Ari Pathiri :: Malabar Pathiri :: Thin rice crepes

I am getting fond  of South Indian food more and more, and with each passing day am gaining better understanding of the regional cuisine as well. Like its not all south Indian for me, I now understand some key differences between Andhra and Kerala Cuisine for example. And it’s a good feeling, to be aware of the thin lines that distinguishes one cuisine from another. Like this one.. I somehow knew  that’s it’s a Malabar dish, when we got this recipe challenge in SNC this month. I had it a few months back in some Sri Lankan restaurant and really liked it. It tastes amazing when dipped in fresh coconut milk just before serving.. mmm yummy !!

For those who don’t know - Pathiri is a traditional, Roti/crepe/pancake made of rice flour. Though, now served widely all across Southern India , it is  traditionally a part of the local cuisine among the Mappilas of North Malabar and Malabar in Kerala. The texture of pathiri is soft and thin that almost everyone finds it hard to ignore, especially when served with a spicy curry on side.  Roasted rice flour is made into a white dough and baked on pans called oadu.  After preparation it is sometimes soaked in fresh coconut milk to keep it soft and to enhance the flavour.

Pathiri is also known as ari pathil or pathil in some parts of the Malabar region. It is believed by some that the word pathiri traces its origin to the Arabic word fateerah, meaning "pastry". It is usually prepared for dinner and served with meat or fish. In some regions, pathiri is regularly served during Iftar in the fasting month of Ramadan.

It is very similar to north Indian Roti or Chapati, just a bit thinner and softer. While a proper fulka can be compared with the texture of Pathiri, its still more fragile and lighter  to have than Fulka. Unlike roti, which  can be eaten with dry Sabzi ( stir fries, roasts etc. ) as well , this Pathiri is best enjoyed with spicy curries due to its bland taste and thin texture.

The instructions are fairly simple, and with little practise you can get the fine thin and soft Pathiris. You just have to take care while kneading the dough, since it requires a bit of patience and practice. On with the recipe now :- 

What you need?

• Rice flour- 1 ½  cups + some extra for dusting while rolling the dough
• Water- 1 ¼ cup
• Salt- just a pinch 

Howto make? 

• Boil the water with salt in a wide Pan. When it reaches the boiling point, turn the flame to slow and start adding rice flour slowly stirring continuously.  Ensure you have incorporated the dough evenly when on flame and make sure it doesn’t get burnt at the bottom of the pan. You really need to mix everything at the same time you are adding the flour else you will get cracks in the dough.
• Once everything comes to almost a mass, remove from the flame and with the help of a wooden spatula, combining it to form a lump.  Once its done, let it cool down a bit.. give a rest of 4-5 minutes
• Then start kneading again, while its still warm .. Keep kneading until its smooth and not sticky at all. Takes about 4-5 minutes.
• Make small equal sized balls out of the kneaded dough.  Meanwhile, keep a cast iron skillet or non-stick griddle ( Tawa )  over medium flame  to heat.
• Dust some dry rice flour on the rolling board ( chakla ) and roll the ball carefully  into a thin circular shape. Keep dusting with rice flour to prevent sticking to the board.
• If you don’t get it in a perfect circle, just shape it out round using a cookie cutter or may be just a sharp bowl ( katori )
• Heat up a tava/griddle, preferable a cast iron one, and when it is medium hot, place a pathiri on it. After a few seconds, turn it over. Repeat this once more. When you see the pathiri turning opaque, use the back of a spoon to spread the heat, without pressing down too hard. When it puffs up, remove it from the griddle.
• Do not cook Pathiris for a long time, they will turn crisp and brown. It should remain white and soft, to be enjoyed properly.
• Wipe off any rice flour left on the Tawa before you place the next rolled pathiri on it. Prepare all the remaining Pathiris in the same way, just like Chapatis
• Smear a tablespoon of coconut milk on each pathiri and keep covered. Alternately, each pathiri is dipped in coconut milk just before serving. Its usually enjoyed with a spicy curry or chutney aside. 

Notes and tips:

• While kneading, if you find that the dough is not soft enough, just sprinkle some lukewarm water while kneading.
• I used store bought non-roasted rice flour to make these Pathiris. If you don’t get it there, you could slightly roast the rice flour in a pan till it starts to turn light golden in colour, cool and then use for making Pathiris
• The heat should be consistently medium hot to allow the layers to separate. If the heat is too low, it will either turn hard and if it is too high, it will brown without cooking the inner layers. Once the layers puff up, take it off the flame immediately.
• Should be rolled as thin as possible, otherwise it wouldn’t have a soft texture and it should puff up while cooking. Like I said above, if you are using a cutter to cut it in circular shape, you don’t need to shape it at the time of rolling and then you can take care of how thin you can roll it. It will come good with some practise.
• Some people love Pathiris dipped in Coconut milk, with some sugar sprinkled on top. Specially kids would love it. 

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