Patra / Pathrode - Repost

This is one more of those dishes making its way into my kitchen and blog again, thanks to the pictures I lost in blogger. One of my favourite Konkani dishes, this one is made specially made during Ganesh Chaturthi and of course, every time I just have to eat one !



Patra in Gujarati, Pathrode in Konkani and Aluvadi in Marathi is basically Arbi / Colocasia leaves bundled with some flour and spices, steamed and seasoned. In Gujarat, its made only with chickpea flour. In the Konkani version, its with soaked and ground chana dal and rice. Ma uses the easy way out and so do I. No soaking and grinding, we use chickpea flour and rice flour, with the spices.

I love dishes that are steamed on cooked in leaves. Gives it all the flavour and feels so healthy. The patolis that I made for Gauri puja just wouldn't taste the same if it wasn't steamed in those turmeric leaves.
I always thought this was a complicated and messy job, but realised how simple it is once I started making it at home

Here's a step-by-step on how to make patra / pathrode

Use leaves that have a blackish / dark stem. The ones with dark stems are not itchy, so always safer to use that. These were not dark and thankfully not itchy either.
Wash, wipe and place the vein side up. If the vein is too thick, roll it out with a rolling pin / belan



Spread the batter as evenly as possible, with your fingers, all over the leaf, leaving about an inch on all sides. Place the second leaf with the vein on top, but facing the other way, this makes it way easier when you need to roll it up. Overlap the first leaf with the second one and spread the batter over it.



Repeat with each leaf overlapping the other and spread the batter, leaving space at the edges. Using about 6 leaves in one set gives you nice layered big pieces when it done. You can use just three and make smaller ones too



Fold in the sides and start rolling it to form a log, gently enough, without tearing the leaves anywhere



Once you get a log like this, cut it in half



Steam these in a cooker or idli / dhokla steamer for about 10 mins. Allow it to cool and then cut into thick slices



Pan fry these pieces with the seasoning and garnish with grated fresh coconut. Enjoy as a snack or as a side dish with rice and a plain ghashi



What you need

9 colocasia leaves
2.5 cups besan / chickpea flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp tamarind paste
2-3 tbsp grated jaggery
salt to taste
1 cup water

Seasoning -
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp oil

Garnish -
1-2 tbsp grated coconut
coriander leaves

What you do with it -

Make a thick batter with the besan, rice flour, jaggery, tamarind paste, chilli powder, asafoetida and salt using one cup water. Add more water if it is too thick, but don't dilute it too much
Wash the leaves and wipe them dry. Place the leaf vein side up, spread the batter with your fingers, leaving about an inch on all sides of the leaf. Overlap with another leaf, with the vein facing upwards, but on the other side of the first leaf, as shown above. Repeat the process with about 3 or 6 leaves, depending of the size of pieces you want.
Fold in all sides of the leaf and roll to form a log. Cut into 2-3 big pieces
Grease a steamer plate with a little oil and places the pieces in the steamer. allow to steam for 10-12 mins
Remove and allow to cool
Cut into thick slices
In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds and sesame seeds. Add the asafoetida and then place the pieces in the pan
Allow it brown slightly on both sides and take it off the heat
Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves
Serve as a snack or as an accompaniment with rice and ghashi