A recipe borrowed from our neighbours on the Konkan coast, chirotis (also known as phenori and pathir peni among other names) are a popular sweet in Coorg, and you’re likely to be served these in any home you go to. A kind of fried puff pastry, these delicately layered whorls draw you relentlessly into eating more than is good for you. They really are that good, and it is difficult to stop at one.

Less common these days, though, is the savoury chiroti, made in the same way, but seasoned with salt and spices. The classic Saraswat cookbook, Rasachandrika, has a recipe for phenori that lists turmeric, cumin and chilli powder among the ingredients.

Perhaps it was a passing fashion, or something that has fallen victim to increasingly health conscious times, but my mother recalls that at the time of her younger sister’s marriage some 46 years ago, baskets of  savoury chirotis were ordered, perhaps from Mangalore, or maybe made at a local store. These were large, about 8″ across, and were served as part of the wedding meal, accompanied by a chicken curry. That encounter impressed her enough that she continued to make this for us over many years.

Chiroti can be made with plain flour, for a light texture, or a combination of flour and fine semolina, known as “chiroti rava”. The one made with semolina is a harder dough with a little more gluten, and makes a chiroti with enough strength to stand up to a curry, or, in the sweet version, a cardamom flavoured sugar syrup.

There’s something very gratifying about the combination of crisp, layered pastry and a spicy curry, and I would love to see this on more menus. Do I hear rumblings of calorie conscious feet making for the nearest exit? Come back! Just for that occasional indulgence, you understand!

The recipe here is for a plain flour version, which I like for the ease with which it can be whipped up and for the delicate texture. It’s perfect  for dipping into a curry or stew, rather than actually having a sauce poured over it.

Chiroti

• 175 gm plain flour
• 25 gm  ghee
• 1/4 tsp salt
• A dash of any spices and herbs you fancy
• 1/3 cup water, or as needed
• 2 tbsp ghee (additional) melted
• 2-3 tbsp rice flour
• Oil for frying in a wok or kadhai

Melt the ghee, and mix with the flour, salt and water. Knead to a smooth, elastic dough. Divide the dough into three even sized balls.

Roll out one ball of dough into a thin disc, about 10-12″ wide. Brush the surface with melted ghee, and sprinkle over an even layer of rice flour. Roll out a second disc, and place it over the first. Repeat this process, finishing with another brushing of ghee and rice flour.

Carefully roll the layered discs into a log, taking care to avoid air pockets.Trim the ends with a sharp knife, and cut into approximately 18 slices.

Roll each slice out lightly into 4 – 4 1/2″ wide circles, making sure you don’t lose the layers.

Fry on moderate heat until golden brown.

Eat as a snack, or with your favourite curry.

To make a sweet version, leave out the spices and herbs and dredge the fried chirotis with powdered sugar while still warm.

And if you’d  like to try your hand at the version with semolina, my mother’s recipe calls for a cup each of fine semolina (suji or rava) and plain flour, 3 tbsps of ghee and a pinch of salt, kneaded together into a firm dough with about 1/2 cup of water. This is left to rest for 3 – 4 hours, then kneaded firmly again, before proceeding as above, with melted ghee and rice flour between layers. It’s more effort, but if you prefer a chiroti that is more crisp paratha than flaky pastry, this is the one for you.