alu vadi or pathrode recipe with step by step photos – alu vadi also known as patra is stuffed rolled colocasia leaves snack that is popular in both maharashtrian and gujarati cuisine.
in hindi, these leaves are called as arbi ke patte. in marathi, colocasia leaves are known as alu or aloo. whereas in hindi alu or aloo is the term for potatoes. this recipe has no resemblance to anything potatoes 🙂 this alu vadi recipe is also known as pathrode.
the taro root leaves are smeared with a sweet, spicy and tangy besan or gram flour paste and stacked upon each other. they are then rolled and steamed. the steamed rolls are then tempered or fried. these stuffed rolls are served plain or with a green chutney. they make for a nice tea time snack as well.
since fresh colocasis leaves or taro leaves are easily available in the monsoons, you can try making this snack at home or for ganesh chaturthi festival. if you like recipes with colocasia leaves, then you can make two more recipes with them:
when making patra or alu vadi always use fresh leaves which are not itchy. the itchiness is due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals and can be pretty itchy to the hands and to the throat & tongue too. so before making the patra, just check for the itchiness. you can ask your vegetable vendor before buying them.
i have given extensive step by step pics for this patra recipe. the preparation looks daunting, but not difficult. you can make these rolls a day before and then temper or fry them the next day. i prefer the tempered ones. however you can also deep fry or shallow fry the rolls.
the same recipe can also be made with large spinach leaves. so you can substitute spinach leaves with taro root leaves.
if you are looking for maharashtrian recipes then do check kanda batata poha, poha chivda, sweet shankarpali, poori bhaji and sabudana thalipeeth.
alu vadi or patra recipe below:
alu vadi recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR alu vadi recipe
main ingredients:
- 20 medium sized colocasia leaves
for the besan/gram flour batter:
- ½ inch ginger + 1-2 green chilies - made into a paste in mortar-pestle
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
- 1.5 tablespoon seedless tamarind (imli) soaked in ¼ cup water
- 2.5 cups besan (orgram flour)
- 3 to 4 tablespoon powdered jaggery or as required
- ½ to 1 teaspoon oil (optional)
- salt as required
- water as required
for tempering:
- 2 to 3 teaspoon sesame seeds (safed til)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
- 1 sprig curry leaves (kadi patta)
- ¼ cup grated fresh coconut
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta)
HOW TO MAKE alu vadi recipe
- soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup water for 30 mins.
- rinse the taro leaves well and wipe them dry.
- prepare them as shown in the pics below like removing the central vein and stalks etc.
- now squeeze the tamarind directly into the water and extract the pulp.
- take all the ingriedients for the batter in a mixing bowl.
- add the tamarind pulp and mix well to make a thick batter.
- add some water if required.
- check the taste and add more salt or powdered jaggery if required.
- the batter has to be really thick.
- for the first roll use 10 leaves and for the second roll use remaining 10 leaves.
- now spread the batter on each leaf and arrange them as shown in the above pics.
- roll the edges vertically and spread some batter on them.
- now roll horizontally and tightly.
- keep on applying the batter on each fold as you roll.
- place the rolls on a greased steamer pan.
- steam the rolls for 20-25 minutes.
- when warm or cool, slice them or temper them.
- or you can deep fry them and serve with green chutney.
- for tempering heat oil in a pan.
- pop the mustard seeds first.
- then add the sesame seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
- saute for a few seconds.
- then add the sliced rolls and saute till they get browned.
- you can also just pour the tempering mixture on the sliced rolls.
- sprinkle grated coconut and coriander leaves on the alu vadi or patra and serve hot or warm
step by step alu vadi or patra or pathrode recipe:
1. take all the ingredients for the gram flour batter in a mixing bowl. this includes all the spice powders, ginger-green chili paste, gram flour and salt.
2. add the powdered jaggery and tamarind pulp.
3. stir well and make a very thick batter or paste. keep aside.
4. rinse and dry the leaves with a kitchen napkin.
5. slice the stalk from the base of the leaf.
6. place the leaf with the veins facing you and slice the middle vein right through the center, taking care not to break the leaf. remove any other thick veins from the sides too. keep all the leaves ready like this. instead of using knife (as it might tear the leaf if not used properly) you can also use a belan ( i.e a rolling pin) and gently roll it on the leaves. this will flatten the veins and leaf will not get cut. you can adjust the pressure as per the thickness of the vein.
7. place the leaf with the vein sides facing downwards and the tip facing you. apply the besan paste. before beginning to roll, sort the leaves and place the largest one at the bottom and continue to keep the medium and smaller ones as you stack them up.
8. now place another leaf with the tip in the opposite direction. placing the leaves in the opposite direction helps them to roll easily.
9. apply the besan paste on the second leaf.
10. completely cover the leaf with the gram flour paste.
11. now place a third leaf with the tip facing you…
12. and apply the paste on this leaf too.
13. finish off all the 10 leaves this way. now fold the leaf from one side as shown in the pic below.
14. apply the besan paste to the folded side and fold from the opposite side also. apply besan paste to this second folded side too.
15. begin to tightly roll the leaves and keep on apply the besan paste with each fold on the top.
16. almost finished rolling the stack of leaves.
17. i made two rolls from two batches of 20 leaves. each roll had 10 leaves. place these rolls in a greased steamer pan. steam for 20-25 minutes in a steamer or pressure cooker without the vent weight or whistle.
18. the leaves and the besan paste would be completely cooked and the rolls would hold shape and become firm after cooking.
19. when warm or cooled, slice the rolls into 1/2 inch thickness.
