Erachi Pola (Meat Cake)
Pola is a traditional Malabar delicacy resembling a cake but prepared without an oven. It can be either sweet or savory, offering a versatile canvas for creativity. From eggs and bread to bananas, apples, or meat, a diverse range of Pola variations can be crafted. While I recall bookmarking a recipe for Kaipola (banana pola) long ago, I haven't had the chance to try it yet.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked beef (refer notes)
- 2 medium Onion (chopped)
- 2-3 Green chilli (chopped)
- 1/2 tbsp Crushed ginger and garlic (each)
- 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Plain flour (Maida)
- 1/4 tsp Pepper powder
- Salt
- Oil (I used coconut oil)
- 1/2 – 1 tbsp Ghee
Instructions
- Shred the cooked beef using hands or fork. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onion. When onion becomes soft, no need to brown, add green chilli, ginger and garlic. Cook for 2-3 mins. Add chilli and turmeric powder and cook for a min. Add shredded beef and coriander leaves to this and mix well. Cook for 2-3 mins, till everything is well combined.
- Blend together eggs, milk, plain flour, salt and pepper powder in mixie or a blender, till it's smooth without any lumps.
- Generously grease a pressure cooker (refer notes) or a saucepan with ghee. Heat the pressure cooker or a saucepan and reduce the flame to the lowest. Pour the egg mixture to the cooker and add the cooked beef mixture to it. Close the cooker or the saucepan and put the weight on, if using cooker.
- Cook on the lowest flame for 10 mins. After 5-7 mins, you can open and see whether it's done. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the cooker or saucepan you use. Insert a toothpick in the center and see whether it's done.
- Once it's done, remove from fire and transfer it to a serving plate.
Notes
- You can use any left-over beef from any beef curry. Just separate the gravy and use the beef pieces. You can also use chicken or mutton instead of beef. It’s better to use boneless meat. I cooked the beef with a little turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Make sure the beef is not overcooked or dry. If you want, you can add a small tomato (chopped) while making the masala. Add it after adding green chilli, ginger and garlic.
- Make sure you don’t overcook the erachi pola, it should be soft and moist and not rubbery. I used a 2 ltr pressure cooker (6.5-inch width) to make the above qty. If you are using a saucepan, make sure you use a deep pan, since it tends to rise while cooking.
- The top may look a bit undercooked, but it’s okay (refer the 4th step by step picture). If the sides are cooked and leaving the sides of the pan and the inserted toothpick comes out clean, it’s done.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!