The Malabar region in Kerala is known for its mouth-watering fish delicacies, and it is often said that the people here can't think of having a meal without the accompaniment of fish. Puttu and spicy fish curry is a super hit breakfast combination loved by the people of Malabar. There is hardly any restaurant here which does not serve finger-licking fish delicacies.
Pathiri (thin rice pancakes) is another favourite dish of Malabar. Chatti pathiri, petti pathiri, nice pathiri and kannuvacha pathiri are some of the popular varieties of this dish. Fish pathiri (fish packets) is a perfect combination of the two, in which spicy and flavoursome fish masala is used as a filling in soft, steamed pathiri.
Here is a simple recipe of fish pathiri:
Ingredients
200 gm mackerel
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
2 onions (chopped)
1 tsp ginger (chopped)
1 tsp garlic (chopped)
4 green chillies (chopped)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tomato (diced)
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 bunch curry leaves
1 cup rice flour
Water, oil, and salt as required
Preparation
Boil some water and add into the rice flour
Mix well into a smooth dough
Keep it aside
Marinate mackerel with turmeric powder and black pepper powder
Cook the marinated fish
Shred the cooked fish into small bits after removing the bones
Heat oil in a pan
Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies, fennel seeds, tomatoes, coriander leaves, curry leaves, and salt
Sauté well
Add the shredded fish
Mix well
Turn off heat and keep it aside
Make small balls from the previously prepared dough
Roll this into thin pathiri using a rolling pin
Place some fish masala in the centre of pathiri
Place another pathiri on top of it and seal the edges
Steam the pathiri packets.
