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Decadent Desserts, Lockdown Recipes, Tea-time Titbits, Vegetarian Varieties

Patoyos, Patoleos or Patoddios

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Yummy rice pancakes steamed with a coconut and jaggery filling… perfect for just about any time of any day, but specially eaten on the 15th August—the feast of the Assumption, which coincides with India’s Independence Day!

 

“Happy Independence Day! Happy Feast Day!”
The Fact: Patoyos or patoleos are prepared and eaten along the western coast of India. Different cultures prepare this dish for different reasons—the Konkan Marathas and Brahmins prepare patolyos on the second Sunday of Shravan or on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi. Patolyos are offered to Goddess Parvati, who, the legends say, had a strong craving for these sweets during pregnancy. The Roman Catholics too celebrate the feast of The Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven on the 15th of August, which coincidently happens to be India’s Independence Day. Patoleos are the star dish prepared in almost every Catholic household, on this day.
The Inspiration: I didn’t really care whether my mum prepared patoyos for Independence Day or for the feast of the Assumption. It was a thrill preparing these little rice pancakes with mum and then eating them right through the day with hot tea :). The tradition continues in my house too…

The Ingredients

Makes about 10 – 15 patoyos
  • 3 – 5 turmeric leaves
  • 500 grams rice flour OR 2 cups boiled rice soaked overnight and then ground to a paste
  • 1 – 1½ coconut, grated fine
  • Golden brown (cane) or black (palm) jaggery, grated fine
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Steamer or a make-shift steamer made from a pot of boiling water with a colander placed inside it, above the water level, and covered
Turmeric Leaves

turmeric_leaves

The Method

The Prep

  1. Wash the turmeric leaves and pat them dry with a paper towel. Be gentle with the leaves. They tear and bruise easily. Try drying the leaves along the length of the veins, instead of across the leaf’s veins.
  2. If the leaves are small—about the size of your palm—leave them as they are; if not, cut them up into two or three pieces, perpendicular to the central fold of the leaf. The size could be that of your palm or smaller. You can even try a combination of different sizes. Keep aside. Don’t allow them to dry out and harden.
  3. Sprinkle salt over the rice flour. Mix.
  4. Knead the rice flour into a soft and pliable, yet firm dough. Take care to not to add too much water or you’ll end up with a runny mess instead of a dough that you can mold.
  5. Get your steamer ready.
  6. Mix the grated jaggery with the grated coconut and keep aside. Don’t do this step in advance because the jaggery will melt and the mixture will become runny.

Your three main elements should be ready by now—the leaves, the dough, and the coconut and jaggery mixture

The Making

  1. Take one leaf bit, open it up and flatten it on your counter, with the inner portion facing upwards. Take a small lump of the dough and place it at any end of the leaf. Now work your pointer and middle fingers into the dough, gradually spreading the dough across the entire upward facing surface of the leaf. Work along the length of the veins to make your job easier. If the dough is not enough, take a second lump.
  2. Do not to leave any spot uncovered and do not apply a very thin layer. The steam will burn right through the leaf.
  3. Place about 1.5 – 2 teaspoons of the coconut and jaggery filling in the center and spread it out over the dough in the leaf. Take care to avoid the edges or the mixture will run out. The quantity will depend on the taste you prefer. Some people prefer the steamed dough flavour with a hint of the filling, while others like it sweet. You will master this through trial and error.
  4. Fold the leaf in half, along its natural fold. Lightly press along the edges, so that the dough on opposite surfaces roughly stick to each other. Keep aside. Prepare more such patoyos and keep aside.

The Steaming

  1. Once you have finished making enough patoyos to go into the steamer in one batch, stop and transfer the patoyos into the steamer. Place each patoyo separately. Don’t stack them over each other or they won’t cook evenly.
  2. Steam for about 5 – 7 minutes or until the patoyos are firm to touch and the leaf peels off easily. If the center is still soft, return to the steamer and steam until done.

That’s it! Enjoy steamy patoyos with a hot cuppa tea 🙂 Take care not to burn your mouth with steam that is trapped in the patoyo.

Here are a couple of patoyos – one with black jaggery and the other with golden brown…

Patoyos, patoleos or patoddios - one with black jaggery and the other with golden brown

And here’s a beautifully captured picture of a couple of patoyos with black jaggery…

Patayos with black Jaggery

Breakfasts n Brunches, Cookies, Cakes n Cavities, Decadent Desserts, Lockdown Recipes, Non-vegetarian Nonchalance, Tea-time Titbits

Chocolate & Sautéed Banana Crepes

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Speaking of comfort foods, who’d have thought that decadent chocolate and a fruit wrapped inside a soft crêpe would be my new favourite dessert… breakfast item… comfort food…?

