Popular Indian street food, Schezwan Paneer Frankie, or call it Paneer Kathi Roll, are warm, layered parathas filled with spicy paneer, cabbage, onions. Whether you make it for the weekend or a gathering, these are sure to be a hit!
In this post, you will learn to make everything from scratch including Frankie roti, Frankie masala, and the filling. In the end, I am also sharing a list of alternatives, substitutions to make the process easy. It will cut down the cooking time in almost half yet tastes fantastic. So don’t forget to check that out too.
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WHAT IS FRANKIE?
Frankies are a popular Mumbai street food. It is an Indian version of wraps. Veg cheese Frankie and schezwan Frankie are the most common ones amongst all the Frankies.
I remember having Frankie when we would go shopping in Borivali, Mumbai. There was a small shop near the railway station there which served the best Frankies. This was the only place where we would have Frankies.
I love their schezwan Frankie and was craving so badly.
And to satisfy my craving, I decided to make schezwan paneer Frankie at home.
What’s the difference between Kathi Roll and Frankie?
Frankies were originated in Mumbai, and Kathi Rolls started in Kolkatta.
As far as I know, Frankie is created by Amarjit Tibbs of Mumbai (hence the Tibbs Frankie place in Bandra, Mumbai is so famous). He was inspired by the Lebanese pita bread filled with falafel or meal.
So he created it in Mumbai with an Indian twist and named this dish after his favorite cricketer, Frank Worrell.
Kathi Rolls are a bit different than Frankie with they typically being filled with cutlets, topped with sliced onions and cucumber, along with chutney and chaat masala.
But there is not a major difference.
Why I love this Frankie recipe?
- good served any time of the day. Snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner are always sure to satisfy your Indian food cravings.
- easy to make and result is so worth it
- Filling, versatile, neat, and portable.
- Crowd pleaser
- a perfect on-the-go food for busy people and kids.
- ideal for both adult or kids’ lunch boxes
There are several components here. They all work together to create a beautiful balance of flavors. It’s not hard and in the end, I promise it will be well worth it.
This recipe is really easy to make and requires less than 45 minutes. And to make the process simpler, you can make certain things like Frankie masala, roti dough, and fried paneer ahead of time.
What are the main components and ingredients of a Frankie recipe?
1. Frankie roti / Flat
- All-purpose flour – Frankie roti is made with all-purpose flour (Maida), but you can choose to make it healthier with a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour or with only whole wheat flour. But you will not get the same street style Frankie taste if you use whole wheat flour.
- Curd (plain yogurt) - This makes the roti soft.
- Other than that you will need salt and water.
2. Frankie Masala
This is masala works with any Frankie recipe.
You will need,
- Kashmiri red chili powder - It gives mild heat and a beautiful color to the masala.
- Anardana powder - you can skip this but if you have it in your pantry, I highly recommend you to use it.
- Aamchur powder – Double the quantity if you are not using anardana powder
- Other spices – Cumin seeds, Turmeric powder, Coriander seeds, Salt, and Garam masala.
3. Filling - Schezwan paneer
- Paneer - I have used store-bought paneer. Homemade paneer works fine too.
- Bell peppers - Gives a nice crunch. You can use any colored bell peppers.
- Onion - Use any onions red, white, or brown.
- Grated garlic and ginger - You can use minced garlic-ginger or paste of garlic-ginger.
- Soy sauce - I have used chings brand dark soy sauce.
- Red chili sauce - Again I have used ching’s brand chili sauce. You can use sriracha or any hot sauce of your choice.
- Schezwan sauce – I have used homemade. Feel free to use store-bought instead of homemade.
- Vinegar - used white vinegar.
- Oil - Any cooking oil will work here.
- Cron flour/cornstarch - It helps in thickening the sauce.
4. Toppings
- As a topping, I have used cabbage and finely chopped onion.
- Other than that, I have used butter to cook the Frankies. But you can use oil too.
How to make Schezwan Paneer Frankie? Step by step process
Step – 1 Make Frankie roti
Add the flour in a bowl, salt, oil and curd, mix well.
Now add water and combine until a dough is formed, once the dough is formed, knead well for 10 minutes. For easy process, use Kitchenaid standing mixer or any dough maker.
Make sure to knead well as we have to knead a soft and stretchy dough.
Apply some oil on the dough surface and cover it with a damp cloth and rest it for at least 30 minutes.
Once the resting time is done, divide the dough into 8 to 10 equal-size dough balls. Flatten the dough balls.
Coat it with dry flour, roll it into a thin roti using a rolling pin. Make sure the disc is a little thicker than a regular chapati.
Heat a tawa on medium-high heat, add ½ teaspoon oil, cook the roti for 30 seconds on each side. We are looking for half-cooked roti.
Make and cook all the remaining rotis the same and keep them covered in a cloth to keep them soft.
Step – 2 Make Frankie Masala
Just mix all the spices in a mixing jar and your Frankie masala is ready, use them accordingly and store them in an airtight container and you can store them in the fridge for a couple of months.
Pro-tips – As the anardana powder is optional, but if you have it in the kitchen then please do use it.
Step – 3 Making schezwan paneer filling
Heat oil in a pan. Add peneer cubes.
Shallow fry them until lightly golden brown from both the sides.
Take it out in a plate and keep them aside.
Heat a wok or pan.
Add leftover oil from shallow frying paneer, garlic, ginger, green onions. Saute for few seconds.
Now add and . Saute everything for a minute.
Now add tomato ketchup, schezwan sauce, soy sauce, red chili sauce, vinegar, and salt. Mix everything well.
Add Bell pepper, onion and one cup of water.
Let the water come to a boil. Add paneer cubes. Mix everything well.
In a separate small bowl, add the corn flour and water and mix.
