Malabar Kaayi Curry
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
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. ♡♡♡♡
