Irachi Pathiri ~ Meat Stuffed Bread From Malabar !

If you start digging Malabar (North Kerala) recipes,it's a no-end journey..The rich and flamboyant.I have mentioned earlier about the umpteen varieties of pathiris they prepare and have..Too tempting and scrumptious to resist.Though I don't have a Malabar connection,I too attempt many of Malabar delicacies.Irachi pathri is a stuffed bread that is deep fried first and then roasted in an egg mixture.Enjoy this delicacy at least once !

Ingredients (makes 3 medium size)

For Pathiri

1 cup maida/all purpose flour
salt & water as required

For stuffing
A.
250 gm minced meat (I used chicken)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilly powder
salt

B.
2 medium sized onions,chopped finely
2-3 green chillies, chopped finely
1 piece of ginger,chopped finely
6-7 garlic cloves,crushed
1 tsp mint leaves,chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves,chopped
2 sprig curry leaves
oil as required

For the final coating
2 eggs,
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

Method

Cook the minced meat adding the spices and salt mentioned in section A.Cook in low heat without adding water.Chicken mince will release the water while cooking.Cook till the meat is dry and done.Switch off and keep it ready.Meanwhile make a smooth dough with maida,salt and water.Keep it aside too.Heat oil in a kadai or cooking pot and roast the chopped onion till light brown.Add the chopped chillies,ginger and garlic.Roast till the raw smell vanish.Add chopped curry leaves,coriander leaves and mint leaves and mix well.To this add the cooked meat mince and check the seasoning.Add salt if necessary.Switch off and allow it to cool.
Make 6 balls from the dough.Roll it to the size of a medium poori.Repeat the process and make 6 pooris of almost the same size.Now arrange the meat filling in the centre of poori and close with another.Seal the sides and keep.Thus prepare three pathiris.The sides should be completely sealed.Heat oil in a kadai and fry these pathiris till brown.Both sides should be fried.
The last part is dipping in an egg mixture and roasting.This is optional.Traditionally this is the way they do it in Malabar though.Prepare the egg mixture with eggs,sugar and cardamom powder.Dip each fried pathiri in this mixture and shallow fry in a pan.Enjoy !

* For spice lovers who visit this page - You may find the filling too bland.It's for you to customize with more spices and even garam masala .I made it as a snack tolerable even to children.

Paal Vaazhakka ~ Banana in Coconut milk ~ Dessert from Kerala ~ My Guest post at Krithi's Kitchen !

This recipe Paal Vaazhakka ,a childhood dessert which has been forgotten for long.After having Che Chuoi, a Vietnamese dessert  I got it back.For all those who are interested to read this one,this is my guest post at Krithi's Kitchen.I will be updating it here some day though.

Before I go on thanking Krithi here,I may acknowledge this is an overdue.Krithi is a good old food blogger,a nice girl and friend who is there from the initial days of Melange.I would love to hug,a gesture of gratitude and friendship before entering the recipe.

Krithi was particular about me doing something special from Kerala.That's completely logical.Isn't it ? Melange being Keralite.But then I thought I will post something really really special here.A re-creation or re-invention from the Past.A childhood favorite of mine,yet forgotten.

I was quite confused and anxious while waiting for my dessert Che Chuoi at a Vietnamese Restaurant.In a way more than expectation.Like many other Vietnam desserts, coconut milk was the main ingredient cooked along with banana and tapioca pearls.That was the description they had with it.Oh no,it struck me  that I have tasted something like that somewhere in the past.I was trying to recollect where and when.Nothing occurred to me till delicious Che Chuoi made it's appearance.Relishing the first spoonful it was almost instinctive for me to go back.To the fever bed.The smell of fever.This was a special mild sweet prepared during my fever-struck days during childhood.Since I skip my steamed bananas (Nethrappazham as we call in Kerala) often,they were done with a complete make over in this dessert.Infused in coconut milk and cardamom,bananas virtually rock in this dessert.To convert it more healthy,I may suggest to add honey instead of sugar.On to the recipe now.

Ingredients

2 medium sized bananas,cut into medium pieces. (Nethrappazham is better since it offers you kind of sourness too)
2 cups of thin coconut milk
1 cup thick coconut milk
handful of sago/chavvari
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
sugar,as required
pinch of salt
few cashews & raisins to garnish (optional)

Method

Boil thin coconut milk in a sauce pan.Stir in between.When it start boiling add sago and cook in low heat.After 5 minutes add the chopped banana and cook again till sago gets cooked completely and bananas done three fourth.Sprinkle cardamom powder.Pour thick coconut milk and cook in medium heat adding sugar and salt.When it start boiling switch off .You may garnish with cashews and raisins as well.(In Che Chuoi apparent difference is sesame.They garnish it with white sesame which gives it a unique flavour)

Paneer Kulcha ~ For Indian Cooking Challenge !

Ever since we had those chicken stuffed kulchas from Gujarat last year,my daughter was insisting me for such soft home-made kulchas.Beginning from the aircraft we enjoyed varieties of Kulchas during the journey.At Ahmedabad and Kutch (Rann Fesitval) we were lucky to taste splendid kulchas.

