Yet another favorite Malabar dish…
Hope everyone had a wonderful Eid celebration. We had a double celebration, Eid and my hubby’s birthday with our dear friends. I had spent most of the time in the kitchen over the weekend. Last Saturday, I was busy making my first fondant cake for my hubby’s birthday. I worked on it 6 hours straight, but I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it and at night my hubby enjoyed massaging my legs. Did he enjoy that? I don’t think so 🙂
I wouldn’t let go any opportunity to celebrate and obviously food is the first thing that comes to my mind while thinking of celebration. I am exactly like my mom, I enjoy having our friends/family over and making a lot of dishes for them.
Here is the picture of the fondant cake that I’d made. I used store bought fondant, it was really good; wasn’t that sweet and absolutely not gummy. Since, it was my first attempt, I didn’t go overboard trying to make a complicated design, with lots of decoration and all. Also, since it was my man’s birthday cake I didn’t want to add too much colors to it, so went with a simple black and white theme. It was worth all the effort, I am looking forward to making my second fondant cake for my best friend’s kid’s birthday next month. She’s turning 5, since she’s a kid I can add more colors and decorations. For making the cake I used this recipe, covered the cake first with butter cream frosting and then with fondant.
Peacock fruit basket:
Here is the collage of the Eid spread; made chicken drummettes biryani, butter chicken, chatti pathiri, chicken fry, salad and peacock fruit basket.
Among these dishes, my most favorite is chatti pathiri, even our friends were curious about its preparation. I’d already posted the recipe for making adukku pathiri or layered crepes and chicken or chicken pie, the making of that is quite similar to chatti pathiri. For making adukku pathiri, I steam cooked it. While chatti pathiri as the name suggests, it’s made in a ‘chatti’ which means ‘a pan’ in malayalam. Also, each crepe was first dipped in the beaten egg and layered, by this way it will be stacked together as one single piece. You could make as many layers as you want and the filling can be made with chicken, mutton, beef, vegetables or even eggs. Also, the number of eggs used can also be adjusted, since I dipped the crepes in eggs, I didn’t add eggs for making the crepe batter. If you prefer you can add eggs to the batter and make it more rich and tasty.
This makes a brilliant appetizer for any parties, and can be served for brunch as well. You guests are going to click a lot of pictures of this dish and yes they won’t leave without noting down the recipe 🙂
There is nothing more enjoyable than sharing food and the recipe with your dear ones!
Update: Below is the picture of Chatti Pathiri made in a small round saucepan. Also, I added turmeric powder to the batter
Cooking Video
Ingredients
For marinating chicken
- Chicken breasts or thighs- 2 breasts, cut small ( or use mutton, beef)
- Chili powder- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp
- Garam Masala- 3/4 tsp
- Fennel powder- 1 1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Salt- to taste
To grind:
- Garlic- 3 cloves
- Ginger- 1-inch slice
- Green chili- 2 or 3
For making the chicken filling:
- Oil- 3 tbsp
- Onion, chopped small- 2, large
- Cilantro, chopped small- 2 handful
- Curry leaves (optional)- 1 sprig
- Salt- to taste
For making crepes
- All-purpose flour or Maida- 1 1/2 cups (depending on how many you are making)
- Water- 2 1/4 cups
- Egg- 1
- Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp (optional)
- Salt- to taste
Other ingredients
- Eggs, beaten- 2 or depending on how many layers you are making
- Ground Pepper- 1/4 tsp
- Salt- 2 pinches
- Cashew nuts, roasted in ghee and chopped- for garnishing
- Ghee- 2 tbsp for greasing pan + 2 to 3 tbsp for garnishing
Instruction
Making the chicken filling:
- To the chicken add the above-mentioned ingredients ‘for marinating chicken’.
- Add the marinated chicken into a saucepan and cook covered. No need to add any water, cook covered so that water will ooze out of the chicken.
- When all the water has dried off, add 2 tbsp of oil and slightly fry chicken for a few minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool down.
- After the chicken has cooled down, shred it using a fork or your fingers, keep aside.
- Into a blender, coarsely grind the garlic, ginger, and green chilies.
- Place a large pan over medium heat, add oil and add onions.
- Add 1/2 tsp salt and saute onions till translucent.
- Add the ground ginger/garlic/chili to the onions and saute for a few minutes.
- If you are adding curry leaves, add that as well.
- Let the onions turn light golden in color.
- Add cooked shredded chicken and combine well.
- Cook for a few minutes.
- Taste and add more salt or chili powder if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro and cook for a minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool down.
Making crepes:
- Into a blender, combine flour, egg, water, and salt.
- Blend it to a smooth thin batter.
- You could add turmeric powder if you want the crepes to have a nice yellow color.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, grease with non-stick cooking spray or ghee, pour 1 large spoonful of batter to the pan and spread it to round shape using the back of the spoon.
- Let the bottom side cook, flip it over, and let the other side cook. Don’t overcook the crepes or make it crispy.
- While pouring the batter on the pan, remove the pan from the heat and then pour the batter on it else the batter won’t spread smooth, lumps will be formed because of the heat.
- Keep aside the cooked crepes.
Layering:
- For the final cooking, use a small to medium-sized non-stick saucepan to get a round shaped chatti pathiri.
- In a wide bowl, beat 2 eggs along with 1/4 tsp ground pepper and 2 pinches of salt.
