Chatti Pathiri- Malabar Special Recipe

Ingredients
For marinating chicken

• Chicken breasts or thighs- 2 breasts, cut small ( or use mutton, beef)
• Chili powder- 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder- ? tsp
• Garam Masala- ¾ tsp
• Fennel powder- 1½ tsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tsp
• Salt- to taste

To grind

• Garlic- 3 cloves
• Ginger- 1 inch slice
• Green chili- 2 or 3

For making 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- 1½ cups or depending on how many you are making
• Water- to make a not so thick not so thin batter
• Egg- 1
• Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp (optional)
• Salt- to taste

Other ingredients

• 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

Instructions

• Making the chicken filling
• Marinate the chicken with the above mentioned ingredients ‘for marinating chicken’ for 15 minutes or longer.
• Cover the marinated chicken in a saucepan and cook till it has cooked well. No need to add any water, cook it
• 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 it for a few minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let it 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 chili.
• Place a large pan over medium heat, add oil and add onion to it.
• Add little 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

• 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.

Layering

• For the final cooking, use a small to medium sized non-stick saucepan to get a cake shaped chatti pathiri.
• I used a frying pan that explains the not so round look of the cooked 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.
• Since I made this in a frying pan as I poured the egg it gathered around the bottom crepes and formed a separate 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 colour.
• 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 little 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.