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Recipe

Kozhi Pidi recipe (Malabar rice dumplings in chicken curry)

By Abdulla K P PT1H10M total

Kozhi Pidi — marble-sized rice dumplings in a rich coconut-milk chicken curry.

Dumplings that drink the curry

The magic of Kozhi Pidi is that the rice dumplings finish cooking in the curry, absorbing its flavour. Keep the gravy soupy when the pidi go in (they need liquid), and at a gentle simmer so they hold together. The dumpling dough is the same pathiri technique — boiling water, roasted rice flour, kneaded warm.

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Frequently asked

  • What is Kozhi Pidi?

    Kozhi Pidi is a Malabar dish of soft roasted-rice-flour dumplings (pidi) simmered in a rich coconut-milk chicken curry (kozhi means chicken). The dumplings cook in and soak up the gravy, making it a hearty one-pot meal popular among Malabar and Syrian Christian communities at Ramadan, Christmas, Easter and as a comforting dinner.

  • Can I make plain pidi or an erachi (meat) version?

    Yes. Plain pidi are the dumplings cooked in lightly spiced coconut milk without meat. Erachi pidi uses a spiced beef or mutton gravy instead of chicken — the roasted-coconut masala base stays similar across versions.

  • Why use roasted rice flour for the dumplings?

    Roasted rice flour (pathiri/idiyappam flour) makes a smooth, pliable dough that holds its shape as a dumpling and cooks soft rather than gluey. Add it to properly boiling water and knead while warm.

  • Why did my dumplings fall apart in the curry?

    Usually the dough was too wet, or the curry was at too hard a boil. Knead a firm, smooth dough, and keep the curry at a gentle simmer when the dumplings go in.