Tuesday 31 July 2012

Appetizer: Steamed Patra

Appetizer: Steamed Patra :

A tall-growing variety of taro is extensively used in the western coast of India to make patrode, patrade or patrada, literally "leaf-pancake". In Dakshin Kannada district in the state of Karnataka this is used as a morning breakfast dish. It is either made like fritters, or steamed. In the state of Maharashtra the leaves, called alu che paana, are de-veined, rolled with a paste of gram flour, tamarind paste, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander, asoefotida, salt and steamed. These can be cut into pieces, eaten as such or shallow fried and eaten as a snack known as alu chi wadi. Alu chya panan chi patal bhaji, a lentil and colocasia leaves curry, is also popular. In the Indian state of Gujarat the leaves of the plant are to make patra, a dish with tamarind and other spices. Sindhis call it kachaloo; they fry it, mash it and re-fry it to make a dish called took which complements Sindhi curry.
Patra (Patarveliya) is most popular in Gujarati people. This is a savory steamed leaf roll recipe, made from arbi or colocasia leaf. This patra with Arbi leaves rolled with a gram flour and spice powders is simply mouth-watering. With its spicy, tangy and slightly sweeter flavors, it’s getting popular in other parts of India. 

Ingredients:
3 for making one roll - black stemmed colocassia leaves (Arbi patta) you will need total 15 leaves
120 gms gram flour (Besan)
1-2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ginger chili paste 
2 tsp jiggery or sugar
3 tsp tamarind or lemon juice
Salt to taste
6 -8 clove of Garlic (optional)
½ sp "ajwain", carom seeds

Tempering: 
Pinch of asafetida powder (hing)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp oil

Garnish: 
Chopped coriander leaves
Grated coconut
Lemon Juice 1 tsp

Method:
Wash the colocasia leaves, remove the stem if they have.
Grind the green chilies, garlic and ginger and set aside. 
Make a pulp with the tamarind and the Jaggery. Mix this pulp with the gram flour and make a thick batter. Season the batter and add the grinded green chilies, ginger, garlic and salt as per your taste.
Take one colocasia leaf and place it on the wrong side. (See in the picture)
Spread the batter evenly on the leaf. Place another leaf on top of it and spread more batter. Same way one more leaf. 
Fold from both sides. Roll tightly. 
Place in a steamer for 15 -20 mins. Leave until quite cool. 
Slice in to ½" thick pieces. 
Now heat the oil for tempering in a pan.
Add the mustard seeds and once they start crackling, add sesame seeds, Pinch of asafetida powder, and then add the patra slices.
Mix all to gather and let it get little crispy. 
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, lemon juice and grated coconut, server hot. 

Tips:
Use the biggest patra leaf first. Then the medium and then smaller should be on the top. If you use small leaf first, you won’t be able to make a proper roll.
Do not use more than 3 leaves to make a roll. It will become too big and difficult to handle.
Roll should be nice and tight. It will keep the patra round and whole after slicing and shallow / deep frying.
Below you can see old post of my healthy recipe :-)