have it 2-4 times per week, I think about it, dream about it, and love to make it at home. One of my favorite things to do is to go out to an Indian restaurant for dinner, take home leftovers, and then eat them for breakfast. What can I say? I’m just an Indian Breakfast Dude. I realized this meant I should make my love for Indian breakfast more official, and thus, my Indian Breakfast Burrito was born
This recipe combines many of my favorite elements of Indian cuisine into one, big burrito, and was heavily inspired by paneer kathi rolls. Instead of the tortilla, I did a homemade roti, then in place of salsa, I have mint chutney, and finally I took regular hash browns and spiced them up with chaat masala! The chili paneer is the star of the show, of course, and is packed with flavor from red pepper, green chilis, and kashmiri chili powder. I couldn’t leave the scrambled eggs untouched, so they’re mixed with toasted cumin seeds, too. The final layers of flavor are thinly sliced red onion and fresh cilantro, and when I tell you this is INDESCRIBABLY GOOD, I mean it! I think I ate 3 by myself. This recipe is perfect for a slow Sunday morning, or if you’re me, any meal, any day of the year!
Note: this recipe yields 6 large roti, but the fillings will make 4 burritos. I included this margin of error in case you have a roti or two that tear, but if all 6 come out well, keep them in an airtight bag to eat within a couple of days, or in the freezer for a couple of months!
Indian Inspired Breakfast Burrito
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
For the Roti “Tortilla”
- 3 cups finely ground whole wheat flour plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ¼ cup ghee or butter, melted
For the Mint Chutney
- 1 ½ cups mint leaves
- 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 small Indian green chili
- ½ small yellow onion
- 1 lemon juiced (about ¼ cup)
- ½ inch ginger peeled
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ teaspoon cumin
For the Chaat Masala Hashbrowns
- 2 Russet potatoes washed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons chaat masala
For The Chili Paneer
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 red pepper cubed (about 2 cups)
- 2 small Indian green chilis chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 8 ounce packages paneer (about 2 cups cubed)
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
For the Cumin Scrambled Eggs
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 eggs well beaten
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For Assembly
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
Instructions
For the Roti “Tortilla”
- In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and oil with your hands until fully combined. Add 1 cup water and continue mixing until it forms a ball of dough. Knead dough for 3-4 minutes until smooth. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes. While resting, prepare the mint chutney.
- Once rested, divide the dough into 6 evenly sized pieces. Tuck all the corners of the dough into the middle and using a cupped hand, tightly roll each piece of dough into a smooth circle. Cover the dough balls with a towel and be sure to work with 1 piece at a time to prevent the dough from drying out.
- Place a dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. Pat ball into a flattened disc with your hands. Then, using a slender roller (preferably a roti rolling pin). Roll from the center out, turning the dough 45 degrees after each roll. Working from the center out, roll each ball into a 12 inch circle, periodically flipping the roti over while rolling.
- To cook, flip a 12 inch cast iron skillet upside down over a high heat for at least 5 minutes. Carefully place one piece of rolled out dough at a time on the skillet and cook for about 1 minute per side, until bubbles and some golden brown spots form. Flip carefully with a large fish spatula, to avoid tearing. Once cooked, transfer to a baking sheet, brush lightly with melted ghee (or butter), cover with a towel, then repeat with the rest of dough. Keep rotis covered while preparing the fillings.
For the Mint Chutney
- In a food processor, add mint, cilantro, green chili, onion, lemon juice, ginger, garlic and cumin. Once mostly blended together, slowly stream in about ¼ cup water until it becomes the consistency of pesto. Add more water if needed to thin out the chutney.Once ready, transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.
For the Chaat Masala Hashbrowns
- Using a box grater (or food processor with the grater blade attached), grate potatoes on the largest holes directly into a large bowl. Fill bowl with cold water and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Drain, then transfer potatoes to a large towel and squeeze out the remaining water.
- In a large skillet over high heat, add vegetable oil. Once hot, add potatoes and spread out into a thin layer, encompassing the whole pan. Season with salt and pepper, to your liking. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the bottom side is golden brown, then flip the potatoes (being sure to scrape up any browned bits) and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, flipping occasionally, until golden brown on all sides.Remove from heat and add chaat masala. Stir until fully combined and set aside while preparing the chili paneer.
For the Chili Paneer
- In a large skillet on high heat, add vegetable oil. Once hot, add red pepper and green chilies. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the edges of the vegetables are browned. Add paneer and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until paneer is golden brown. Then add chili powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander and stir to fully combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, remove from the heat and set aside while preparing the eggs.
For the Cumin Scrambled Eggs
- In a medium non-stick frying pan over low heat, add butter. Once melted, add cumin seeds and cook, stirring continuously, for 30-45 seconds or until the seeds are sizzling and fragrant. Add eggs and stir with a rubber spatula continuously for 3-4 minutes, or until the eggs are 90% set with just a bit of visible liquid. Remove immediately from heat and set aside.
For Assembly
- Place the roti onto your work surface. Spoon ¼ of the hash browns into the center of the roti, followed by ¼ of the chili paneer, then ¼ of the scrambled eggs, a few slices of red onion, a few cilantro leaves, and a drizzle of mint chutney. Pull the side closest to you over top of the fillings, then fold in the sides and tightly roll the burrito away from you. Serve immediately with additional chutney, if desired.
