Muttamala | Photo Credit: K Ragesh
Many bakeries in Kerala serve golden colored noodle-like threads on a white marble-like base during this time of the year. It is made only on special occasions or during Ramzan, called Muttamala, which literally translates to ‘chain of eggs’ or ‘necklace of eggs’, is a signature dish of Malabar that was carried by the trade winds from distant lands. Brings the taste of , bringing with them explorers, traders, missionaries and mercenaries.
Kozhikode, located on the Malabar Coast, was once a port of call for ships from China, Portugal, West Asia and Africa, where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed in 1498 seeking God, gold and glory. Missionaries and traders followed. One story about Mutamala is that nuns in Portugal used egg whites to break their habit. To save the egg yolk from going to waste, they started using it to make marmalade, which is called Fio de Ovos in Portuguese.
Muttamala being made by Abida Rasheed | photo credit: Milan Soman
Muttamala, made by cooking egg yolks in cardamom-flavoured sugar syrup, soon found its way into Muslim homes in Kozhikode and Kannur. Abida Rasheed, an ambassador of Moplah cuisine, says that making Muttamala is a laborious task that requires patience and expertise. She remembers that it was a special treat when she was a child. “We needed at least 50 eggs to make it for large families. In those days eggs could not be bought from any shop. To make Muttamala To make Muttamala we had to collect the eggs laid by the hens in our house and keep them aside. I remember my mother and grandmother used to make it in large size uruli at home.”
Muttamala is usually served with Mutta Surakka Photo Credit: K Ragesh
After collecting the yolks for Muttamala, the remaining egg whites are beaten with sugar syrup, poured into flat plates and steamed. It is a marble-like surakka which is served with muttamala.
Abida feels that the presence of Mahe, a French colony, may also have influenced the region’s culinary traditions.
construction of muttamala
Abida explains that the temperature of the sugar syrup has to be right to get the right texture of the dessert. “I learned to make it from my mother and grandmother in my kitchen. In those days, it was cooked in Uruli on a firewood stove lit by shovels of dry coconut. The spathe will be removed or added to control the temperature.
Sugar and water were boiled to make syrup. Meanwhile, the egg yolks are separated and prepared. As soon as bubbles appear on the syrup, eggs are driven into the syrup through a hole in a dry coconut shell or through a ladle with a coconut shell that has a hole in the bottom. Then the flame will be reduced and the strings will be immersed in the syrup to cook. Once, it was cooked, it was removed from the syrup and kept aside.
“Egg whites are beaten and added to a sugar syrup with a pinch of cardamom. This is poured into a deep plate or flat-bottom container and steamed to make surka,” says Abida. Now an icing bag or squeeze bottle is used. “Even for a small family, around 20 eggs would be required to make Muttamala. It will take about half an hour to make,” she says.
It is written by Nazneen Jalaluddin kitchen full of stories remembers her grandmother Ummi Abdullah, the great lady of Moplah cuisine, who used to make Muttamala on special occasions. “He put in the yolk of the beaten egg uruli Through a coconut laddu in which a hole was made. Since it is cooked in sugar syrup, she carefully sets it aside in a sieve to drain it,” says Nazneen, “It is an acquired taste. Now, it is a must for any festive occasion in Malabar.”
Abida is careful that while making Muttamala, the white string on both sides of the yolk called Chalza should not fall with the yolk. “Each egg must be boiled, with the white carefully separated before the yolk is added to the bowl. Even a bit of white will change the texture of the muttmala and the threads may break,” she elaborates.
Muttamala being packed at Edminte Chaikakada restaurant in Kozhikode | Photo credits: K Ragesh
The mastery of making Muttamala is what author and translator Fahmida Zakir remembers when she was talking about her grandmother making it on special occasions. “However, it is not unique to Malabar. Versions of it can be found wherever the Portuguese went. In Goa it is called letria. Versions are also found in Brazil, Cambodia, Thailand (phoi thong), Malaysia and Japan. are also seen,” says Fehimida, who is from Kannur.
As you munch on the mildly sweet strands of Muttamala and Surka, what you are tasting is a centuries-old recipe that has survived the onslaught of time and changes in taste.