Chatti Pathal / Chatti Pathiri

Chatti pathal / Chatti Pathiri is a dish that has layers of chappathi/ pancakes and sweet filling. I had bookmarked this recipe last Ramadan when my friend Hanan told me about this dish from www.pachakam.com. She told it was a must try dish and was too good. So I thought I would give it a try. These kind of snacks are only made during Ramadan for Breaking the fast. I wanted to try this since very long time, so tried and we liked it very much and so sharing with you all.

Just while making the chappathi for the ChattiPathal, I remembered that we used to make Atti Pathal, which is similar to this but with savoury meat filling. Some used to make the Pathiri like the Chappathi dough, rolling it and then cooking on the Tawa/ griddle. And some make it by making batter, by mixing maida (Plain Flour), water, egg and salt . I always liked the batter version because it is so soft and is easier to make and tastes fantastic. Some like it with the chappathi dough, but it won't be as soft as the pancake version. I remembered about the batter only while I was making the chappathi. Else I would have done it with batter.Doh!

And again, after shifting to the new place, I dint bake anything until now!! Chattipathal was the first thing I tried baking and I was not very happy in the first place about baking this dish since I had a feeling it was going to be too dry, once it comes from the oven. Anyway, tried to follow the instruction in the recipe as such and popped the chattipathal into the oven. I first set it @170 degrees Celsius, Checked after 10 minutes, and dint see any change, so increased the temperature to 175, and kept for another 10 minutes and the chattipathiri looked exactly like how it went to the oven! My patience being drowned, again increased the temperature to 190 degrees Celsius and kept for another few more minutes and it looked still the same!!!That was when I noticed the oven in the present flat is a crap one. The original recipe mentioned to bake it for 15 minutes, and even after 30 minutes, mine was unshaken. Alas, that's it. I took it out of the oven and cooked it on the stove top in a very low flame and it was real good. No wonder it took ages to get my naan cooked, after all it should take only few minutes. So no baking for sometime...:(.

The recipe asks to use an 8" pan. I had a non-stick pan which has become a stick pan now after my THOROUGH cleaning, and an over proof Pyrex glass dish. Both were of the different size and was wondering which one was 8". Right on time my hubby came in to the kitchen to check for something (Probably to see what I am cooking). I asked him " Hey, which pan do u think is 8 inches?"...My husband as usual, " I dono , what is it for, anyway?".....Myself: " That is to make chattipathal and showing him both pans I told him I think This is 9 inches and the other one is 8 inches.."..And he bursting out in laughter told me"wow, adipoli cooking aanallo(Ironically, Your cooking is great), inch vechaanallo cook cheyyunnathu (You measure in inches while cooking....somewhat like that)". Anyways, I went for the smaller pan because when I made the chappathis it wouldn't get bigger than that small pan. I divided them into 9 small balls. But since it was a "Stick Pan", and I dint oil it properly to reduce the fat, It really stuck to the bottom of the pan!! I had to scrape it off with a spatula halfway! So these were the mistakes I did while cooking and scribbled it in here so that you don't repeat the same mistakes that I dind and hope you can come with a better result.

P.S: Just measured the sauce pan That I cooked it and it is only 6 Inches wide;)..After all it doesn't matter whatever the pan size is. Just make the chappathis to the size of your dish.

Sorry for the poor quality picture, I was so hungry and busy too. But I thin you can get an idea of how it should look once Done.


Ingredients:
For the Pathiris:
1 cup (150 g) Plain flour
1/3 cup warm water
1 tbs vegetable oil
salt to taste

For the filling:
5 small Eggs (8 oz)
10 tbs Castor Sugar(Can adjust according to your preferences, I normally use 2 tbs of sugar per egg)
5 tbsp Grated coconut
3 tbs (30 gm) Raisins
3 tbs (30 gm ) Cashew nuts(broken)
4 tbsp Poppy seeds(Couscous)
1 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tsp Ghee

For Coating:
4-5 small eggs
6 tbsp Sugar
A pinch of Cardamom powder

Preparation:
For the Pathiris/ Chappathi:
1. Mix the flour with water, oil and salt and knead into a dough like that of chappathi. Keep them covered for half an hour.
2. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions.Using a roller pin, roll it out into paper-thin chapathies of uniform size(6 Inches inches diameter) on a dusted flour board.
3.Heat a griddle and cook the chappathis lightly on a tawa. Keep them aside.You should be able to get 9 chappathis with this amount.
Note:You can vary the size of the chappathi depending on the size of the pathiri chatti or the vessel in which you are baking it.

For the filling:
1. Beat the eggs lightly with sugar and cardamom.
2. Heat a Large frying pan.Add ghee and saute raisins, cashew nuts, poppy seeds and grated coconut until they start to change the colour slightly.
3. Add the beaten egg and scramble the whole mixture until the egg is well cooked. Keep it aside.

For the coating and the assembling.
1. For coating, beat the remaining eggs, sugar and cardamom and keep aside.
2. Take a non-stick baking tray, spread couple of tsps oil or ghee all around(spray the nonstick oil).
3. Keep one pathiri as the first layer. Using a spoon sprinkle the scrambled egg filling on top of the pathiri.
4. Dip the second chappathi in the egg coating mixture, coat well and place it on top of the filling.
5. Sprinkle the scrambled egg mixture again and repeat this until all the pathiris and the scrambled egg mixture is used up and pathiri being the top layer. Pour the remaining egg mixture on top of pathiri so that it drains on all the gaps on sides and form a thin layer on top. This is important to keep the Chatti Pathiri moist. If you run out of the egg mixture after coating, break 1 or 2 eggs, mix with sufficient sugar and cardamom and pour on top.
6. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until the top of pathiri turns golden.
7. Garnish with cashew nuts and raisins.Traditionally the baking is done in a sealed container with the coconut husk embers on top....Or you can cook it in non stick saucepan on stove, by placing it in very low flame and then flipping it over carefully and cook on the other side.

Notes:
1. I cooked it in the stove because I tried it in my oven and found that it doesn't work well!!So I don't know how it comes out in the oven.
2. Instead of making chappathis as mentioned in this recipe, You can also make pancakes with the above amount of flour, adding an extra egg and sufficient water enough to make a smooth pancake batter. This will give a very soft textured chatti pathiri. I loooove this version.

This is my entry to Joy From Fasting To Feasting conducted by Lubna and Yasmeen.

Recipe Courtesy: Zeba Niyas @ http://www.pachakam.com/