Ari Pathiri---a Malabar Muslim speciality...a few reminiscences....

  













I have spent most of my childhood in Calicut/Kozhikkode of the Malabar region. Malabar has a lot of history lying dormant....which connects it to the east and the west of the world...Kappad beach in Calicut, where Vasco da Gama set his foot in India, marked the beginning of colonialism perhaps...This part of Kerala is also famous for its own traditional art forms and authentic cuisines...I have been lucky to spend a considerable share of my childhood days in the port town of Calicut, called Beypore, and sweet memories of some good innocent people, mostly Muslims, remain in the heart always... Most of them were not much educated...but had a heart full of love & a greater culture which embraced every human being as their own...I never knew about the Muslim-Hindu divide as a child, for Aminathatha,Bichuthatha, Ummachuthatha,Alikkaka were all our own family members...our own 'ithathas'(akka) and 'ikkakkas'(anna)....We celebrated Ramzan & Onam together...I still remember those ithathas sitting in the kitchen n spreading out pathiris in spite of their very rigorous Ramzan fasting.... and they never forgot to send us our share of those mouth watering items...Kozhi Biriyani,meen Biriyani, Irachi pathiri, Kai pathiri, Chatti pathiri,Muttamala, Alsa,Kozhi pidi,Pazham nirachathu, Unnakkaya,Meen pathiri, Kozhi Ada etc etc to mention a few(recipes to follow)... This recipe is dedicated to all those good souls....


Ingredients

2 cups Rice powder(Roasted)
3 cups water
salt -as required

Method

Roast the rice powder well in a simmering flame till it changes colour to a creamish tinge...should not get burnt. Now sieve the rice flour using a fine mesh. Boil the water. Add salt and simmer. Set aside half the quantity of water and in the remaining boiling water add the rice flour and stir well in a simmering flame. Adjust the consistency of the dough nearly to that of a chappathi dough using the remaining boiled water.(Never use cold water). Cover the dough and keep it on the simmering flame for 10 seconds. Take it out and then leave it to cool. Once it has partially cooled knead the dough thoroughly, using your hands so that no lumps are formed inside. Roll the dough into small lemon sized balls. Dust the balls in some rice flour and roll it out using a roller pin...alternatively u may use a chappathi press. Sometimes you may not get a perfect round...you may cut the edges with a pizza cutter if you want a better geometric shape... Heat a tawa on medium flame. Keep the pathiri on it, rotating in between. Flip it to the other side once the pathiri starts forming bubbles, like a phulka. Press the pathiri occasionally so that it will become soft and layered. Once both the sides are done, remove it from the tawa.After each pathiri...wipe clean the thawa with a dry cloth so that the charred flour doesnt stick to the next one.

If you want it sweet,you may serve the pathiri after soaking it in sweetened coconut milk or else have it with a spicy fish curry or non veg curry.

It is interesting to note here that Malabar Pathiri is very much a cousin of Kannadiga's "Akki Rotti"...only a slight variation in the method of preparation!