Add this cornflour mixture to the wok and cook until the sauce thickens.
Stir gently to coat the paneer well with the sauces.
Schezwan paneer is ready to be used as a filling in the Frankie.
Pro-tips - You can serve this filling as is as an appetizer.
Step – 4 Assembling
Set a tawa on high flame, add some butter, and cook the half-cooked rotis on both sides until golden brown spots appear.
Sprinkle some Frankie masala over the Frankie roti and add the schezwan paneer filling, onions, cabbage, and a little bit more Frankie masala, gently roll them like a wrap. You can also add cheese to make schezwan paneer cheese Frankie.
Serve it hot.
Quick FAQs
Roti – If you don’t have time or don’t feel like making the Frankie roti at home, you can also just use any store-bought frozen paratha you have at home.
You can also use frozen naan, Kawan parathas, or tortillas
Either one works! The taste will change based on what you use. But you will enjoy it!
Frankie masala - Making Frankie masala at home is easy and requires only 2 minutes. But still, if you want to be cut down the time, you can use store-bought Frankie masala or even chaat masala too.
Schezwan sauce - I have used homemade schezwan sauce. To cut down the time, you can use store-bought schezwan sauce too.
You cannot store the roll. It will get soggy by the next day. But you can store the leftover components separately in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days and up to a few months in the freezer when stored in an air-tight container.
Replace the paneer with tofu, regular yogurt with vegan yogurt, and butter with oil.
Yes, you can make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free store-bought tortilla or make gluten-free roti at home and use it.
Also for paneer mixture, use gluten-free all-purpose flour and cornstarch to coat the florets and thicken the sauce. However, be aware you may need to adjust the amounts you use. Also, be sure to replace soy sauce with tamari.
Yes, you can make these ahead of time. When you do this, store the cooled air-fried paneer separately from the sauce. Make roti and masala and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge too.
You can make everything 2 to 3 days ahead of time.
Even though I am sharing the popular Paneer schezwan Frankie recipe today, but Frankie is very customizable. You can add a variety of fillings to it.
Below are some options –
Paneer Tikka Masala
Cheese aloo Frankie
Aloo Tikki with green chutney
Roasted vegetables
Tandoori Gobi
Paneer Bhurji
The options are endless!
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Schezwan Paneer Frankie
Ingredients
- 2 cups Maida all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Curd Plain yogurt
- ½ cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Oil + some more required for cooking the rotiihalf cooked
- 2 tablespoon – Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon – Salt
- ½ tablespoon – Anardana powder Optional
- 1 ½ tablespoon – Aamchur powder Double the quantity if you are not using anardana powder
- ½ tablespoon - Cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon – Garam masala
- 400 grams Paneer cubes
- ½ tablespoon grated Ginger
- ½ tablespoon grated garlic
- 3 tablespoon – Oil
- 2 tablespoon – Spring onions chopped
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon red chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoon schezwan sauce
- 1 cup Hot Water
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour Corn starch + 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup Onions
- 1 cup bell pepper diced
- salt to taste
- 1 cup Water or as needed
- Butter as required
- Onions finely Chopped
- Chopped cabbage
Method
- Add the flour in a bowl, salt, oil and curd, mix well.
- Now add water and combine until a dough is formed, once the dough is formed, knead well for 10 minutes. For easy process, use Kitchenaid standing mixer or any dough maker.
- Make sure to knead well as we have to knead a soft and stretchy dough.
- Apply some oil on the dough surface and cover it with a damp cloth and rest it for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the resting time is done, divide the dough into 8 to 10 equal-size dough balls. Flatten the dough balls.
- Coat it with dry flour, roll it into a thin roti using a rolling pin. Make sure the disc is a little thicker than a regular chapati.
- Heat a tawa on medium-high heat, add ½ teaspoon oil, cook the roti for 30 seconds on each side. We are looking for half-cooked roti.
- Make and cook all the remaining rotis the same and keep them covered in a cloth to keep them soft.
- Crush and mix all the spices in a mixing jar and your Frankie masala is ready, use them accordingly and store them in an airtight container and you can store them in the fridge for a couple of months.
- Pro-tips - As the anardana powder is optional, but if you have it in the kitchen then please do use it.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add peneer cubes.
- Shallow fry them until lightly golden brown from both the sides.
- Take it out in a plate and keep them aside.
- Heat a wok or pan.
- Add leftover oil from shallow frying paneer, garlic, ginger, green onions. Saute for few seconds.
- Now add and . Saute everything for a minute.
- Now add tomato ketchup, schezwan sauce, soy sauce, red chili sauce, vinegar, and salt. Mix everything well.
- Add Bell pepper, onion and one cup of water.
- Let the water come to a boil. Add paneer cubes. Mix everything well.
- In a separate small bowl, add the corn flour (corn starch) and water and mix.
- Add this cornflour mixture to the wok and cook until the sauce thickens.
- Stir gently to coat the paneer well with the sauces.
- Schezwan paneer is ready to be used as a filling in the Frankie.
- Pro-tips - You can serve this filling as is as an appetizer.
- Set a tawa on high flame, add some butter, and cook the half-cooked rotis on both sides until golden brown spots appear.
- Sprinkle some Frankie masala over the Frankie roti and add the schezwan paneer filling, onions, cabbage, and a little bit more Frankie masala, gently roll them like a wrap. You can also add cheese to make schezwan paneer cheese Frankie.
- Serve it hot.
Nutrition
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know We would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave your comments, ratings, and any ideas or changes you think could help us make our recipes even better. Thank you for your feedback!Warm regards,
Dhwani.
Tasted just like Tibb’s Frankie. Enjoyed this recipe. It was finger- licking good!
So glad to know! Thanks 🙂