Chatti Pathiri-Sweet Layered and Filled Crepes

As I have already mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I have joined a food blogging community by the name of Kerala Kitchen hosted by two very talented food bloggers - Ria and Rose

This month’s challenge has been hosted  by Magpie’s Recipes for The Kerala Kitchen and  she challenged us to make Chatti Pathiri which is a speciality amongst the Muslim and the Christian community in Kerala but enjoyed by all nonetheless. When I took up the challenge I was faintly confident that I would pull through since I was in Bahrain back then. I had my oven at my disposal and in my mind, the pathiri’s were sorted out. But due to unexpected circumstances I had to travel down to my mum’s place in Cochin and as the month end drew nearer, I felt my confidence fade fast. There was no oven and if at all I had to participate, I had to somehow manage with the stove top. I kept procrastinating till my mum herself pushed me to take up the cudgels, in this case the plain flour and the roller pin.

Within this challenge, I had one more personal challenge. My parents are strict vegetarians ( dad doesn’t even eat eggs) and while the recipes called for either egg or mince meat in the filling, I was faced with the prospect of giving up altogether. It was when I went grocery shopping with my parents, did it strike me that I could easily do my version of the whole thing. My eyes chanced upon the condensed milk tin and I knew I had my own recipe in the offing.

I quickly got onto a shopping spree and stuffed my basket with condensed milk, coconut, black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, assorted dried fruits and raisins. Essentially I followed shab’s recipe and decided on the sweet version of this delectable delight. I wouldn’t say that this Baklava – like treat is entirely easy but it isn’t overtly difficult as well. It is pretty much do-able and the results are stunning. My parents savoured every bit of it and later that night I overheard my dad praising it to the skies to my brother over the phone. That really meant something. It was a clear indicator that chatti pathiri had won a few hearts here for sure.

The Recipe for Chatti Pathiri

Ingredients:

For the Pathiris:

1 cup (150 g) Plain flour

1/3 cup warm water

1 tbs vegetable oil

salt to taste

For the filling:

half a tin of condensed milk (I used nestle’s milk maid)

4 tbsp black sesame seeds

7 tbsp  Grated coconut

3 tbs (30 gm) Raisins

3 tbs (30 gm ) Cashew nuts(Chopped finely)

3 tbsp almonds (chopped finely)

4 tbsp Poppy seeds

3 tbsp cardamom powder

For Coating:

1 cup atleast or even more of coconut milk ( I used the powdered variety that can be done to milk by adding hot water to it)

5 tbsp mix of Cardamom powder and powdered sugar

2 tsp Ghee

Preparation:

For the Pathiris

1. Mix the flour with water, oil and salt and knead into a dough like that of chappati. Keep it covered for half an hour.

2. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.Using a roller pin, roll it out into paper-thin chappaties/round flat bread of uniform size(6 Inches inches diameter) on a dusted flour board.

3.Heat a griddle and cook the chappatis/round flat bread lightly on a tawa. Keep them aside.You should be able to get 8 chappathis with this amount.

Note:You can vary the size of the chappati /round flat bread depending on the size of the pathiri chatti or the vessel in which you are baking it.

For the filling:

1. Heat a Large frying pan.Add ghee and saute raisins, cashew nuts, poppy seeds, almonds, sesame seeds till seem a little golden brown . Then saute grated coconut along with cardamom powder until they start to change the colour slightly.

2. Mix the above with half a tin of condensed milk and keep aside. Taste to check the level of sweetness. Add more condensed milk if required.

For the coating and the assembling.

1. For coating, make the coconut milk from the coconut powder. If you already have ready-made coconut milk, that’s awesome. Add to this, cardamom powder and powdered sugar and keep aside.

2. Take a non-stick baking tray,  or a deep skillet and spread couple of tsps oil or ghee / clarified butter all around.

3. Keep one pathiri/flat bread as the first layer. Using a spoon sprinkle the nut mix filling on top of the pathiri/flat bread.

4. Dip the second chappathi/flat bread in the coconut milk mixture, coat well and place it on top of the filling.

5. Sprinkle the condensed milk -nut mixture again and repeat this until all the pathiris, the coconut milk mix and the nut mixture is used up and pathiri being the top layer. Pour the remaining coconut milk mixture on top of pathiri (a generous amount) so that it drains on all the gaps on sides and form a thin layer on top. This is important to keep the Chatti Pathiri moist. If you run out of the coconut milk mixture after coating, make more and mix with sufficient sugar and cardamom and pour on top.

6. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until the top of pathiri turns golden. Alternately you can do what I did, which is to cook it on a stove top in a non stick  deep skillet or deep pan. All you have to do is to place it at a very low flame and flip it carefully to cook on the other side. According to me, herein lies the test and I passed it with flying colours. Flipping of such a heavy set block of flat breads with filling is a mean feat.  The flipping becomes a bit easy when the lowest layer of flat bread/pathiri is a little hard. When both the sides have cooked well, it is easy to slide it out of the pan into the serving plate.

7. After it cooled down a little, I drizzled it with some more condensed milk and decorated it with pitted cherries.

I was more than happy with the end result and it tastes absolutely fantastic. I have already decided to try it once again but with whole wheat flour and with a different filling. Thank you Rose of Magpiesrecipes for hosting this challenge. I really enjoyed the whole experience.

The Holiday Week

Life couldn’t get better than this. As I wake up ( at whatever time I please), I get a whiff of freshly ground coconut chutney tempering and filtered coffee. Yes, I am in heaven or somewhere close, that I call my mum’s home. Breakfast is always ready, bed always made, clothes already washed & folded and dishes do the themselves ( well a maid does them).  However hard I try, I don’t seem to be waking up to help my mum or she seems to be done with it before the cock-a-doodle crows. Life is bliss right now, as I look out of the bedroom window and see a red cow grazing in bucolic grace. Our flat is surrounded by lush paddy fields. The cool breeze, the dancing rice saplings and the herons flying off in the horizon are the sights that welcome me each day. I could sit here forever and find inspiration to type away on my keyboard. All that restlessness is fading away and I feel every inch of me relaxing in a way, I haven’t for a long long time.

Until… my daughter sneaks up from one side and switches off the power button on the laptop. Grrrr…

Well that’s the real life. My life.

For weekly update, there hasn’t much happened to quote and note. Each day seamlessly blending into the other before I look up notice. I haven’t even decided on how long I am going to stay put ( my idea is forever but I am sure my parents may think it unreasonable ) here in Cochin. Before my hubby left for Bahrain ( he left because his office reopened and he was summoned immediately), we had a chance to cruise around the by lanes of Fort Kochi. An unappetising place, to say the least. We also happened to sample a lot baked delights from the local bakers. K. R. Bakes, Cochin Bakeries, Bread World to name a few. Though am not sure about the star quality of ingredients used, the cup cakes and the meat puffs were delectable. Through Bread World, I also stumbled upon their gourmet super market that sells cooking chocolate and fleur de sel. A pleasant surprise indeed. I stocked up on butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, cooking chocolate, food colour, ricotta cheese and all that.  My only glitch in this excitement is that my mum doesn’t have an oven. But as she is pretty upbeat about this whole food blogging thing, we have geared up to take up some challenges. Watch this space for some delectable  Kerala delicacies! We did indulge in one such staple snack that you can catch up with here.

Apart from the gourmet hoarding, I chanced upon a Betty Crocker Mix of the Devil’s Food Cake that I made for Namit’s Birthday. I wanted to see if I was close to the original or not. Also, it would be an experiment – first of its kind for me – to make the cake in the microwave. Well it turned out quite okay but was extremely rich after I slathered the decadent dessert with plenty of chocolate glaze.

Rest of time I spent being on twitter, watching the Cricket World Cup  (especially the India Vs Australia match) and reading some books I ordered through Flipkart. I flipped ( literally) with joy when the courier guy rapped at my door to do the delivery. Books ( affordable ones) are so hard to come by in Bahrain and for me a service like FlipKart is a blessing. I ordered for, not surprisingly, “Julie & Julia” -by Julie Powell,  ”How to be a Domestic Goddess” by Nigella Lawson, “Women & the Weight Loss Tamasha” – by Rujuta Diwekar, “Cake decoration for Beginners” – by some publisher. Once  I am done with them or any of them, I shall post a two liner review about it. I still  have some more books to order but my purse strings have been tightened by my conscientious hubby. I know eventually he will come around.

Being here in Cochin has its own perks because my daughter has found her own toddler community in the building and spends absolutely no time indoors. I hardly get to see her as she is running out to play with her mates or even by herself. She ignores my existence until she feels hungry or sleepy. I am not complaining!

In other efforts to keep myself busy, I tried to enroll into a driving school but due to some paperwork and the  likes, it did not work out. I have to figure another way out. Also, I am trying to enroll myself with a pastry making course  in Kochi and that too hasn’t met with any success. If anybody can give me any leads, I shall be most grateful.

