Pathiri

A wheat flatbread remade in rice flour, which is what its name records.

Vegan.

Ingredients

350 g rice flour
500 ml water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
100 ml thick coconut milk, to brush

Method

A WHEAT FLATBREAD REMADE IN RICE FLOUR, WHICH IS WHAT ITS NAME RECORDS. Its article traces the borrowing and gives the reason: the name is COMMONLY LINKED TO THE ARABIC FATEER, A FLATBREAD, AND THE DISH IS THOUGHT TO HAVE ADAPTED THAT FORM TO LOCAL INGREDIENTS BY USING RICE FLOUR IN PLACE OF WHEAT, AS RICE WAS MORE READILY AVAILABLE IN MALABAR. A bread that kept the shape and changed the grain, and said so in its name.
AND IT CAME WITH THE TRADERS. The article places it in the Mappila cuisine of the Malabar coast, shaped by long CONTACT WITH ARAB TRADERS WHO STAYED IN THE REGION DURING LONG TRADING VOYAGES.
THE DOUGH IS MADE WITH BOILING WATER AND NOTHING ELSE. Water, salt and the coconut oil to a rolling boil, rice flour tipped in all at once, stirred to a mass with a spoon handle. Rice flour mixed with cold water stays gritty and cracks at the edges when rolled.
KNEAD IT WHILE IT IS ALMOST TOO HOT TO HANDLE. Five minutes until it is smooth and slightly glossy. Left to cool first it will not come smooth at all.
ROLL THEM VERY THIN AND VERY ROUND. Two millimetres, the size of a saucer, on a greased surface. A pathiri is thinner than a chapati and has no colour on it.
COOK THEM ON A HOT DRY TAVA, A MINUTE A SIDE. No fat in the pan. White spots appear and the bread stiffens slightly; it should not brown anywhere.
THEN PRESS THE EDGE AND IT WILL PUFF. A clean cloth, pressed round the rim as it finishes, and the steam inside lifts it. That is the test of a well-made one.
BRUSH THEM WITH THICK COCONUT MILK AND STACK THEM WARM. Its article names the variants worth knowing: NEYPATHIRI IS FRIED IN GHEE, MEEN PATHIRI IS STUFFED WITH FISH and IRACHI PATHIRI IS A VARIANT MADE WITH MEAT, with baked and layered versions as well.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes