Taste of Kerala

King of snacks: Komban Ada

Macrooni, Komban Ada, Appichi, Kaboolikkadala...dishes that were inevitable in Muslim homesteads in North Malabar known for their celebrations of taste. With time these ethnic dishes too moved into the glass shelves of memory. The City Star restaurant in Taliparambu has now brought back this lost empire of taste through their menu. "Most of these snacks were made during Ramzan. Many in the new generations have not even heard of these dishes," says Mohammed Kunji Haji and son Shanavas. "But there has not been any compromise on taste and the old names," adds the father-son duo.

Komban Ada
Shanavas calls Komban Ada a distant cousin of the Sandwich. On a first look the snack seems easy enough to make. Rice flour batter is spread on plantain leaf and filled with meat and masala. This is steamed and later fried in oil. The dough should be similar to that of Pathiri or it would be difficult to spread it in the plantain leaf.

Kaipola is another sweet delicacy. The ingredients are banana, sugar, milk powder and egg. Egg, sugar and milk powder are blended together to make a thick batter. Add finely shredded ripe banana to this mixture. This mixture is cooked in steam till done.

Recipe for Komban Ada (Serves 30)
Rice - 600 gm, Beef - 500 gm, Onion- 3 nos, Green chillies - 04 Nos, Ginger - 1 small piece, Tomato - 2 Nos, Biriyani Masala Powder – ½ table spoon, Pepper- 1 table spoon, Chili Powder- 1 table spoon, coriander leaves, salt- to taste, trumeric powder - to taste

First Phase
Soak par-boiled rice (Kuthari). Grind this into a batter suitable for Pathiri(rice pancake). Cook minced beef. Season Onion, Tomato, Green chilies, Ginger together by mixing them with condiments. Add salt to taste. Spread the batter in plantain leaf. Add the minced beef fillings. Fold the plantain leaf like ada and cook in steam. Take the ada from the platain leaf and keep aside to drain.

Second Phase
Chili powder-100 gms, Turmeric powder-1 table spoon, Pepper-1/2 table spoon, Egg-01 no, Salt – to taste, Ginger-01 piece, Green chilies-02 nos. Grind ginger, green chili into paste and mix into little water. Saute chili powder and turmeric powder with eggs. Dip the ada into this mixture and fry in coconut oil.