Method
- Whisk rice flour, plain flour and salt with water into a thin batter — like single cream. Rest 30 minutes.
- Cook the meat topping: heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Stir-fry onion 4 minutes until soft. Add ginger, chilies, garlic; fry 60 seconds. Add minced meat; cook 6 minutes until browned. Add cumin, coriander, timur, garam masala, soy sauce. Cook 2 minutes. Cool.
- Heat a wide non-stick pan or flat griddle over medium-high heat. Brush with oil.
- Pour about 80ml batter into the pan, tilting to spread thinly into a 22cm round. The batter should bubble at the surface within 30 seconds.
- Spread a quarter of the meat mixture across the pancake, leaving a 1cm rim. Crack an egg in the centre and break the yolk. Scatter spring onion and cilantro.
- Cover with a lid for 90 seconds — the egg should set on top while the bottom turns golden. Slide onto a plate. Cut into wedges. Serve with achar or eat as-is. Repeat for 3 more chatamari.
Common questions
Can Chatamari be made ahead?
Chatamari is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 25 minutes.
Is Chatamari spicy?
Chatamari as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Chatamari vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Chatamari to make at home?
Chatamari sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 40 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Chatamari be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Chatamari is a Newari (Kathmandu Valley indigenous) dish — the Newars are an ancient ethnic group whose cuisine includes some of Nepal's most distinctive dishes. The name comes from 'cha' (rice) and 'tamari' (round). The dish is associated with festivals like Mha Puja and Newari weddings. The 'Nepali pizza' nickname is a tourist abbreviation; locals would never call it that. Timur (Nepali pepper, Zanthoxylum armatum) is the regional signature spice — it tingles like Sichuan pepper but has a citrus-floral note. Without timur, chatamari tastes too neutral.
