Pesaha Appam and Pesaha Pal with Step by Step Pictures / Indri Appam and Pal / Easter Special / Kerala Christian Pesaha Recipe / Passover Appam and Paal / How to Make Pesaha Appam and Pesaha Paal / Pesaha Appam and Pesaha Pal Recipe / Indri Appam and Pal /.
Have a Blessed Maundy Thursday and Good Friday everybody…
Easter is around the corner and all those who are observing the 50 days of Lent (Anpathu Noimbu) are counting days.. The Malayalam term for Passover is Pesaha and its origin is from Syriac. Easter falls normally at the end of March or at the beginning of April.. Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is the Thursday of the Passion Week or Holy Week. On this day Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, which is known as Last Supper or the Lord’s Supper and thereby instituted the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of Eternal Life that the sacrifice of Calvary is repeated at every Holy Mass in which He gives Himself to us as Holy Communion, the greatest expression of God’s Love for His people.
On Passover Thursday Jesus washed the feet of His 12 disciples representing the 12 Apostles just prior to the Last Supper. When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, He told them (and us), “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). Then He shared the last meal with them before crucifixion. In Kerala the church priest wash the feet of 12 parish members in commemoration with this. This is in remembrance of how Christ humbled Himself by doing so and it reminds of how we are to live the Christian life..
Pesaha is a family celebration. Jews still celebrate this Passover festival at their homes. We make Maundy Bread on this day which is made from unleavened rice flour flavoured with onion, garlic, cumin and salt. We make the appam immediately after mixing all the ingredients without letting it to ferment. This bread is also called as INRI (Jesus, the Nazerene, King of the Jews) Appam. We the Syrian Christians prepare this bread without yeast in accordance with the Jewish commemoration of Passover.
This kind of bread we prepare only on this day of the year. We dip this bread in a bowl of sweet coconut milk and jaggery sauce which represents the sorrow and happy nature of Maundy Thursday. We usually make a small palm leaf cross with the infant palm leaf blessed by priest on Palm Sunday and place it on the top of the batter before steaming. The Passover milk or Pesaha Palu is also prepared with a palm leaf cross in it while cooking.
The Scripture says, (Luke 22, verse 15) our Lord says, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you.” In Mark 14, verses 22 through 26, we hear the words of Institution, “And as they were eating, He took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them and said, `Take, this is my body.` And He took a cup and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them and they drank all of it and He said to them, `This is my blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for many. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Now comes the Appam Murikkal (cutting of the Passover Bread and having it with Passover milk) ceremony on Passover night in Syrian Christian households.
For this all the family members gather around the dining table in the evening and the head of the family or the eldest member of the family recites the passages from the Bible about the Last Supper and leads a prayer. Then he cuts the bread in to several pieces, dip them in the Pesaha Palu and distribute to all members in the family starting from the eldest. On Good Friday morning we start with a black coffee followed with a breakfast which consists of the leftover of this Pesaha Appam and milk. This Appam or bread represents Jesu s’ body that was scourged and broken before and during His crucifixion, and the milk which represents His shed blood.
Now comes the preparation of Pesaha Appam and Palu.
For Pesaha Appam (Unleavened Bread)
Ingredients for Pesaha Appam:
Rice flour – 1 cup
Urad Dal – ¼ cup and 1 tbsp.
Grated Coconut – ¾ cup
Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp.
Shallots – 5
Garlic Pods – 2
Salt – to taste
Water – ½ cup
How to Make Pesaha Appam:
Soak urad dal minimum for 6 hours and grind it separately into a smooth paste adding the same soaked water. The consistency of batter should be same as that of Idli batter. Grind coconut with shallots, garlic, cumin seeds with little water.
Take a bowl and add Rice flour. To this add ground dal and the coconut mixture. Mix well without forming lumps. I have added little jaggery syrup to mix batter. Keep this batter covered for an hour or two.
Now take a plate and grease it with oil. Transfer the batter to this greased plate. Make a cross using the Palm Leaves that you got from Palm Sunday and place it on the middle of the batter. This Appam with the cross is known as Kurishu Appam. Cover and cook in a steamer on medium flame for about 15 to 20 minutes or till done. Now Pesaha Appam / Indri Appamis done..
Now here goes the recipe of Pesaha Pal..
Pesaha Pal:
Ingredients for Pesaha Pal:
Jaggery – 250 grams
Water – ½ cup
Rice flour – ¼ cup
Thin Coconut Milk – 2 cup
Thick Coconut milk – ½ cup
Cardamom Powder – ¼ tsp.
Cumin Powder – ¼ tsp.
How to Make Pesaha Pal:
In a non-stick pan, take ½ cup of water. Add jaggerry and stir slowly till it melts completely. Filter the syrup. Switch off the pan and keep it aside.
In a small bowl, add rice powder, cumin powder and cardamom powder. Mix it well. Now add 2 or 3 tbsp. of Jaggery syrup to these powders and mix it well without forming lumps. Take coconut milk in a pan. Keep it on low flame and bring it to a boil stirring continuously. Add Jaggery syrup to this coconut milk and stir for another few more minutes. Now add the rice flour mixture so that the mixture thickens. Keep stirring.
My Recipe Notes on Pesaha Appam and Pesaha Pal:
1. You can add small pieces of palm leaves to this while cooking.
2. Using roasted rice flour will definitely enhances its taste though it is not compulsory.
3. Serve Pesaha Pal with Pesaha Appam.
Pictorial on Pesaha Appam and Pesaha Pal:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Serve Pesaha Appam and Pesaha Pal / Indri Appam and Pal.. 
Have a blessed Easter to all of you..
Happy Cooking..
Cheers..
N.B:
Please Subscribe to our Our Youtube Channel, ‘Seenas Food Basket’.
To get all the latest updates, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. It will keep us motivated.
You have an option to add your Comment on our website. Just go to the recipe page and scroll down. You can see the space provided there to comment. Pls. add your feedback there both, positive and negative.
Hope you liked our Recipes with its step by step explanation and the ‘TIPS’ and ‘RECIPE NOTES’. Pls. support us by SHARING it and clicking on the ‘LIKE’ button of our Facebook Page, so that you will get our latest recipes on your news feed without missing them.
Try out this and let us know what you think.. We love to see your creations. So, when you try out this recipe, take a picture and email it to seenasfoodbasket@gmail.com.
UUnleavened Bread and Passover Milk for Maundy Thursday / Holy Thursday / Pesaha / Indri Appam Recipe / Pesaha Paal Recipe / INRI Appam / പെസഹാ അപ്പം പെസഹാ പാൽ റെസിപ്പി
