Malnad Kitchen

Recipes from the misty Western Ghats

Time-honoured dishes from coffee estates and heritage homes — simple ingredients, deep flavours, and recipes carried through generations.

10 Recipes Breakfast · Mains · Sweets Authentic & Tested
Breakfast

Neer Dosa

Lacy rice crêpes, light as water

01
2 hrs soak · 20 min cook Serves 3–4 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Rice — 1 glass
  • Cooked rice — 1 cup
  • Jeera — 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida — 1 pinch
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 1

    Soak rice for 2 hours in a container with water.

  2. 2

    Grind the rice with cooked rice, jeera, asafoetida and salt.

  3. 3

    Pour water and make the batter as thin as possible.

  4. 4

    Pour the batter on the dosa thava and add a little oil or ghee.

  5. 5

    Serve hot with chutney or vegetable saagu.

Non-Veg

Bangade Meenu Fry

Coastal mackerel fry with a smoky chilli crust

02
Marinate 1 day · 15 min fry Serves 4–5 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Bangade Meennu (Mackerel) — 1 kg
  • Red chilli powder — 4 tsp
  • Coriander powder — 1 tsp
  • Ground mustard, fenugreek (menthe) — 1/4 tsp
  • Turmeric — 1/2 tsp
  • Lemon juice — 1½ tsp
  • Salt to taste, oil to fry

Method

  1. 1

    Blend all ingredients (except oil) together in a bowl.

  2. 2

    Clean the fish, cut the head and slit open in the centre.

  3. 3

    Apply the mixture on both sides and marinate in the refrigerator for a day.

  4. 4

    Fry the fish in a pan with oil the next day and serve hot.

Snack

Jack Fruit Bonda

Crisp monsoon fritters with raw jackfruit

03
30 min Serves 4 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Jack fruit — 1 cup
  • Rice flour
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 1

    Grind jack fruit in the mixer.

  2. 2

    Add rice flour and salt, then roll into shapes.

  3. 3

    Heat oil in the pan and drop the shaped mixture in.

  4. 4

    Fry until lightly browned.

  5. 5

    Serve with tea or coffee.

Traditional

Jack Fruit Kadabu

Halasina Kotte — steamed in fragrant banana leaves

04
1 hr soak · 1½ hr steam Serves 6 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Jack fruit — 1 kg
  • Rice — 1/2 kg
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 1

    Soak the rice in water for 1 hour.

  2. 2

    Grind with jack fruit in the mixer (do not add water while grinding).

  3. 3

    Make a tube-shaped banana leaf, pour the blended mix in and close the leaf.

  4. 4

    Steam for 1½ hours and serve hot.

Signature

Coorg Pork — Pandi Curry

Slow-cooked pork with kachampuli and roasted spices

05
Marinate 15 min · 1 hr cook Serves 5–6 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Pork — 1 kg
  • Chilli powder — 1 tbsp
  • Turmeric powder — 1 tsp
  • Cumin seeds (jeera) — 1 tsp
  • Onions — 2 big
  • Garlic — 10–15 cloves
  • Green chillies — 3 or 4
  • Mustard seeds — 1/2 tsp
  • Cumin powder — 2 tbsp
  • Vinegar or kachampuli
  • Roasted peppercorns and coriander
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 1

    Wash the pork thoroughly and marinate for 10–15 minutes with salt, red chilli powder and turmeric.

  2. 2

    Blend the onions, green chillies, ginger and a little cumin seeds.

  3. 3

    Fry the cumin powder until almost black (careful not to burn), then add mustard and the rest of the cumin seeds and fry a few minutes more.

  4. 4

    Cook the marinated pork in a pan until the excess water has dried.

  5. 5

    Add the onion-chilli-ginger mixture and continue cooking, stirring to avoid burning.

  6. 6

    Once the pork is cooked, add the fried cumin powder and cook for 5 more minutes on low flame. Add vinegar and serve hot.

Breakfast

Akki Rotti

Rice rotti — soft, warm, straight off the thava

06
25 min Serves 3–4 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Rice flour — 2 cups
  • Water — 4 cups
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 1

    Pour water in the container and add salt.

  2. 2

    When the water starts boiling, add rice flour.

  3. 3

    Stir continuously until cooked. Leave for 5 minutes, stir once more, then pour to a plate.

  4. 4

    Take a small portion of the cooked flour and roll into a round shape.

  5. 5

    Press into chapathi shape and cook on the thava until ready.

Traditional

Rice Kadabu

Steamed rice rava dumplings — comfort food

07
40 min Serves 4 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Rice rava — 3 cups
  • Water — 8 cups
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 1

    Pour water to the dish and boil for a few minutes, then add rice rava and salt and stir well until cooked.

  2. 2

    Continue stirring until it turns to a dough.

  3. 3

    Pour the dough onto a big plate and let it cool.

  4. 4

    Once cool, take small quantities and roll into round shapes.

  5. 5

    Steam in the cooker for 20 minutes and the kadabu is ready.

Sweet

Kaayi Holige

Coconut-jaggery flatbread — festive sweetness

08
5 hr rest · 30 min cook Serves 6 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Jaggery — 1½ to 2
  • Coconut — 1
  • Maida flour — as required

Method

  1. 1

    Make a paste of coconut and jaggery (do not add much water).

  2. 2

    Add water and maida flour to a container and cook on low flame until the water boils.

  3. 3

    The maida dough has to be prepared 5 hours prior to all other steps.

  4. 4

    Roll maida into a small ball and press flat like a small chapathi.

  5. 5

    Place coconut-jaggery in the centre, roll again, and press to the size of a chapathi.

  6. 6

    Cook the holige on the thava and serve hot.

Sweet

Rice Flour Payasam

Silky milk pudding with cashew and raisins

09
20 min Serves 4 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Milk — 1/2 litre
  • Rice flour — 1.5 tbsp
  • Raisins and cashew
  • Sugar

Method

  1. 1

    Pour ghee into the pan, fry raisins and cashew thoroughly and keep aside.

  2. 2

    Boil milk in a container.

  3. 3

    Mix rice flour with milk and add sugar.

  4. 4

    Add raisins and cashew. Serve hot.

Sweet

Shevige Payasam

Vermicelli kheer — celebration in a bowl

10
25 min Serves 4 Malnad Classic

Ingredients

  • Milk — 1/2 litre
  • Raisins & cashew — to taste
  • Shevige — 2 tbsp
  • Sugar to taste
  • Ghee

Method

  1. 1

    Pour ghee into the pan, fry raisins and cashew thoroughly and keep aside.

  2. 2

    In another pan, pour milk and shevige. Boil and wait until completely cooked.

  3. 3

    Add sugar, fried cashew, fried raisins and milkmaid (for richer taste) and serve hot.

Recipes Curated By

Sharadhi Sunil

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