Malabar Moodi Pathal/ Pathiri
(Rice pancakes)

These soft, pan-poured rice pancakes is one of the most staple breakfast and dinner rice pancakes in Thalassery, and other parts of northern Kerala. Can also call it a distant cousin of dosa 😅 w/o the fermentation.

Moodi pathal, unlike the commonly known pathiri which is a flatbread made of rice flour is rice soaked for half an hour and ground into a paste along with shredded coconut and cooked rice, made into a thin batter and a ladleful of the batter is pour into a pan and swirled to get a round pancake which is immediately covered with a lid, allowing the pancake to cook from both sides simultaneously. Hence the name Moodi Pathal, “Moodi” means covered/ lid and pathal means pancake/ flatbread.

The addition of shredded coconut, though not necessary, but adds in a lot of flavor profile to the rice flatbread. Usually enjoyed with coconut milk and sugar, spicy malabar fish curry aka mulagittadh/Fish Varattiyadh (you can find the recipe by tapping the link), or any curry of your choice.

Ingredients: (Makes for 2)

1 cup White rice (Basmati and the likes of it also can be used)
2 tbsp leftover cooked rice (ponni, kuruva, matta rices)
1/4 cup Shredded Coconut
Salt
1 and 1/2 cups approx Water (can be a little less or more)
1 tbsp Coconut oil
Ghee for smearing on the pathal

Instructions:

Rinse and soak the rice for half an hour at least or upto 2 hours and in a mixer grinder, add in the soaked rice, leftover cooked rice, shredded coconut, salt and half cup water.
Transfer the batter to a bowl and add water to the required consistency (quite loose but not too watery either)
Heat a well seasoned cast iron pan on high, and smear with coconut oil, once water sprinkled jumps, you may pour in a deep ladle full of batter into the pan and swirl it to get a nice round rice pancake. Cover it immediately and allow to cook on medium heat for around 2 minutes and transfer the pathal into hotpot or plate, smear ghee and cover it with a lid.
Enjoy with coconut milk and sugar or with spicy malabar fish curry (mulagittadh) or your choice of curry.

Tips:

Make sure you do not add too much of cooked rice, which can turn out to be a messy situation.
Make sure the pan is on medium high flame, preferably a well seasoned cast iron pan, may feel like a crispy dosa, but once smeared with ghee and covered in and kept for couple of minutes in a hotpot or a plate, you will see how nice and soft it becomes.
Make sure the batter is quite loose, not very watery either.
The first couple of them might turn out with cracks, if the pan isn’t well heated and at the right temperature and make sure you cover the pathal immediately after pouring and swirling.
Make sure to grind the rice with very little water, or else you will end up with a batter than isn’t ground properly.

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

Malabar Prawns Kakka roti / Kunjipathil

(Rice Dumplings in Coconut Gravy)

One dish that we Malabaris love (tastes the best the next day) is this delicious Kakkaroti specifically known as so in Thalassery. These are dumplings of rice, ground with coconut and other spices, that is shaped to tiny balls with a slight dent, steamed and added to meat gravy with coconut paste/milk. 😋

Whenever I sit to make these dumplings I always think of the person who might have come up with the idea. The whole family comes and joins to prepare them, it is so much fun with all the giggles and jokes around. But doing it all alone is tiresome. Though the task of preparing those dumplings are a tedious job, it is definitely a lobor of love. These are also called kunjipathil/ kunji pathiri.

Kakkaroti is popularly made with beef, chicken and mutton too! Prawns Kakkaroti tastes similar to puzhungapathil. This dish is especially made during thakkaram/ salkaram (special occasions). I shall mention below how to prepare the beef, chicken and mutton versions as well! I shall demonstrate using ari podi/ rice flour and the traditional soaking rice method too.

Ingredients: (makes for 2)

1 cup Puzhungalari/ Par boiled rice, (soaked in steaming hot water for at least 4-5 hours) *
Ari podi (like amis) / Rice flour, as required **
1/4 cup shredded Coconut
1/2 of an Onion, chopped roughly
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder*
1 cup If using ari podi
Salt, as required
250 gms Prawns, cleaned and deveined
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
1 small Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Coconut oil
Curry leaves
1 medium Onion, sliced finely

Coconut Gravy

3/4 cup shredded coconut
4-5 Shallots
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
3 Green Chillies
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Garam masala powder

Garnish

2 tbsp Ghee
Curry leaves
2-3 Shallots, finely sliced

Instructions:

