Kauri is a kind of shell pasta that is typically added to a flavourful broth of meat and vegetables, most commonly in Darjeeling and Sikkim. I discovered it on a trip to Sikkim, where I was invited for a meal at a fellow chef’s home. I joined the members of his family in rolling the kauri and we later got together to indulge in a hearty meal of kauri dunked in a broth.

  • Serves

    4

  • Cook Time

    45m

Ingredients

For Kauri

  • 500 gm refined flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • Water as required

For The Broth

  • 1 l chicken stock
  • 200 gm chicken leg boneless, diced
  • 4 tbsp raw onion paste
  • 2 tbsp ginger paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp refined oil
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • ½ tbsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste

For Topping

  • 1 tsp chopped coriander
  • 1 tsp chopped onion
  • ½ tsp red chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp chilli oil
  • 4 lemon wedges

Preparation

For Kauri

  1. Combine all the ingredients together and knead into a soft dough. Let it rest for half an hour.
  2. Make small balls of about 2-3 gm each, flatten between the palms, and roll back to form a shell.
  3. Boil the shells in hot water until cooked through. Strain and keep aside. Use as required.

For Stock

  1. Marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Keep aside for half an hour.
  2. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the marinated chicken.
  3. Add the ginger, garlic, onion and tomato paste, and continue sautéing for some time.
  4. Stir in rest of the seasoning. Continue to sauté.
  5. Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for about half an hour.
  6. Adjust seasoning before taking off heat.

For Assembly

  1. In a bowl, assemble the kauri and the chicken, pour the piping hot stock over it.
  2. Add the toppings and serve hot.

Vijay Malhotra

Vijay Malhotra

Chef Vijay Malhotra recently took over as the cluster Executive Chef of ITC Sonar and ITC Royal Bengal in Kolkata. An alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, and ITC Hospitality Management Institute, Chef Malhotra has been associated with the ITC Hotels for more than 27 years, having worked both in India and abroad. In India, he has worked with several hotels, including ITC Windsor in Bengaluru; ITC Maurya, Delhi; and ITC Mughal, Agra. He specialises in Indian cuisine and his food philosophy emphasises the diversity of indigenous ingredients and regional cuisines.

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