Muttamala and Pinjanathappam

Yellow threads of egg yolk and a white steamed sweet are served together on one plate. Muttamala & Pinjanathappam is an egg-based pairing from the Malabar region of South India. On a single plate, the sweetness of the fine threads can be enjoyed with the softness of the steamed batter, which is cut into pieces.

In the Kerala Tourism recipe, the first step is to separate the egg yolks from the whites. The yolks are poured through a vessel with holes into a thick, well-reduced sugar syrup in a circular motion. The heat sets the yolk into yellow threads. These are sprinkled with a little water so they are easier to lift out of the syrup, and the result is muttamala. The overlapping threads are loosened gently so that they do not break.

The reserved egg whites are mixed with syrup and milk, poured into a plate greased with ghee, and steamed. Once set, the mixture is cut into squares. This is pinjanathappam. Because the egg is used in separate parts, the yolk becomes fine threads and the white becomes a soft sweet that takes the shape of the plate.

In the method of the cook Shana Shameer, the syrup left over from making the yolk threads goes into the egg-white batter, which is flavored with cardamom. The steamed white sweet is cut into diamonds, and a small bundle of yellow threads is placed on top of each piece. Another way of serving them is to spread the threads over a plate and place the white sweet in the center. The same two sweets can be arranged on the plate in many different ways.

The name muttamala brings to mind an egg necklace. In some places the white sweet is also called mutta surka, and it appears on the table at weddings and festivals.

The technique of dropping egg yolk into syrup is also similar to Portugal’s fios de ovos. However, similarities in appearance and method alone are not enough to establish how the technique traveled. In Malabar, the two sweets are served as a pair.

Glossary