THALASERRY BIRIYANI

THALASERRY BIRIYANI

The prominent cuisine from Thalassery the northernmost town in Kerala is a special biryani with relishing aroma and taste. Made of kaima or biryani rice, authentic masala made of specific spices and dry nuts and stuffed meat, this dish is made especially during the celebration of Eid in Malabar region of Kerala. The dish is especially savoured with curd, lime pickle (naranga achar) and salad.

There are broadly two classes of the non-vegetarian cuisine in Kerala; Malabar cuisine which is from North Kerala and Syrian Christian cuisine which is from the South (Travancore and Kochi regions). The two are clearly distinct from each other; the former has Mughlai-Arab, Portuguese, British, Dutch, Jewish and French influences and the latter includes a mix of Kerala traditional dishes rich in coconut as well as various recipes of Syrian, Dutch, Portuguese or British origin.

                       

                      

Biryani is traditionally seen only as an occasional serving and not as staple food. Breakfast dishes include Pathiri, Orotti etc. The sweeteners are mostly used as snacks to be consumed in the afternoon or early evening.. Biryani was introduced into the region due to the Islamic influence and the recipe gradually evolved into Thalassery biryani.

The main difference between Thalassery biryani and other biryanis is that it uses only Khaima/Jeerakasala rice—a short-grain, thin rice which is also called biryani rice in Kerala. The dish does not use basmati rice. Biryani is an exotic dish of Mughal origin, but this variant is an indigenous recipe of Malabar. It is a symbol of the cultural amalgamation of Mughal and Malabari cuisines. The Mughals brought the cuisine of biryani from Samarkand, and later variations of biryani developed in different parts of India. Thalassery biryani may have come to the region because of the influence of the Muslim rulers of Mysore and arkot.

KUMBILAPPAM

KUMBILAPPAM

Kumbilappam aka Chakka Kumbulappam, Chakka Appam, Vazhanayappam,  Theraliyappam is an authentic snack food of kerala,  Its prepared by cooking jackfruit bulb with rice flour, grated coconut and jaggery. This mixture is then wrapped and steamed in fresh green Edanailla/Bay Leaves/ Vazhanayilas shaped into cones (Kumbils). These leaves have a special fragrance which when mixed with the jackfruit will definitely stimulate your taste buds

                          

 

                                                                       KUMBILAPPAM WITH KATTANCHAYA                                                      

I have always loved how close to nature Kerala cuisine is – in cooking methods and in ingredients. Despite modern cooking practices, many households in Kerala still use age-old methods because the food simply tastes better that way. One of these methods is the use of different kinds of leaves as holding pans for steaming or grilling different foods.

Kumbilappam is made with rice flour, Kerala’s king of fruits – the jackfruit – coconut and jaggery steamed in leaves on the stove or brick oven. A very common snack among people from Kottayam, which is where I am from, we use vazhana or therali leaves to makes these mini-cakes.  The therali plant is a relative of the much-loved cinnamon; its leaves fragrant enough to have you drooling as soon as the pot opens. The batter alone baked or steamed would never taste as good without the leaves; the fragrance getting infused into these cakes and balancing the sweetness.     

PATHIRI

PATHIRI

Pathiri is a pancake made of rice flour. It is part of the local cuisine among the Mappilas of North malabar and malabar in kerala state of india. Crushed rice is made into a white dough and baked on pans called oadu. After preparation it is sometimes soaked in coconut milk to keep it soft and to improve the flavor.

Pathiri is also known as ari pathiri or pathil in some parts of the Malabar region. The word pathiri  traces its origin to the Arabic word fateerah meaning "pastry". It is believed that pathiri itself originated with the Arabs in Malabar

                 

PATHIRI WITH KOZHI CURRY

Irachi pathiri or Irachi pathil is very popular in north malanar and is a very common snack in areas of thalaserry, vatakkara, malabar. It is made in the same way as a samosa, but the only difference is that the outer skin in which the masala is stuffed is made of wheat flour. In some places all-purpose flour is used for the skin. It is made by stuffing a masala made of cooked chicken or meat, which is shredded to very small pieces using bare hands and then adding onion, green chillies, garlic turmeric and a little chili powder and heating until onions are brown in very little ghee over a medium flame, then stuffing in the already prepared skin and frying in oil. It is the size of the samosas which are common in Northern India.

Today, pathiri is still a popular dish among the Muslims in Kerala. It is usually prepared for dinner and served with meat or fish. In some regions, pathiri is regularly served during ifftarin the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Variants of pathiri include neypathiri (made with ghee), poricha pathiri (fried rather than baked), meen pathiri (stuffed with fish), and irachi pathiri (stuffed with beef).