In a mixer grinder, add the washed and soaked par boiled rice, coconut, onion, fennel seeds and garam masala, add a little amount of water to grind to paste.
Transfer the content to a bowl and add in rice flour as required to make it tight. (Enough to make balls and make dumplings)
Next, grease your hands with oil, take a small portion of the rice dough, as make tiny balls on the palm of your hand, roll it to make a small ball, and press gently in the middle to form a slight dent, similarly do all of the rice dough. ( ask someone to join along, as it’s fun and easier when someone tags along to make the tiny rotis)
You can either drop these little dumplings onto a foil sheet or a banana leaf.
Keep a steamer pot with water on the stove, once steam starts coming, place the foil or banana leaf with the dumplings.
Allow to steam cook for at least 20-25 minutes.
Once cooked, transfer the dumplings to a heat proof bowl and sprinkle water, this helps the dumplings to separate from each other.
For the prawns version, marinate the prawns using minced garlic, turmeric powder, Kashmiri Chilli powder, and coconut oil.
Fry them lightly in coconut oil and set aside.
Next sauté sliced onion in coconut oil and add salt as required.
Add ginger garlic paste, once aromatic add in the green Chillies, chopped tomato, cover and allow to cook well until mushy.
Next add in the spice powders , sauté for a couple of seconds.
Grind a paste that consists of shredded coconut, shallots and fennel seeds with little water.
Add in the ground coconut paste and a little extra water***
Next add in the steamed rice dumplings, mix well.
Add the fried prawns that was kept aside.
Adjust water and salt as per needs.
Finally garnish with a tadka from ghee, sliced shallots and curry leaves. Enjoy with a nice glass of black tea!

Notes:

If preparing beef, chicken or mutton, prepare the curry by pressure cooking onion, tomato, green Chilli, spices powders (for chicken and meat, make the coriander powder 3-4 tsp), salt as required and add little water and pressure cook ( make sure you don’t add too much water)
Add the ground coconut paste and add in the tadka.
*You may use whole spices too
** If using only ari podi (pathiri podi like Amis brand), 1 cup ari podi will yield quantity for 2 people. Add water as required, to make a soft (not too tight nor too loose) dough, that can be easily made into tiny balls.
*** Don’t worry if the gravy looks very loose, as the Kakkaroti sits, the rice dumplings act as a gravy mopping agent, making the gravy thicker as it sits.

Meen Thala Varattiyadh/ Malabar King Fish Head Curry

A very common fish curry that we malabaris (people living in the Malabar coastal region) make on a daily basis is this Meen Varattiyadh. Fish pieces are simmered in a spicy tomato based gravy that is then given an extra sourness by adding Tamrind water that gives it its special flavors. Some very basic ingredients found in a coastal malabar kitchen turned into a finger licking good curry that is usually accompanied with puttu (Steamed Rice cake), ari dosa (rice crepe), thenga pathal (rice and coconut pancake) etc.

The same curry is prepared in various forms, it's like biryani, each house has their own varrattiye/ molotta recipe. I make this way and also prepare by sautéing each ingredient (depends on my mood ;)). In our place, we specifically call it molotta AKA mulagu ittadhu. I love King fish/ ayakoora molotta and also the head part of it, that has tender meat and the bones can be chewed too, which is upto you.

Have the curry warm and it always tastes the best the next day.

Ingredients :

700 gms King Fish Head/ King Fish chunks or slices
2-3 Medium Tomato, chopped roughly
Curry leaves
1 tsp Rock salt
2 cloves Gralic, pounded
1 small piece Ginger, pounded
5 tsps Kashmiri Chilli Powder
Green Chillies, optional
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Coriander leaves
1/2 cup water
Tamarind, smaller than lemon sized ball soaked in hot water

Tadka/Tempering:

Coconut oil
Mustard seeds Curry leaves
Fenugreek seeds/ Fenugreek powder, optional

Instructions:

Roughly chop tomatoes, and add curry leaves, rock salt and squeeze well with clean hands.
Add slightly ponded ginger and garlic, and the spice powders, and mix well.
Add water as required and allow to come to a boil.
Next add tamarind water, and check and add according to taste. Check for salt.
Add cleaned king fish head pieces to the gravy and cover and cook for no more than 10 minutes, this will make the fish meat hard.
Temper mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds (optional),and curry leaves in coconut oil and add to the curry.
Enjoy hot with your choice of roti/ rice. Preferably malabari rotis. Tastes best the next day.

