BOMBAY FRANKIE

Bombay Frankie image

Parathas are a layered flatbread ubiquitous in South Asian cooking, made of whole wheat flour. We always made them from scratch when I was little, and there would usually be a small stack leftover the next day. If you don't happen to have some leftover fresh parathas (ha!), you can find them in the frozen section at Indian grocery stores (I love laccha parathas because they're especially layered and luscious). And if that isn't an option, whole wheat tortillas work, although they aren't layered in the same way.

Provided by Aarti Sequeira

Time 1h10m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 22

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste, recipe follows
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3/4 teaspoon garam masala, such as Burlap and Barrel garam masala by Floyd Cardoz
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Big pinch of dried fenugreek leaves, ground up between your palms
2 teaspoons lime juice (about half a juicy lime)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless skinless thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Avocado oil, or other neutral, high smoke point oil
1 large fennel bulb, shaved finely on a mandoline on the thinnest setting, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fronds
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Big handful cilantro leaves and soft stems, minced
Chaat masala, optional
6 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 frozen parathas (see Cook's Note)
3/4 cup peeled garlic
3/4 cup peeled, roughly chopped ginger
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

Steps:

Place the rack as close to broiler element as possible and preheat a pizza oven or standard oven to 475 degrees F.
For the chicken: Stir together the ginger-garlic paste, paprika, garam masala, turmeric, dried fenugreek leaves, lime juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and, using your hands (I use a glove!), massage well into the chicken. Drizzle with enough oil to gently coat the chicken and massage again. Make sure the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. At this point, you could refrigerate the chicken overnight to marinate. If you don't have time for that, let it sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Place the chicken in a 14-inch cast-iron pan and slide into the oven under the broiler, if using a regular oven. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 155 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Turn the broiler on and cook until the top of the chicken is gently charred, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes in the pan, then slice thinly. Set aside in a bowl, pour the pan juice over it and keep warm.
For the salad: Add the fennel, fennel fronds, onions, lime juice and a hefty pinch of salt and toss to combine. Set aside to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the cilantro and a sprinkle of chaat masala if desired. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
For the eggs: Set a medium nonstick pan over medium heat. Beat the eggs well, with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside. Pull the paratha right out of the freezer and flop onto the pan. Cook on one side until gently browned, then flip and cook on the other side to the same level. Remove from the pan. Now pour about an egg's worth of egg mixture into the pan and immediately place the cooked paratha on top, twirling the paratha so the egg coats the surface. Cook until the egg is cooked through. Remove from the pan.
To assemble, place a small handful of chicken down the middle of the egg-coated paratha. Perch some salad on top and sprinkle with another pinch of chaat masala if desired. Roll and serve immediately.
Combine the garlic, ginger, oil and vinegar in a food processor bowl and process until smooth. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.