Neypathal, deep-fried rice bread with crispy and coarse texture is a Moplah delicacy served for breakfast or dinner with spicy chicken or beef curry.
Prep Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs
Course: Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine: Kerala, Malabar, Moplah, South Indian
Servings: 10fried bread
Author: Famidha Ashraf
INGREDIENTS
2cupsparboiled riceeg. ponni rice
1cupgrated coconut
2teaspoonsfennel seeds
1medium oniondiced roughly
1teaspoonMalabar garam masalaoptional
½cupWater to grind. ½ to 1 cup depending on the quality of the rice.
3 to 4tablespoonsrice flouror enough to make the dough hold together but not too tight
salt to taste
Oil to grease a plastic sheet like a milk packet, ziploack bag, baking paper and your palm
Oil to deep fryeg. sunflower oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the dough
Heat water in a pot just tepid or warm to touch and switch off.
Add the rice to that water and cover and let soak for an hour.
Drain and grind the rice along with grated coconut, onion chunks, fennel seeds, garam masala, salt and water to a coarse and grainy mixture. Do it in batches if needed.
Transfer the ground mixture into a bowl and start adding rice flour little by little until the mixture is a non-sticky wet dough. You should be able to pinch a little and make balls that retain shape. (Cover and keep it until needed).
Shape
Heat enough oil to deep fry in a kadai.
Grease one side of a sandwich bag or clean milk packet or any similar-sized plastic sheet with oil and place it in the work area.
Grease your palm with oil and scoop a lemon or golf-sized dough (depending on your kadai size) and place it on a greased sheet.
Start to flatten the dough ball into a disc of little less than ¼ inch thickness using your palm of the thumb area.
Test the oil readiness by dropping a tiny bit of the dough, if it sizzles up to the surface, then your oil is ready. Maintain the flame at medium as the dough needs to get cooked.
fry
Carefully hold the plastic sheet in one hand and peel and remove the pathal using the other hand and slowly slide it in oil. It will sink to the bottom of the kadai and will surface only after a few seconds. So wait until it surfaces and puff up.
Use a slotted spoon and splash some hot oil over the bread and then flip carefully and fry the other side until evenly browned. Remove the naypathal, drain and keep aside.
Repeat the process for the rest of the dough (refrigerate any remaining dough and use it within 2 days).
Serve hot with any Chicken curry or Beef or Mutton curry.