Ps: You can use any fish of your choice manthal, prawns, ney meen/ ayakoora, sardines etc being my favorites

Jeeraka Kanji

Jeeraka Kanji is a staple during ramadan. During my childhood, my mom would bring a big bowl of this Jeeraka Kanji to the table during Ramadan and the feeling of that warmth can't be describedutnil you actually try it. The leftover Kanji is usually had for suhoor. It is filling and the medicinal properties of garden cress seeds are immense. Garden cress seeds, also known as ashali in Malayalam is more like the brown/red cousin of basil seeds/ tuk malenga :D

I made the Jeeraka Kanji in the pressure cooker, you may cook the kanji/rice porridge in any pot. Then, a ground paste of coconut, shallots and cumin seeds are added to the kanji. The comfort that this rice porridge gives after breaking fast is just so soothing. Cumin and Fenugreek seeds has many benefits too.

Without further ado, let's see how the Jeeraka Kanji is made.

Ingredients : (makes for 4 people)

1 cup Jerakashala rice
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Garden Cress Seeds
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
4-5 Shallots
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 cup water
Ghee/ clarified butter, to garnish

Instructions:

Cook the rice in a pressure cooker with Fenugreek seeds, garden cress seeds, salt and turmeric and water double the quantity of the rice, for 1 whistle and let it stay for 5 minutes before releasing pressure manually, (you may also cook in a normal pot and allow the rice to cook until well cooked and thick).
In a mixer grinder, add the shredded coconut, cumin seeds, shallots, water and grind.
Add the ground coconut paste to the cooked rice porridge and add more water, salt and turmeric, if required.
Allow the kanji to come to a simmer, before the kanji boils, switch off the flame.
Serve the Jeeraka kanji warm, in bowls and serve with ghee/ clarified butter.

Varutharacha Kallumakaya Curry

One seafood that I simply can't get enough are Mussels. This delicious seafood made in any way makes the most delicious food. This curry, which is a traditional curry was introduced to me by my ummama (grandmother ), when I went to visit India this year. The aroma from the roasted spices filled the air. I immediately went to have a glance to check how the curry is made.

The curry, though it may look complicated, the recipe is very simple and a delicious curry perfect for rice, chappathi or Ari orotti. The spice powders are dry roasted which is then added to the main curry. The main gravy consists of green Mango slices, you may use Tamrind water and/ tomatoes for sourness too. My grandmother said in olden times, tomatoes were not available much or it was a seasonal fruit/ vegetable that was very expensive and hence was not used much in our traditional cooking.

Let's see how thw curry is made,

Ingredients:

500 gms Kallumakaya/ Mussels (cleaned*)
3 tsp Coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
I/2 of one small Green Mango, sliced/ 1/2 of a Tomato
5-6 Shallots
1/2 cup Grated Coconut
Water, as required for grinding
Curry leaves
1/4 tsp Turmeric
Salt, as required

Tadka:

Coconut oil
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Dry Red Chilli

Instructions:

In a pan, dry roast coriander powder and red Chilli powder for around a minute or two and set aside.
Make a paste of grated coconut, shallots, and water. Set aside.
In a pot, add the cleaned mussels with the residual water that oozed from the mussels.
Add curry leaves, sliced green mango or tomato, roasted spices, turmeric and salt as required.
Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.
Next add the coconut ground paste and allow to come to a boil. Switch off the flame.
Now make a tadka/tempering of coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry red Chillies.
Add the tadka to the prepared curry and enjoy hot with rice, chappati or Ari orotti.

Notes:

*Clean the Kallumakaya and the water that drains from the clean Kallumakaya is used in the curry to enhance the flavor.

You may also make this recipe using prawns too

Puzhungapathil/ Meen vecha pathil (Steamed Rice Pancakes stuffed with Fish Masala)

Here I am sharing the recipe of puzhungapathil, something I despised until few years ago. Never did I imagine Iwould actually be posting the recipe of puzhungapathil, or aka meen vecha pathil, it's more like a Kerala version of stuffed pizza, at least that's how it is popularly known among kids. :D

This pathil is one of the most popular dinner dishes originating from Thalassery, where a dough is made of rice flour and spread with a layer of fish masala made using ground coconut, over which fried fish is placed and finally a similar layer of rice flour dough is smeared with the fish masala and placed over the fried fish layer, the masala smeared side facing downwards. The sides of the pathil are pressed slightly to close the edges which might leave finger impression son the edges.

