Ingredients

• Ingredients for the cover(crust):
• Kerala plantain - 500 gm (ripeness is very important, as too ripe ones will become watery and hard to shape. Very raw ones will be not sweet enough)
• salt to taste
• Coconut oil or vegetable oil
• Ingredients for stuffing:
• minced meat (mutton only) - 1/4 kg
• onions - 8 (chopped finely)
• green chillies - 6 (chopped finely)
• coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch (chopped finely)
• ginger paste - 1/4 tsp.
• garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp.
• salt to taste
• coconut oil - 2 tbsp.

How to Make Palazthappam

• Method:
• Steam the plantains and cook till they slit. Do not over cook.
• Cool and remove the black pith.
• Mash the plantains without water in a mixer to get a tight dough. Set aside.
• Pressure cook the minced meat with salt, ginger paste and garam masala powder till cooked.
• Boil the minced meat till all the moisture has evaporated and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non stick kadai. Fry the onions to brown.
• Add green chillies, cooked minced meat, coriander leaves and salt to taste.
• Sauté for 5 minutes to get a dry minced meat mixture.
• How to Proceed:
• Make lime sized balls with the plantain dough.
• Flatten each ball into round shaped circles (like poories, my mother used the poorie press keeping the plaintain ball in between two greased plastic sheets, this was so much easier than doing by hands)
• Place 1 & 1/2 tbsp of minced meat mixture in the center of flattened plantain circle.
• Close the circle from one side to get a semi circle shaped palazthappam.
• Fold and press the edges gently to close the palazthappams.
• Do the same with the remaining plaintain dough and stuffing mixture.
• Heat oil (coconut oil adds more taste) to deep fry.
• Drop the palazthappams one at a time into hot oil and fry to golden brown colour and a bit crisp.
• Drain and serve as it is. Yummy sweet, sour, tangy, hot palazthappams are ready to be eaten.
• Notes:
• The plantain should be 3/4th ripe and 1/4th raw (kind of moderate ripeness).