Chatamari
Non-vegetarian
चतामरी · Chatamari
A thin Newari rice-flour crepe cooked on one side only and topped with spiced minced meat, egg, onion and tomato. A festival snack from the Kathmandu Valley.
Chatamari is a Nepalese street food, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with rice flour and ground chicken. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 h 10 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 427
Ingredients
For the batter
For the topping
Method
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the rice flour (opens in a new tab), water and salt into a smooth, thin batter and rest for 20 minutes.
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 2
Mix the minced meat with half the onion (opens in a new tab), the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, spices and salt.
- 4 min
Food safety: Wash hands after handling raw meat.
Step 3
Lightly oil a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour in a ladle of batter and swirl to a thin 20 cm round. Scatter a quarter of the meat thinly over the top, then crack an egg (opens in a new tab) in the centre and spread it gently.
- 2 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels Step 4
Scatter with the remaining onion (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), chilli and coriander, cover and cook on low for 6–8 minutes until the base is crisp and the topping cooked through. Repeat with the rest.
- 30 min
- low heat
Food safety: Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the egg is set.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Kathmandu Valley (Newar), Nepal · Well documentedMore food from Nepal
- Dish
- Snack · Breakfast · Lunch · Street food · Breads & flatbreads · Appetizers & starters
- Cooking method
- Pan-fried, Steamed
- Taste
- savoury, spicy (chilli heat), fresh
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-proteinWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious - Good for
- Street food · Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- Rice flour · Ground chicken · Onion · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Cumin
- Techniques
- Pan-frying · Steaming
Allergens
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
427 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 309 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 20%
- Carbohydrate 43%
- Fat 37%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 427 kcal | 138 kcal |
| Protein | 21 g | 6.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 45.6 g | 14.7 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 43.3 g | 14 g |
| Sugars | 2.4 g | 0.8 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 17.5 g | 5.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 3.7 g | 1.2 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 240 mg | 78 mg |
| Sodium | 697 mg | 225 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.7 g | 0.6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 579 mg
- Calcium
- 62 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 47 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 100 µg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- 0.8 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 37 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Spread the meat thinly so it cooks through under the lid without flipping.
Common mistakes
- A thick batter layer stays doughy — swirl it as thin as a crêpe.
Serve with
- Cut into wedges and serve with golbheda ko achar.
Storage
- Best eaten hot.
Variations
- Vegetable chatamari: Top with egg, onion, tomato and peas only.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 15 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 20 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 35 min
Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.
- Start to finish: about 1 h 10 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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