The kaipathiri is not just a breakfast eat but also a tradition in Kerala. The thick flatbread made of rice flour and smeared with coconut milk is far removed from the “nice” pathiri, the thin white moons of rice breaking easily between the fingers. The sturdy kaipathiri is not for the light-hearted.
Before globalisation and cornflakes flattened out our culinary diversities, this sumptuous meal was an indulgence in the morning or whenever. One after the other in a rhythmic tempo, a ceremony in itself, two persons pound pink fat rice to poweder in tall mortars using heavy poles. Fashioning dough out of it can be tricky for the uninitiated, as mixing it with too much water would just result in a watery mess. To release gluten, the flour needs to be tipped into a cauldron of boiling water to form lumps of steaming rice. Fresh coconut, cumin seeds and sliced shallots lends this dough a subtle aroma.
The matriarch would walk in regally, take huge dollops of the dough and flatten it out on outstretched wet palms. The raw bread goes into a rimmed earthen wok (chatty) and is cooked on woodfire. The pathiris are flipped quickly at first to seal in the moisture and then cooked slowly to work a delectable magic. The thick roundels of coconut goodness puff up with steam to form a crisp exterior and a soft-textured heart.
