Chatamari Recipe: Making Newari 'Rice Pizza' at Home

What Is Chatamari?

Chatamari is a traditional dish of the Newari community from the Kathmandu Valley — a thin rice-flour batter cooked into a round crepe, which in shape and texture reminds many people of pizza, earning it the nickname "Newari pizza." It's typically topped with egg, minced meat, or vegetables, making it a satisfying snack or light meal on its own.

What You'll Need

• Rice flour (soaked overnight and ground, or store-bought rice flour) — 2 cups
• Water — as needed, to make a thin batter
• Salt — to taste
• Cooking oil — for the pan
• Toppings: egg, minced meat (soybean or ground meat), or chopped onion and coriander

Cooking Steps

Step 1: Prepare the Batter

Soak rice overnight and grind it finely the next morning into a thin batter — not too thick and not too watery, similar in consistency to dosa batter. Season with salt.

Step 2: Heat the Pan

Lightly grease a flat griddle or pan with oil and heat over medium flame.

Step 3: Spread the Batter

Pour a ladle of batter onto the hot pan and spread it into a thin, round layer, the same way you would with a dosa. The edges will start crisping up almost immediately.

Step 4: Add Toppings

Immediately crack an egg on top, or scatter minced meat and chopped onion, and cover to cook through. This is what gives chatamari its extra flavour and protein.

Step 5: Cook and Serve

Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the edges turn golden-brown and crisp. Serve hot with achar or chili sauce.

Trick for a Thin, Crispy Result

If the batter is too thick, chatamari ends up dense and bread-like instead of light and crisp. Keep the batter slightly thinner than dosa batter and only pour it once the pan is properly hot — that combination is what naturally crisps the edges.

Variations Worth Trying

• Egg chatamari: the most popular version, topped with a cracked egg
• Meat chatamari: topped with fried minced meat or soybean crumble
• Vegetable chatamari: a vegetarian version topped with just onion, coriander, and chili

Nutritional Benefits

Since it's made from rice flour, chatamari is naturally gluten-free. Adding egg or meat on top makes it a solid source of protein, and since it uses very little oil, it works well as a light meal.

Fresh rice and rice flour are available from sellers on FoodSansar — order fresh ingredients today to make this traditional Newari dish at home.