Stuffed Mussels/Kallumakkai Nirachadu

Stuffed Mussels/Kallumakkai is one of the most delicious, popular dish/snack of the North Malabar (Kannur) side.It is also one of the dishes prepared back home and sent to close ones abroad. 

Ingredients
1.Fresh Mussels    25-30
2.Parboiled rice      2 cups
(soak the rice in hot water for 4 -5 hours,then wash and drain)
3.Grated coconut    2 cups
4.Fennel seeds        2 tsp
5.Salt                      accord to taste
6.Oil                     For shallow frying

For the batter
7.Kashmiri chilly powder    1 tblsp
8.Flour (Maida)    1 tblsp
9.water       4-5 tblsp
10.Salt         a pinch
  
(Mix the ingredients in a bowl to make a batter) 
 

Method
-Clean the mussels shell by scrubbing away the hairy substance and then clean it under running water to remove all dirt.
-Now half open the shells very carefully by slowly sliding the knife through the slit,running the knife in round from one end till it gets open.
-Again clean the inside part under water(take out the transparent thread like thing)
-Place it upside down along the sides of a bowl to drain the water.
-Now grind the rice (in an electric wet-grinder)along with the coconut,fennel seeds,salt and very little water
-Fill each mussel with the rice dough
-Now steam the rice filled mussels in a steamer till cooked
-When cooled remove all the shells
-Dip the rice-mussels in the chilly batter and shallow fry till done.Remove on tissue paper

-Serve hot with a cup of tea.  

*This is the traditional way of making stuffed mussels in the Kannur part.You can also make the rice dough using rice flour. We usually make this  with parboiled rice flour, there we grind white rice, coconut and the fennel seeds using water and then add the flour to tighten the batter and make the dough.

*If using rice flour where boiling water should be used you can grind the coconut and the seeds in a mixie(like for chammanthi) add that to the rice flour and add the boiling water to make the dough.