- Grease the saucepan or frying pan with ghee and place over low heat.
- Dip the first crepe in the beaten egg.
- Place the crepe as the first layer on the pan.
- Spread the chicken filling evenly over the crepe.
- Spread some chopped cashew nuts.
- Dip the second crepe in the egg, place it over the chicken filling.
- Spread the chicken filling and cashew nuts.
- You can make up to 5 layers of crepes and chicken filling.
- Any remaining beaten eggs pour over the top crepe layer.
- Drizzle with 2 tbsp of ghee over the top layer.
- Cover the pan with its lid and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cook till the bottom layer has turned light golden in color.
- Cover the pan with a plate and gently turn the pan upside down so that the layered crepes will fall onto the plate.
- Grease the pan with a tablespoon of ghee.
- Gently transfer the chatti pathiri to the pan, now the top part should be placed on the pan.
- Cook covered for 5 more minutes over low-medium heat.
- Remove the pan from the heat, cover the pan with a plate and flip it over, chatti pathiri would fall on to the plate.
- Let it cool down and using a knife cut into wedges.
- Enjoy as an appetizer or as a main course.
Tips:
- Use any kind of filling: mutton, ground beef, shrimp, vegetarian, or scrambled eggs.
- Layer the crepes and chicken in a saucepan to get a more cake-like chatti pathiri.
- Chicken breasts or thighs- 2 breasts, cut small ( or use mutton, beef)
- Chili powder- 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder- ⅛ tsp
- Garam Masala- ¾ tsp
- Fennel powder- 1½ tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Salt- to taste
- Garlic- 3 cloves
- Ginger- 1 inch slice
- Green chili- 2 or 3
- Oil- 3 tbsp
- Onion, chopped small- 2, large
- Cilantro, chopped small- 2 handful
- Curry leaves (optional)- 1 sprig
- Salt- to taste
- All purpose flour or Maida- 1½ cups (or depending on how many you are making)
- Water- enough to make a not so thick not so thin batter
- Egg- 1
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp (optional)
- Salt- to taste
- Egg, beaten- 2 or depending on how many layers you are making
- Ground pepper- ¼ tsp
- Salt- 2 pinches
- Cashew nuts, roasted in ghee and chopped small- for garnishing
- Ghee- 2 tbsp for greasing pan + 2 to 3 tbsp for garnishing
- To the chicken, add the above-mentioned ingredients 'for marinating chicken'.
- Add the marinated chicken into a saucepan and cook covered. No need to add water, cook covered so that water will ooze out of the chicken.
- When all the water has dried off, add 2 tbsp of oil and slightly fry chicken for a few minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool down.
- After the chicken has cooled down, shred it using a fork or your fingers, keep aside.
- In a blender, coarsely grind the garlic, ginger, and green chilies.
- Place a large pan over medium heat, add oil and add onions.
- Add ½ tsp salt and saute onions till translucent.
- Add the ground ginger/garlic/chili to the onions and saute for a few minutes.
- If you are adding curry leaves, add that as well.
- Let the onions turn light golden in color.
- Add cooked shredded chicken and combine well.
- Cook for a few minutes.
- Taste and add more salt or chili powder if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro and cook for a minute.
- In a blender, combine flour, egg, water and salt.
- You could add turmeric powder if you want the crepes to have a nice yellow color.
- Blend it to a smooth thin batter.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, grease with non-stick cooking spray or ghee, pour 1 large spoonful of batter to the pan and spread it to round shape using the back of the spoon.
- Let the bottom side cook, flip it over and let the other side cook. Don't over cook it or make it crispy.
- While pouring the batter on the pan, remove the pan from the heat and then pour the batter on it else the batter won't spread smooth, lumps will be formed because of the heat.
- Keep aside the cooked crepes.
- For the final cooking, use a small to medium sized non-stick saucepan to get a cake shaped chatti pathiri.
- In a wide bowl, beat 2 eggs along with ¼ tsp ground pepper and 2 pinches of salt.
- Grease the saucepan with ghee, place it over low heat.
- Dip the first crepe in the beaten egg.
- Place the crepe as the first layer in the pan.
- Spread the chicken filling evenly over the crepe.
- Spread some roasted cashew nuts over it.
- Dip the second crepe in the egg, place it over the chicken filling.
- Spread the chicken filling and cashew nuts.
- Repeat the layering till it's almost close to the brim of the pan and the top layer should be the crepe.
- If you have beaten eggs remaining, pour it over the top crepe layer.
- Drizzle with 2 tbsp of ghee over the top layer.
- Cover the pan with its lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cook till the bottom layer has turned light golden in color.
- Cover the pan with a plate and gently turn the pan upside down so that the layered crepes (it will be stuck together) will fall onto the plate.
- Grease the pan with some more ghee.
- Gently transfer the chatti pathiri to the pan, now the top part should be placed on the pan.
- Cook covered for 5 more minutes over low-medium heat.
- Remove from the heat, cover the pan with a plate and flip it over, chatti pathiri would fall on to the plate.
- Let it cool down and using a knife cut into wedges just as you slice a cake.
- Enjoy as an appetizer or as a main dish.
Use any kind of filling: mutton, ground beef, vegetarian or egg.
Layer the crepes and chicken in a saucepan to get a more cake like chatti pathiri.