Finally, I want Amit to know that I miss him very much ( he would blushing to his temples by now) and such a public declaration of my affection would send him to his shell instantly. I also miss my dear friend Namit and all the wonderful weekends we spent doing restaurant reviews, dinners, and sight seeing ( by now Namit would be a deep shade of crimson, slowly turning purple and shades alike). I am sure Mimi misses you both, but right now she is a tad busy doing her stuff. Also, Gayathri, I miss our chats. Somehow, since the time I have come here, we haven’t had the time to connect properly. Hoping that it would be better over the coming days.

Because I miss seeing both of you together

The Insolent Child

My daughter turned 1 and a half, a few days ago. Since I am at my mum’s right now, she had made sadya ( Kerala style feast) to celebrate her 18th month birthday and her homecoming. My daughter slurped on the payasam ( rice pudding) and splashed some everywhere she sat. Later that day, I was speaking with a friend over the phone who wished my daughter a happy 18th month birthday. She jokingly remarked, “Now you have only a little time before she hits the terrible twos“.  At this, I most innocently asked what that meant. She explained patiently that children become insolent as they are in the process of developing  minds of their own. They do not take heed to what their parents tell them and no amount admonishment would make any difference to their demeanour.

After her phone call, I noticed Mimi sprawled on the tiled floored, make a face and demanding something from her grandfather, My dad, being the doting grandfather that he is, obliged her. It was then that it occurred to me that this has become a norm with Mimi. She seemed to resort to such blackmailing tactics – sprawling on the floor, crying and kicking, pushing me away, when I try to comfort her, sometimes even biting and scratching. It seemed that my daughter had prematurely already entered the terrible twos phase. Where did that affectionate, ever abiding baby go? The one that giggled and laughed when I told her to stay away from something perilous and came running to me in my outstretched arms. That baby has grown up, taken things in her stride and operated in a calculated way. She has figured and singled out significant ones who would do all that she wanted at that very instant. Her current favourite is my dad – her grandfather.

Always the one to plan ahead ( I bid the spontaneous side of me  good-bye, as soon as I become a mother), I started to think of various tantrum-interventions. How was I going to tackle her misbehaviour if she planned to do a public show-down. Would I resort to talking to her, try to explain things to her and simply hug her till her angry surges were distracted. Or would I resort to more disciplinarian resorts such as spanking and scolding? Such questions nagged till I tried to buried them with other thoughts about the happenings in Bahrain. If you have read my older post you would know that we had to flee Bahrain because of the civil unrest. But now things have pretty much settled down but emotions continue to simmer, I hear.

On an impulse, I imagined the the King of Bahrain as the parent and all the angry protestors as his wards. As a patriarch, he did what he could do best to control the situation which threatened his legacy. But questions such as what means did he apply to protect his interests and whether it was right on his part to completely squash his unarmed opposition with might of burrowed arms continue to haunt. I totally understand, it is a way more complex than I am intending to potray here. There were other external influences that made him take certain decisions that would curtail the economic and other damage already done. Should he have adopted another way via opening all channels of communication? Would that have helped if his untrusting wards refused obstinately to respond to his dialogue? What was he to do under these circumstances? If he had let his control slip, it would have meant he was weak and unable to hold his own. So many questions would have plagued him, I am sure. Like a parent, he would have had sleepless nights, thinking of all possible solutions to the problem at hand.

This also took me back to the conversation I had with mum when she confessed that according to her, my teenage years were the most difficult for her. She shudders to recall the number of times, I would have said, I hated her for reasons unknown. My guess is the protestors were behaving like a bunch of teenagers ( from the King’s perspective) who think they have been harmed, denied and ignored for a long time. These demands may be real or perceived, but the reality is the people of Bahrain feel so, hence not all was right.  This juxtaposition is again an exaggeration from my side, but well, just for the sake of a debate, we can assume it to be fair.

Drawing parallels like this can only mean the amount of thought I am giving to a situation that concerns me. It may be real or perceived, much like I suggested before.

So what would I do when my daughter behaves irrationally ( mm, she is expected to behave like that because she is a toddler) ? Like the King, should I tie her down, suppress her and punish her insolence, so that she doesn’t speak up or act funny again? What are my choices? Well, according to me, choices are aplenty. How I exercise them would make a world of a difference to how Mimi would grow up and respond to various situations. It would define the relationship that I am going to have with her. I feel I should let her act the way she does and try to understand why she is doing that. Be more open and receptive to her extreme emotions and enjoy the learning curve. But in my case, the ratio is very simple ;1:1 while for the King is 1: many ++++. So his problem is complicated manifold. Still the least he could do is be a responsible parent and try to listen to his people. Know what ails them and do the necessary to assuage the hurt.

