Elepparathi/ Leaf rolled Malabar bread

           

        There were lots of dishes I was quite fascinated with, which my mother in law used to make. In fact she was my first teacher in cooking, in the days after marriage, when I used to be ignorant about even the very  minute things. She used to infuse a lot of positive energy in you, even if you go wrong that you cannot ignore the pique you feel towards cooking something new and slowly you begin to learn from your mistakes…  The ever vibrant humor sense even when the going gets tough, was something I have always admired in her.. The art of recycling leftover food is something I learned from her acquaintance. Whenever there was some left over rice, she would say.. "Let's make Elepparathi tomorrow so that we can use the rice in it " and they would always turn out to be inexplicably soft and extraordinarily delicious.It was one of the first dishes I learned from her and the most popular in the family..

      Here is the recipe..

Things you need:

     Rice flour, sieved                          -   1 cup

     All purpose flour/ Maida               -  1 cup

     Grated fresh coconut                    -   1 cup

     Cooked leftover rice(optional)      -   1/2 cup

     Boiled water                                -    as required

     Salt to taste

     Coconut oil                                 -     3 tbsp

     Green plantain leaf , washed and cut into square pieces  -   2

    

Method:

    Grind the cooked rice in a mixer or blender until a smooth paste is formed. Mix this together with  the flours and coconut. Add adequate salt to boiled water and pour the hot water to the flour rice mixture and stir with a spoon. When it cool slightly knead well with hands until a smooth dough is formed. Add just enough water to make it a smooth dough. Do not add excess. Now take a portion, the size of a tennis ball and flatten it on an oiled banana leaf using your hands. You can use an alluminium foil to flatten the dough if you don't have plantain leaves.  Dip your hands occasionally in water to avoid sticking. Apply a teaspoon of coconut oil on top of it and smooth out. Heat a frying pan and transfer it to the pan upside down. ie, the plantain leaf should come on top like in the picture. Cook for 2, 3 minutes and remove the plantain leaf. Now turn the bread again on the pan so as to cook the other side. When the other side is also cooked ie, when light brown patches form around the bread, remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Repeat the procedure with the rest of the dough. Serve hot with egg curry, vegetable curry, or sweetened coconut milk. You can also have it with tea with out any accompaniments.

Sending this recipe to Torview's Food Palette Series - White