The process might seem tedious and may look like huge task, but when the work is divided, and done in advance, it's easier to assemble and prepare the final product. The rice need to be soaked and ground and made into a dough adding roce flour and set aside. Prepare the fish masala and fish fry and set aside and assemble them and steam them, when required for around 20 minutes each. The name puzhungapathil comes as the pathil (roti) is made using the steaming method (puzhungal) so we call it puzhungapathil, puzhungalarotti, meen vecha pathil, etc. The same pathil is made into a crescent shape and stuffed with the masala and fried fish and is called Meen ada. Some people like to make the masala like dry fry, I prefer the more moist version, and also in some versions, the fried fish is pulled apart and the flesh is added to the masala. No matter what fish you choose for the masala, adding prawns always takes the flavor of the masala to a next level. Puzhungapathil with a glass of Sulaimani (black tea) is a must. It always tastes the best the next morning..mmmm.. Yummmm!!

Here I have used kingfish and prawns. I am sure you will love this TRADITIONAL Malabar dinner! Without further a do, let's see how it's done!

Ingredients : (makes around 7-8 medium pathils)

For Pathil:

3 cups ready made rice powder/ 2 cups Puzhungalari (par boiled rice) soaked in medium hot water for 4-5 hours
1/2 box Shredded Coconut
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 Onion, roughly chopped
Salt, as required

For Frying fish:

100 gms Prawns, cleaned and deviened (marinated in turmeric, chilli powder and salt)
250 gms King Fish slices (marinated in turmeric, chilli powder and salt)
Coconut oil, for frying
2 sprigs curry leaves

For the masala/ filling:

1/2 + 3 tbsp box Shredded coconut
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 Onions, sliced
1 tbsp ginger garlic, freshly pound
2 sprigs Curry leaves
1 Tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Kashmir red chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
3 Green chillies, slit
Salt, as required

Instructions :

You may prepare the pathil using two method - either by soaking the Puzhungalari in warm water for 4-5 hours and tightening the dough using rice powder or only using rice powder and adding water according to package and adding a mixture of ground paste that consists of coconut, fennel seeds, garam masala powder and onion and preparing a rice dough. Cover the bowl and set aside.
To prepare the filling, first fry the king fish and prawns in coconut oil with curry leaves (3-4 minutes) and set aside.
In an earthern pot or any pot of your choice, pour the residual coconut oil that was used for frying the fish.
Add the sliced onion, curry leaves and add salt and saute until translucent .
Next add in the pound ginger garlic paste, saute until raw smell disappears.
Add in the chopped tomatoes, mix and place lid and allow to cook for 1-2 mins, until mushy.
Next, add in the spices like turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder, sauté well.
Add salt, if required and allow the ingredients to combine, you can know this when the oil starts separating from the masala.
Now, add in the slit green chillies and mix.
In a mixer grinder, add in the coconut and fennel seeds and grind to a coarse paste.
Add water and salt as required, allow to come to a boil.
Now add the fried fishes and allow to simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. Allow the masala to cool before filling the pathil.
The dough that has been resting has to be made into balls of same quantity.
On a banana leaf/ Aluminum foil sheet, rub a good amount of coconut oil and place a ball and spread the rice dough ball using your fingers or using the back of a flat lid. (oiled) and flatten well, not as thin thin as a roti
Onto the flattened rice dough, spread the masala and place the fried fish (kigh fish and 3-4 prawns) and similarly repeat the process for another piece of dough ball, but this time only spread the filling and don't place the fried fish.
Now flip the flattened pathil with only the masala filling and slowly hovering it above the pathil with fried fish with the masala side facing down, slowly place one end of the pathil one the oathil with the fish and slowly slide the banana leaf off, and seal the edges using your finger impressions .
Now to a pre boiling steamer, place the prepared pathil and allow to steam for 20- 25 minutes depending upon the size of the pathil.
Once taken out, allow to cool, slice to desired sizes, and enjoy with a hot cup of sulamani (black tea).

Notes:

Make sure the filling isn't too dry or too watery.

The rice dough should be too hard, if it's hard, the dough will have cracks and if the dough is too loose, it will not hold its shape.

Prepare the filling in advance, so that the preparation becomes easier.

Malabar Kaayi Curry

What is Eid without the nostalgic Kaayi Curry that we, Malabaris have prepare with lots of love, on the eve of Eid. My husband loves his Grandmom's food and the best of hers being her Kayi porichat (banana fritters), pulivaral (a fried banana dough snack) and our renowned Kayi curry. And for him, whenever I make the pazham pori, it's doesn't come upto her mark, but this one I always nail it, it seems! :D Alhamdulilah! It isn't easy to get his approval.