Thankfully this month's Indian Cooking Challenge chose these scrumptious kulchas as a theme.From the given three options,I opted for Paneer Kulcha,which came out perfect for me.Thanking Srivalli & ICC for this recipe.

Ingredients (makes 6 kulchas of medium size)

2 cups maida/all purpose flour
1 tbsp yogurt
1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate
1 tsp sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt

For stuffing

200 gm paneer/cottage cheese,grated
1 tsp red chilly powder (kashmiri is better)
1/2 tsp chaat masala
salt to taste

Method

In a large bowl combine flour with yogurt, soda bicarbonate,salt and sugar.Knead into a soft dough adding milk.You may add little by little so that the dough may come perfect.Cover this dough with a damp cloth and keep it for one hour.Now the dough will be spongy in texture and almost double in size.Make lemon sized balls of dough.Six medium sized balls you can expect from this.Let it rest for five to ten minutes.Meanwhile prepare the paneer stuffing by mixing the mentioned all ingredients in a bowl.Now roll each dough balls into a small puri and place a portion fo stuffing in the middle.Close it from four sides and again roll it out to almost a six inch round kulcha.Preheat the oven in maximum temperature.Spray the baking tray with any oil and place the kulchas over it.Bake them seven to ten minutes or till it puffs and brown spots appears on top.In between flip it over so that both sides will be cooked evenly.Serve hot with butter,pickle and curd.

Meen Biryani ~ Kerala Fish Biryani !

I always have felt to write it here.About the habit of cooking.It's in fact the product of what we have experienced and seen in our family.It's a kind of inheritance often.Sometimes when I feel lazy to cook,I try to remember my aunt's kitchen.It was a big space.With a long verandah nearby.It's truly a scene.Today If I could portray,it would be in black and white.The large pots and people.Kind of communion of women at work.Somehow it was like a picnic to me.Each visit to aunt's remained precious.She so much enjoyed cooking that most of her leisure been dedicated to planning.Planning on what is to be cooked next day.It was she who made best Biryanis ever to me..I find it emotional to describe how she used to serve.With the enthusiasm I can't ever forget.

Coming to today's recipe it's Fish Biryani.I have tasted the best fish biryani from my aunt's kitchen.And I am almost sure not going to find one like that again.The recipe I am going to present here is what I tried to reproduce here at my kitchen.Fish being healthy and a guilt free dish,it's my all time favorite.Try this one,you have nothing to loose.Get ready for some precious moments.

Ingredients

2.5 cups of basmati rice or kaima rice (approx 1/2 kg)

3/4 kg onion sliced finely

2 large tomatoes,chopped

1 tbsp ginger,crushed

1.5 tbsp garlic,crushed

3-4 green chillies,sliced or crushed

2 tsp garam masala powder

2 tbsp lime juice

handful or coriander leaves,chopped

handful of mint leaves,chopped

1/2 tsp cardamom powder or 2 cardamoms,crushed

ghee/oil as required

5 cups of boiling water

salt,as required

handful of roasted cashews and raisins to garnish (optional)

To marinate 

3/4 kg seer or pomfret fish cut round-wise

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1.5 tbsp chilly powder (kashmiri powder you can use even 2 tbsp)

salt as required

Method

Wash rice in normal water thoroughly and keep in a colander to get rid of water.Marinate the fish with spice powders and salt.Fry it lightly in oil.This step is to prevent the fish from breaking while making biryani.After frying,roast 3/4 of the sliced onion in the same oil till soft.Add ginger,garlic and green chilly and fry till the raw smell disappears.Throw tomato to this and roast till the water evaporates.Reduce the heat.Take one of the fried fish pieces to debone and crush.Add this to the prepared masala and mix well.Add half of the garam masala powder,lime juice  and coriander leaves. Remember all should be half.Add salt and thus prepare fish masala.Now slowly place the fried fish over the masala and close with a lid.Keep it in low flame for at least five minutes.

Second part is rice.Either you can prepare it the way I have mentioned here or you may follow the elaborated version.For this heat ghee/oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and roast the remaining 1/4 portion of sliced onion till brown and keep.Now roast the washed rice in this till soft.This may take two minutes.To this add five cups of boiling water.Add salt,mint leaves and cardamom powder to this.Cook in medium heat till the water evaporates and 3/4 is done.Bring the rice to the centre and keep like a heap there.Close with lid and switch off the stove.Let it be there for a while.This will help the rice to have nice flavor.

The last part is layering.In another heavy bottomed vessel,first prepare a layer of fish masala.Keep the fish intact outside.It's always advisable to serve the fish pieces separate when you serve the Biriyani.Otherwise chances are there to break.Over the fish masala,make the second layer with rice.Sprinkle lime juice,garam masala powder,fried onion and coriander leaves over this and repeat layering with fish masala and rice once again.You may add food color as well.Addition of fried cashew nuts and raisins are usually done too.Close with the lid and cook in low heat for five more minutes.Switch off and keep it for a while.Serve with fish in each serving along with pickle and curd.