Most of the times, I have realized Mimi throws a tantrum only because I wouldn’t let her be a part of what I was doing at that moment. It could be baking a cake or watching tv or even surfing the internet. She feels ignored and kicks her feet to draw my attention. All I have to do is to listen to what she has to say ( all gibberish but full of emotion) and take her in my arms. She then does some cookie dough testing for me, helps me dust the flour off my dress and peek through the oven glass from time to time to see the cake rising.

The King has a similar choice too – To open his heart and let his people in.

All thoughts in this post are mere ramblings and such parallels may deem illogical to a rational mind. But every now and then my thoughts turn to the casualities that have occured in Bahrain and I feel a deep sense of remorse. Yes remorse, though I have done nothing wrong. But remorse and sadness are emotions that one feels when it is realized that one is helpless in this situation. In the 10 months that I lived in Bahrain, a new found attachment  envolopes me and I miss Bahrain from the bottom of my heart. I don’t understand politics and have zero opinions about the whole thing but all I am concerned is about the families affected by this clash. I feel that their memories will forever carry the scars if the means adopted to restore security and peace don’t change.

I also dread to go back because I hear the Pearl Roundabout doesn’t stand there anymore. That iconic landmark has been replaced by an insignificant traffic light.

All of this rambling finally brings me to this conclusion, Parenting is very tough and the only way harmony would prevail, is by taking the middle path.

Are you listening, King of Bahrain?

A Snack for the pack- Sweetened Poha

A sweltery evening in Cochin can make one ravenous for sure. Somehow the heart doesn’t crave for something chilled. It makes you crave for a hot cup of tea and some uber sweet snack. Atleast my heart did.

My mum had just returned from work and I was already at her pallu pestering her to make something for me. At this she was quick to respond that, since I am into food blogging and all that jazz, I should make something and give her.

Well that made sense.

So I started to think hard about what I can make.  Then I remembered a conversation I had with my twitter friends in the morning about sweetened poha and lo behold, I knew exactly what was in order.

It is called Aval Kozhachathu ( spelling courtesy, my mum) which is flattened rice or poha in jaggery and grated coconut. It is extremely filling as it is laced with cashews and golden raisins. The whole house was filled with the comforting aroma of ghee ( clarified butter) and cardamom. Incidently, it is my dad’s favourite snack and if he hadn’t been suffering with diabetes, he would have had it every evening. So the entire pack – my hubby, my daughter, my dad, my mom and myself included concurred that “Aval Kozhachathu” it  was.

The Recipe for Aval Kozhachathu(korr-a-che-thu)

Preparation time  5 minutes

Cooking time :10 -15 minutes

Serves :4 Adults and 1 baby

Ingredients:

2 cups flattened rice/poha/aval ( Note that it is brown in colour as opposed to the white variety found usually)

1 and half cup of grated coconut ( Since I am in Kerala, I had access to freshly grated coconut and it would taste better if the coconut used it freshly grated. But it would important to note that coconut powder, coconut milk CANNOT be a substitute here)

1 and a half cup of jaggery, grated for ease of cooking ( Note the colour and shape of jaggery found in Kerala)

1-2 tablespoon of ghee ( clarified butter)

handful of cashews and golden raisins

chopped ripe bananas ( optional)

1 tsp of cardamom or 5-6 cardamom pods

Method

1) Prepare the ingredients by grating the coconut, grating jaggery and breaking open the cardamom pods ( keep the pods though for enhanced flavour)

2) In a pan add 2 Tbsp of ghee ( clarified butter) and fry the cashews, raisins and the cardamom first

3) Add the grated jaggery and keep stirring. The jaggery would start melting quickly and if it doesn’t add a tablespoon or 2 of water to quicken the process. Make sure that it doesn’t burn.

4) Add grated coconut and keep stirring.

5) While the jaggery is still melting, you should sprinkle water on the flattened rice/aval/poha and let it soak for a bit. Take care to not make it very soggy. Just the right amount of sprinkle and you would know.

6) Add the poha/flattened rice/aval to the mixture in the pan and stir well. Keep stirring so that it doesn’t stick or get burnt.

7) You can add chopped bananas because they taste absolutely fantastic with the fare, but I skipped it because, even without it, it would be extremely filling.

8) Ta-da, we are done!!

Everybody had a generous helping while my hubby and I shared some love from a single bowl

 

Am sending this to The Kerala Kitchen event hosted by Magpie’s Recipes. Hope they like it.