 

“In a big family the first child is kind of like the first crêpe. If it’s not perfect, that’s okay, there are a lot more coming along.” – Antonin Scalia
The Fact: Crêpes originated in Brittany, France and are considered as the country’s national dish. Crêpes can be compared to the African injera, the tortilla, the Indian dosa and the Mexican sope. 
The Inspiration: So, let’s be honest. I’d like to believe that I’m a serious health-conscious freak, but I’m really not. I have my days. It was one of these days that led a few friends and me to this quaint little patisserie, “Le Plaisir”, which had opened up close to our work place, one August afternoon. Since I wasn’t in the mood for a serious, heavy dessert, I thought about trying out their crêpes. Apart from the regular crêpes (considered as the French-styled pancakes) with whipped cream or maple syrup, I spotted a Nutella and Banana Crêpe. While the Nutella satisfied the dessert craving, the fruit led me to believe it was healthy, which it wasn’t of course! And so I ate… And fell in love… And the banana-chocolate combination became my new favorite duo… So much so that I recreated the dish, rather perfectly, I dare say, the very next day.So unoriginal… right? But like they say… “Love is blind” 🙂

The Ingredients

Makes 10 – 12 crêpes
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 ½ cups milk (for slightly healthier crêpes, use 3/4th cup milk with ½ cup water or buttermilk)
  • 2 large or 3 small eggs
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 large bananas
  • Nutella or readymade chocolate sauce or a few bits of semisweet chocolate melted

Crepes ingredients

The Method

Making the crêpes

Whisk all the dry ingredients—the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder—in a bowl. Remember to add the baking powder only if you’re making the crêpes immediately. If not, add just before use.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then, add the milk to it. Use room temperature milk—not too hot or too cold. At this point, you could also add a quarter teaspoon of vanilla essence if you don’t like the egg smell.

Using your spatula, create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the egg mixture into it. Gently whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until the mixture appears smooth and without lumps. Add 2 tablespoons melted butter and whisk gently. Remember not to over-whisk the mixture or you’ll lose all the air from it, making your crêpes slightly tougher than the soft, fluffy ones.

crepe batter

It’s a good idea to check for lumps using the back of a spoon, before you proceed.

checking for lumps in the crepe batter

Allow the batter to sit for about 30 – 60 minutes, covered properly (make airtight), in the refrigerator. Note that if you’re making the batter in advance, you can store the batter in an airtight container for up to 1 day. But, when you do so, remember to add the baking powder about 5 minutes before you actually make the crêpes; not earlier.

After refrigeration, whisk the batter to get a smooth, slightly more fluid consistency.

crepe batter

Heat a non-stick pan over a medium flame and add a drizzle of the butter. Don’t let your pan smoke.

Now, add about 1/3 cup batter and swirl it around to completely cover the bottom of the pan or until it reaches the desired size. Cook for about 2 – 3 minutes, until the crêpe looks slightly transparent or until the underside of crêpe is golden brown. Then, using a spatula, loosen the edges slightly and flip the crêpe once, using your fingers.

just flipped crepe

Let the crêpe cook for another minute, then slide it into a plate. Remember, the key is to flip it only once and not more. Give it a try and you can’t go too wrong (and even if you do, you can still eat it).

Repeat the procedure until the batter lasts.

Making the topping/stuffing

With the pan still on the stove, quickly slice the bananas. Add the remaining spoon of sugar to the pan and just when it begins to melt/caramelise (don’t go too far or you’ll be left with hard caramel), toss in the bananas until they are lightly coated and golden brown. Take them off the pan.

Note: You can avoid this step altogether and use plain sliced bananas (without the caramel coating). That’s what I did since the caramel makes the dessert too sweet for my taste.

Serving the crêpes

You have various options here…

  1. Lightly brush the smooth side of the crêpe with some melted chocolate/Nutella/chocolate sauce. Line up some of the banana slices in the centre. Roll up the crêpe and serve.
  2. Lightly brush the smooth side of the crêpe with some melted chocolate/Nutella/chocolate sauce. Line up some of the banana slices in one quarter of the crêpe. Fold the crêpe into that quarter and serve.
  3. Fold a plain crêpe into a quarter and place it on a plate. Toss a few banana slices onto the crêpe. Drizzle some melted chocolate/Nutella/chocolate sauce over it and serve.

crepes and chocolate shavings

Bon appétit! I hope this comfort food gives you all the comfort, joy and heavenly bliss it gave me!