Patishapta

3 August 2009 3,883 views 18 Comments

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“There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner: that, in the dinner, the sweets come last.”

- R.L. Stevenson

I discovered a jar of rice flour a couple of days back. I don’t remember since how long it had been there in my kitchen, but the flour looked good, and the texture was also perfect. So, I thought of preparing some patishapta to have a sweet tooth feast. Patishapta reminds me of those Poush Sankranti days at my grandparents house. There would be a feast for three days and my Dida (my mom’s mom) would prepare those patishapta sitting near the brick stove (she preferred the brick stove over the gas oven) all day long. I have never seen such perfect patishapta after her. Those more so soft and moist and the colour was a perfect tinge of very very light brown. It was almost like a ritual for all the kids at home to steal some of those hot patishapta.

Before going to the recipe details, just a little note about patishapta. Patishapta is the most popular among all pitha (also, pithe) prepared during Sankranti (Sankranthi, in South India). In simple words, patishapta is actually a rice flour crepe with coconut and jaggery fillings. The softness of the crepe and the sweet filling inside makes it the best pitha and most commonly prepared pitha. Though cakes, pastries and various other sweets are in vogue in almost every household, but I would say those who have at least tasted patishapta ones will never say no to it.

Preparation time: 10min

Cooking time: 25mins

Makes 10 patishapta

Ingredients:

For the filling-

Grated Coconut (Narkel Kora): 3cups
Jaggery (Gur): 1cup
Cardamom powder (Elaich): 1/4 teaspoon

For the crepes-

Wheat flour (Maida): 1cup
Seomlina (Suji): 1/2 cup
Rice flour (Chal guro): 1/2cup
Milk (Dudh): 1cup
Sunflower oil for frying

Preparation:

For the filling-

In a wok heat the jaggery, as it start melting add the coconut
Put in the cardamom powder and stir till the coconut mixes well with the jaggery
Cook till the coconut feels sticky
Take out of flame and keep aside

For the crepes-

Add all dry ingredients together and mix well
Pour the milk with constant stirring to avoid lump formation, the batter should be smooth and freely flowing (add excess milk if required)
Heat a frying pan (preferably non-stick) and pour in 1 tablespoon on oil, spread it with a kitchen paper
Take a small bowl of batter and spread it evenly on the pan to make a round shape, do it quick before the batter sets
Place the filling lengthwise at the center of the crepe
Fold the crepe from both sides and wait till it turns light brown

Patishapta

Hot tips – If you don’t have a non-stick pan, don’t worry. Cut the upper part of an egg plant, keeping the stalk intact and spread the oil over the pan using it instead of a kitchen paper.

Further Reading – Poush Parboner Patishapta, Pithe, Harvest food, Food During Sankranti

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