For me it’s nostalgic as this is what my ummama always offers me whenever we visit her for Perunal (Eid), though I used to dislike kayi curry as a child, I am so fond of it now, as it is a pure labor of love ❤️

The name curry, can give a misconception that the recipe has spicy tones to the dish. Well, it's more like a payasam/kheer. Spilt Chana dal is soaked and boiled and kept aside. Ari pidi/ thin rice dumplings are rolled using fingers, steamed and set aside. Then plantains are cooked in the thin coconut milk/ second coconut milk and boiled until cooked well, to which soaked white rice is ground and made to a paste, the paste is added as a thickening agent and to which the first milk or the thick coconut milk is added. I like this curry/ payasam, as it is free of any fatty elements like ghee, cashews etc. (yeah but of course, we have the irreplaceable sugar in it :/)

Kaayi Curry is not only fun to prepare, yet it's easy and delicious. It's something fun to do with your family, the pidi making session is always a family bonding time with giggles and jokes :D

Kaayi curry has a lot of different names, some call it pidi curry, ari pidi Kayi Curry etc. We make this for all occasions too. Let's make some delicious Kaayi curry and surprise your folks at home! :D

Ingredients :

1 cup Ari/ pathiri podi * (rice powder)
Salt, as required
Water, as required
1/4 Cup Split Chana dal (soaked at least for 4-5 hours)
2 medium plantains/ Kerala banana, slit and chopped
1 cup White granulated Sugar
Salt,a pinch
1 box Shredded coconut
1+ 1 1/2 cups warm Water
3 Cardamom pods
3 tbsp Pachari/ white rice (soaked in water at least for 1/2 hr)

Instructions :

In a bowl, add the ari podi/ rice flour and add in the salt, add enough water and make into a dough (not too loose not too tight)
In a clean banana leaf/ aluminum foil, make thin dumplings by applying oil over your hands, and taking a small ball of the dough on one palm and rolling with the help of the other hand's index finger, into a small and thin cylinder shape. Heap them all together and steam the ari pidi/ rice dumplings for 20- 25 minurtes.
Meanwhile, in a small pot, cook the soaked split Chana dal in water with little salt and cook until soft and not mushy.
Once the ari pidi has steamed, sprinkle water over the steamed dumplings, this step helps the pidi from not sticking to each other.
Extract the thick milk from the shredded coconut , by adding the shredded coconut to a mixer grinder, add in the warm water, and cardamom pods. Sieve, squeeze and extract the thick milk and set aside.
To the same ground and squeezed coconut add it into the mixer, and pour the 1 1/2 cups warm water and repeat the process of extracting again, this is the thin coconut milk/ second

coconut milk.
In a large pot, add in your slit and chopped plantains, sugar and the extracted thin coconut milk and a pinch of salt, allow to cook until the plantains are tender.
Meanwhile, make a paste by grinding teh soaked white rice with very little water.
Into the pot, add the steamed and cooled ari pidi, cooked Chana dal and bring it to a boil. Check if sugar or salt is required.
Next add the ground pachari paste and mix simultaneously and allow to thicken.
Finally add in the thick coconut milk and increase flame, one bubbles starts to form at the edges, switch off the flame. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy!

Notes:

* I used Amis Pathiri podi

Search This Blog

Malabar Moodi Pathal/ Pathiri(Rice pancakes)

Ingredients: (Makes for 2)

Instructions:

Tips:

Malabar Prawns Kakka roti / Kunjipathil

(Rice Dumplings in Coconut Gravy)

Ingredients: (makes for 2)

Coconut Gravy

Garnish

Instructions:

Notes:

Meen Thala Varattiyadh/ Malabar King Fish Head Curry

Ingredients :

Tadka/Tempering:

Instructions:

Jeeraka Kanji

Ingredients : (makes for 4 people)

Instructions:

Varutharacha Kallumakaya Curry

Ingredients:

Tadka:

Instructions:

Puzhungapathil/ Meen vecha pathil (Steamed Rice Pancakes stuffed with Fish Masala)

Ingredients : (makes around 7-8 medium pathils)

For Pathil:

For Frying fish:

For the masala/ filling:

Instructions :

Notes:

Malabar Kaayi Curry

Ingredients :

Instructions :

Notes:

Search This Blog

TRENDING POSTS

About Me

Stay Connected!

Join Our Madness!

Featured Post

Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Skillet Cookie

Blog Archive

Subscribe Us

Labels

Contact Form

POPULAR POSTS AND PAGES

Kerala Style Squid Roast

Chicken Steak with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Emirati Chebab

Regag - Emirati Flat bread

Copy Cat Caesars Mini Pizza

Pages

Malabar Moodi Pathal/ Pathiri
(Rice pancakes)