August 12, 2010

Ramazan Mubarak and Tire Pathiri/ Thick Rice Pan Cooked Bread...

Back from a trip to my hometown, a short and hectic but immensely memorable trip. Got stuffed with a lot of good food, all home made and yummy, just in time to make the Ramazan fast a necessary ritual to get back into my old clothes. The trip had a lot of highlights, so much so that a stray idle day seemed to be lacking something, as I couldn't unwind and just go with it.
Meeting friends, old and new, meeting family  has all left a series of pleasant thoughts to dwell on, on slow days. Initially I was photographing everything trying to capture the moments but then gave up and now all that remains is the distilled essence of the days there. There was just too much to take in at once and the photos don't do justice to the vibrancy and pace there.

Seeing the change in my hometown is always eye opening. Each time I blink, there seems to be a new apartment building sprouting amongst the old tharavadus there. The skyline there, once a lush green of just coconut trees, is now more concrete than green.  There is even a 4 storied apartment coming next door to my parent's house. Easy for me to visit infrequently and feel a pang but looks like the residents there just need more housing and land is expensive so maximizing the use seems to be the norm.


There is so much to blog about the food there, but laziness prevails.. Well, its summer here so anyway,  I am not in a blogging frame of mind now but thought of posting this before I forget how its made. This post is about tire pathiri, a term you would have read only here. Pathiri , as I have explained earlier is a generic term for "rotis" or flatbreads. This is a thick flatbread made with ground rice paste and it called "tire or tyre" as it is very thick, almost an inch thick, reminding you of the truck tyres.
It is called Katti Pathiri elsewhere, meaning "thick flat bread" as opposed to the more common, "neriya pathiri"/ thin flatbreads.  This heavy duty bread is a meal in itself. If you get taken in by the cute looks and make the mistake of plopping one on your plate, early on,at a salkaram/party,  good luck..... you will be stuck between having to finish it and hence not  being able to eat another bite of rice or end up wasting good food.

It is made by soaking rice in warm water and then grinding it to a thick paste and then cooking it on a slow flame. Traditionally cooked in an clay pan over a wood burning stove, it is not so easy, ( not too difficult either) to make on a gas stove. This one chronicled below was made on a gas stove by my MIL's patient hands.. will I make it here to the same quality is yet to be seen. (I will update you all on it.)
You will Need:
1cup rice(ponni parboiled) soaked in hot water (boiling hot initially) for 5-6 hours.

Grind this to a smooth paste (some add shallots and fennel seeds to this grinding, we don't) with very little water. Traditionally done on a stone grinder by hand, it can done in a dosa grinder or in a powerful Indian style food processor with very little water.

Place it in a refrigerator, covered with a muslin (thin cotton) cloth overnight. This allows the excess water to evaporate and what remains is the perfect consistency to make the pathiri.


Take a lump of the dough, flatten it between two plantain leaves or parchment paper or oiled foil to the size of your palm. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.


Heat a cast iron skillet and place the plantain leaf or foil with the flattened dough in it on the skillet.

Cover and cook on medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes on each side, undisturbed.
Open, remove the pathiri and place it directly on the skillet. As it crisps up on each side, flip it over.

Then place the bread on its side, (balance with a wooden spoon) and roll and cook along the edge, pressing it gently as you cook. This allows the pathiri to puff up like a ball. That's when you know its cooked fully.
Serve with any meat curry with lots of gravy or with muringa ela curry.

14 comments:

Sreelekha Sumesh said...

Adipoli pathiri.ee peru kettite ella.ethra tharam pathiri undu total?Ramadan Mubarak to u:)

Finla said...

I know what you mean everytime i go back home i am shocked tha ti don't know anybpdy there that much anymore as they all are new ppl and new houses etc... This is a fully new bread for me. looks yumm.

nishy said...

Ramazan Mubarak!
Good to know that you had a lovely time in your hometown.

sra said...

fascinating! i would be worried that it won't cook through, i won't have the patience, i guess. it really looks plump :)

Bong Mom said...

Oh so there you were !!! Ramazan Mubarak to you and your family Shaheen

Mishmash ! said...

ravile kothippikkuvano? :)
when i first saw the pic, i thought it had a filling...now i feel it's more like a rustic rice bun !

yeah..me too felt the same...kerala seems to losing its green canopy..cochin has quite a skyline these days :(

Sarah Naveen said...

Mouthwatering pathiri dear!!!!
Yeah nadu is changing very fast...Its just 2 years i have been here and every time i go for vacation, i can feel and see the difference...not to mention about All the BMW's and audi's there...

Shabs.. said...

Oh this is new to me!..is it fluffy is texture?....i should give it a try then. Yday just ground some rice....BTW, it looks thicker than 1/2 inch...almost like a bun....is it? BTW, do you know muttassurkki, the one we fry in oil, a fluffy white one...That is delicious with malabar chicken curry...

Shah cooks said...

Sree, pathiri pathu tharam ennu parayum.:))I am still figuring out!

Finla,yeah, its all new things there and we sound crazy preferring the old ones.:)) try this bread if u like rice based pathiris.

Nishy, Thanks!! I did have a wonderful time there and now its all so quiet.

Sra, I am also not that patient. It looks plump as it puffed up..so like a thick puri!

sandeepa, hmm.. u were searching for me? miss me?:))

SHn,a late night bloging only to make sure u will see it with ur morning cuppa!!rice bun sounds liek a nicer name.. i was trying to see what would fit for it in english.

sara, oh yeah. forgot the bmws..the cars are all good ones but the roads are still filled with pot holes and abs no traffic lights.

shabs,i know muttasurki.. had them this time..yeah, it is more than half inch. hi hi.

Pravs said...

beautiful pathiri.First pic, it looks like a bun that is perfectly baked.
I have not been to calicut in years now and i will be sad too to see more of concrete than greenery when i visit.

Miri said...

Wow - thanks for the detailed post - really makes it more interesting to see how these traditional delicacies are made!

Ramzan Mubaarak!

Jayashree said...

Nice pic....it looks like a plump, white version of pav. Happy ramzan to you, Shaheen.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

I love ari patthiri but I've never seen this version before. Does it have the texture of idli by any chance?

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Oh, and Seasons Greetings and best wishes for a Happy New Year.