Pathiri and kadala curry: A specialty from God’s Own Country

I have never missed an opportunity to eat a sadya meal, as it covers most of their heritage vegetarian dishes.

My friend, Syed Kirmani, who won the award for the best wicket keeper during 1983 cricket World Cup, has authentic Muslim cuisines cooked at his home. Particularly during Eid, he would send biryani to all his friends. He was the one who first introduced me to pathiri, and mentioned that it was a specialty of Malabar Muslims and that if ever I go to Kerala, I must try it out. It just shows that every region’s food depended on the influences of the trade relations they had with the world outside.

As I sat and looked outside the window of Rainbow Jeevalayam naturopathy clinic in Chavakkad in Kerala’s Thrissur district, where I had been admitted for treatment, all I could feel was a sense of peace. The views with a fusion of greenery and coconut plants were soothing to one’s senses in every way. I saw a few children playing downstairs and called out to them in Malayalam. Cute chubby children, aged five to 12 trotted up the stairs with a great amount of curiosity. Ameen, a 12-year-old boy, was not only adorable but very talkative. The children, in exchange for chocolates, agreed to take me around their 100-year-old house. Not wanting to miss the treat, I quickly wore my shoes and grabbed my phone to capture photographs and ventured forth.

At the gate, we met their mother. They lived in a beautiful tharavadu (ancestral home), just across the coconut grove of the clinic. A huge rambling house, with red-tiled roof, pillars, also had a red-stoned pathway leading up to the home. A massive golden-coloured gate led to the home, with a garden displaying nature at its best. It was a special experience to walk into the ancient house and gaze around in wonder at the structure — the central courtyard, the teakwood columns on four sides with golden colour carvings on the top and bottom. The antique furniture, especially the cane and teakwood easy chair, where the family head relaxed, took me back in time.The most fascinating was the kitchen, which was a mini house by itself. A long wooden table and a bench occupied one side of it. Huge fireplaces for cooking were on the other end. There were three of them which had logs burning, had bronze pots on them. Onions and garlic hung on a rope swaying down from the wooden beams that held up the kitchen. On the side table were wire racks containing shallots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, ash gourd, drumsticks, raw bananas and ripe Kerala bananas. All this was grown in the huge kitchen garden in the backyard. Curry leaves had the pride of place. When I entered the kitchen, two middle-aged ladies were running around, cooking over the fireplace. Pathiri and mutton curry was being cooked. Pathiri is a crepe made of rice flour. It is part of local cuisine among the Mappilas of North Malabar region in Kerala. Pathiri is also known as ari pathil or pathil in some parts of the Malabar region. The word pathiri traces its origin to the Arabic word fateerah, meaning “pastry”. It’s said to be the Arab traders who introduced this dish to the Malabar coast and was later modified to suit local taste. The dish is served with meat, fish or kadala curry.

After tasting pathiri, I decided to make it for the staff of the naturopathy clinic. So, next morning I was in their kitchen and was assisted by their chef Aparna. Since only vegetarian food was cooked in the kitchen, I decided to cook kadala curry to go pathiris. The spicy black chickpea curry, prepared in a base of spicy roasted coconut gravy, is commonly served with puttu as well. Dr Vishnu and all the staff loved the kadala curry and pathiris. Sharing the recipe so you can try it out too.