patholi recipe

here is my last sweet recipe for the ganesh chaturthi festival – patholi.

patholi are steamed rice rolls which are stuffed with fresh coconut and jaggery mixture. patholi are made during the gauri and ganesha festival here. what makes the patholi special is the steaming technique. these rolls are steamed in fresh turmeric leaves.

fresh & tender turmeric leaves have such a sweet fragrance. i wish i could make you guys get the fragrance of turmeric leaves. it is a beautiful sweet fragrance.

the patholi rolls while steaming get the aroma and flavor from the turmeric leaves. this is what makes the patholi special. when steaming these delicacies, the whole kitchen smells divine.

in the months of july-aug-sept, we get fresh turmeric leaves in the goan and konkan coastal belt of india.

besides making this fragrant sweet dish, even fish or masala stuffed fish is steamed in the turmeric leaves.

i should also mention cucumber idlis that are steamed in these aromatic leaves. i had almost forgotten about these idlis. i plan to make them soon.

my mom makes patholi in these months and this is my mom’s recipe. she actually soaks the rice and grinds it. the batter is not fermented.

i chose the easy way. i made patholis with rice flour. if possible use fine rice flour. mine weren’t that fine, but the patholi was great.

after a long long time (read 5 years) i savored and relished patholi and it reminded me of the times when mom would make these for us.

the patholi tastes similar to modak except for the turmeric leaves aroma. thin & soft steamed rice cover stuffed with the heavenly coconut and melted jaggery infused with the aroma of cardamom and not to forget the turmeric leaves.

what i like about this delicacy is that these are vegan, healthy & oil-free for a sweet. indian sweets, specifically are laden with oil, ghee, fats and sugar.

they are also a gluten free for a sweet dessert. along with so many good points, they have the goodness of turmeric leaves. we all know how much good is turmeric for the body.

if you cannot get turmeric leaves, then you can also steam the patholi in banana leaves.

i am showing a step by step version of making the patholi. thanks to my sis who took the photos when i was making the patholi. it is a bit lengthy process but you will sure enjoy the results.

just to let you know, in between making the patholi, i urgently got a call from somewhere and i had to go out. i had kept some patholis to steam and told my sis to take care of the rest before i came. my sis made the remaining patholi and all the steamed patholis she stacked them up one above the other.

as a result due to the steam & heat the patholi got stuck to each other it was difficult to separate them and somehow i could barely manage a few better ones for the final pics. by the time i came it was already getting dark, so just took some not so good shots

i hope in spite of the broken patholis, you try making these at home. your family is going to love it. trust me…

so lets begin with the step by step method of making patholi recipe:

1: in a pan or bowl, mix the rice flour & salt with water to make a thick batter. the batter should be thicker than a dosa batter. it should not be runny when spread on the leaves.

2: mix the fresh grated coconut, powdered jaggery, cardamom powder and grated nutmeg in a plate or bowl.

3: now rinse all the turmeric leaves. wipe them dry. slice the stalks from the leaves. take each leaf and with a pestle smash the middle vein of the each leaf. this helps in rolling the leaves easily. you can also scrape of the thick center vein with a knife.

4: now spread the rice batter on the leaf. cover the complete leaf.

5: add the coconut-jaggery filling in the center of the leaf.

6: fold one side down and press the edges. you can fold the leaves vertically or horizontally.

8: since i had long leaves, i cut the leaves into 2 or 3 parts. if you have small leaves, you can keep them whole & intact.

9: place the stuffed leaves on a idli steamer rack or any steamer lid or rack.

10: steam these for some 10-12 minutes till done. you can use either the pressure cooker or idli cooker for steaming. remove once steamed. if you have a small steamer, you will have to repeat the whole process.

11: then when they are warm, gently remove the turmeric leaves from the steamed rolls and serve warm.  these can be had plain or with some ghee or milk. you can also have them plain. even the cracked ones taste good

patholi recipe details are given below:

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patholi recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 18-20 patholis

Serving Size: 4-5

ingredients

for the outer cover
• 8-10 large turmeric leaves or 18-20 small leaves
• 2 cups fine rice flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• approx 1.5 cups water - add more if required
for the inner filling
• 2 cups fresh grated coconut
• 1.5 or 2 cups powdered jaggery - adjust according to your taste
• 1 tsp cardamom powder or crushed cardamom
• a pinch or two of grated nutmeg
• choice of dry fruits - optional

method:

preparing the batter for the outer cover:
1. mix the rice flour, salt and water to a thick batter
2. keep aside for 30 minutes.
preparing the filling:
3. mix all the ingredients for the filling and keep aside.
making the rice rolls:
4. take the turmeric leaves and rinse them in water.
5. wipe each leaf with a kitchen towel.
6. press the middle vein of the leaf with a pestle or just slice it thinly with a knife without breaking the leaf.
7. cut the base stalk of the leaf.
8. spread the rice flour batter evenly on the leaf.
9. add the filling in the center of the leaf.
10. now fold the leaf gently horizontally or vertically.
11. press the edges.
12. steam the patholi on medium flame for about 10-12 minutes or till done.
13. when warm, remove the cooked turmeric leaves.
14. and serve with some milk or ghee.
15. these can also be had plain.

my notes

if the rice batter becomes thin, add more rice flour.

if the batter is very thick, then add some more water.

the sweetness of the filling can be adjusted as per your taste.

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