Kerala pathiri
Vegetarian
അരിപ്പത്തിരി · ari pathiri
Paper-thin, soft rice-flour rotis made with a scalded dough and cooked pale on the tawa, then often dipped in coconut milk. A Mappila (Malabar Muslim) speciality, especially at Ramadan.
Kerala pathiri is a South Indian bread, ready in about 1 hour and made with rice flour and water. It serves 4 and is rated advanced to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 1 h
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Advanced
- Calories
- 204
Method
Step 1
Bring the water, salt and coconut oil (opens in a new tab) to a rolling boil. Lower the heat, tip in the rice flour (opens in a new tab) all at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon (opens in a new tab) for 1–2 minutes until it forms a lump with no dry flour. Cover off the heat for 10 minutes.
Food safety: The dough is very hot; let it steam covered before handling.
Step 2
While still warm, knead with the heel of your hand (wet it if needed) for 4–5 minutes until completely smooth and soft, without cracks.
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 3
Divide into 16 balls (about 30 g). Dust with rice flour (opens in a new tab) and roll each very thin, 14–15 cm across. Traditionally they are trimmed to a perfect circle with a lid.
Step 4
Cook on a medium-hot tawa for about 20 seconds until the top dries, flip, and cook until it puffs (press gently with a cloth). Pathiri should stay white with only faint spots — do not brown.
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels Step 5
Stack in a covered container; if you like, dip each briefly in warm, salted thin coconut milk (opens in a new tab) before stacking so they turn silky.
- 3 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Malabar, Kerala, Kerala, India · Well documentedMore food from India
- Dish
- Breakfast · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Boiled, Toasted
- Taste
- mild, creamy
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style - Good for
- Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- Rice flour · Coconut oil
- Techniques
- Toasting · Boiling · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Kneading
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
204 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 113 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 6%
- Carbohydrate 85%
- Fat 9%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 204 kcal | 181 kcal |
| Protein | 3.2 g | 2.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 42.5 g | 37.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 41.2 g | 36.6 g |
| Sugars | 0.1 g | 0.1 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 1.3 g | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 1.9 g | 1.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.1 g | 1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 293 mg | 260 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.7 g | 0.7 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 40 mg
- Calcium
- 13 mg
- Iron
- 0.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 20 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 2 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: coconut milk.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Rolling between two sheets of baking paper helps beginners get them thin.
Common mistakes
- Cold dough cracks — knead while warm and keep it covered.
Serve with
- Serve with chicken or mutton curry, duck roast, or Malabar fish curry.
Storage
- Keeps 1 day covered.
Reheating
- Steam briefly or warm in a covered pan.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 50 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
Rest · about 10 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
- Start to finish: about 1 h. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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