20. heat oil in a pan or kadai. add the tempering ingredients and fry for a few minutes.
21. add the sliced colocasia rolls and saute in the oil on a low flame for few minutes.
22. switch off the flame and lastly add some grated coconut and coriander leaves and give a gentle stir.
23. serve the alu vadi or patra hot or warm. you can also garnish the alu vadi with coconut and coriander instead of mixing them with the rolls.
u r welcome.It is a sheer joy to learn,cook & serve your recipes.well presented with clear pics especially the first one tempting many to cook
God bless u & looking forward to many such wonderful recipes.
thank you much meveera. touched and grateful. hugs 🙂
hi Dassana! i prepare them the same way but in addition to the above ingredients i add a bit of garam masala and sometimes even a small ripe mashed banana to cut down jaggery amount (just to make it a bit healthy).However i apply the batter to the dull side of the leaves & place the rolls over a greased thali/lid having holes & steam them in similar way. steamed ones taste good drizzled with little oil but i agree that the tempered ones taste better.i do add sliced garlic and khus khus is to above tempering
(the vendor knows best but notice the top part of the leaf.it is shaped like “v” with pointed sides.these are suitable for patra.the itchy ones have slightly rounded sides)&before u think that i have a phd in patra, i don’t have one but simply learnt these details from my mom:) love the new look of your website
thanks meveera for sharing all these tips. the vendors do know well. i was not aware of the ‘v’ and the round shape in the leaves. thanks for sharing this too. you are the first one to comment on the new look. so thanks for this too also. as it helps to gauge if our readers are liking the new design or not.
Is eating pathrode ok for pregnant women?
colocasia leaves can cause troubles. so i would suggest to avoid.
Hi
U r a saver. I use to always avoid these leaves as my friends use to get them but, they use to be oily, so never had thought bout buying them. Tempering also looks delicious. Will surely try this today
surely try and let us know how it was pooja? thankyou so much.
I have had this at my homr as well but never thought how it is made. I am a lot into cooking an when ever it comes to cooking something veg,its only your blog that i check up.the detailing u do with your cooking work is amazing.hattsoff to you.you are an inspiration to people like me.amazing job keep it up. And the itchyness can be countered by the tamarind pulp.or drink lots of buttermilk if a goofup happens..
thanks a lot rohit for this encouraging words 🙂 yes the itchiness goes away with the tamarind pulp. had heard about the buttermilk drinking tip, but did not know if it works or not. thanks for confirming and sharing these tips.
Hi Dassana, like all your other recipes this one also came out fantastic. I have two questions:
1. For how many days can i store the steamed patra in the fridge? [refrigerate or freeze??]
2. How do i use a pressure cooker to steam? last time i made these i used a large vessel with water and placed a sieve in it. But some steam escapes and it takes longer to cook. Thank you
thanks grace.
1. refrigerate them. keep covered in a steel dabba or container. they stay good for 3 to 4 days.
2. add some water in the cooker. place the pan with the patra rolls in it inside the cooker. you have to make sure, that the water while steaming does not fall in the pan. no need to cover the pan. remove the went weight/whistle from the lid and secure the lid tightly on the cooker. cook on medium flame till the alu vadi rolls are steamed well. in case the water dries up in the cooker while steaming, then add some more water.
Hi Dassana! for quiet sometime the comment section wuldnt get displayed so culd nt comment on recipes i hv tried, as ws going through this recipe suddenly saw the comment section being displayed so didnt waste any time just to say thk u to u for such wonderful and easy recipes on ur site. Vry soon wuld b tryg the abv recipe….. a request once again for jalebi recipe pls… Thks once again!
welcome mohini. comment section was closed because of hectic schedule. jalebi recipe is in my mind. but not getting time to experiment.
I have checked so many sites for different recipes but trust me your recipe’s are just awsm …all your recipes just simple easy to make and mouthwatering…
really
thankful to you.
god bless you
welcome shobha. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes and for your prayers.
Hi Dassana & Amit,
I love your website….really beautiful photos and step-by-step explanation. Keep it up! Please post as many healthy recipes as possible! You have a great fan following and hope they learn from you to cook healthy! 🙂 A lot of Indians are overweight and have health issues. You can inspire them to eat well.
thanks sonali for your positive feedback and kind words. we try out best to post healthy recipes. because food should not only be delicious but nutritious also.
Hi..
I m a new follower of ur blog. I like ur site.. & I love the procedure u showed. Mouthwatering recipes.
Here I want to tell u onething…in our home after steaming this pathrode we cut into small peices & tempring.
And other type is after steaming cut into the slices & place the slices on tawa & put some oil.. it ll bcm very crunchy outside..inside very soft.
We can use this Batter instead of patre, we can use cabbage.
Ty
thanks chaitra for sharing this. i know about the frying part. i just avoided it because of the health reasons. thanks for the tip on cabbage. sharing with you. the same batter can also be used with large spinach leaves.
Thanks…..please add good amount of tamarind since leaves will be itchy….I missed to add……hope u try this Cochin gsb style pathrodo
i know about the itchiness factor. thanks for reminding anitha. i will remember 🙂
We have a similar pathrode recipe using ground rice batter…grind raw rice.;haldi powder..red chilli sabut…coconut..hing.apply on leaves …steam and serve with raw coconut oil…u can also fry them..rice coconut ratio…..2:1
thats a nice version with spiced rice batter. i have saved the recipe and will try when time permits. thanks for sharing anitha.
Very simple and tasty alu vadi Dassana 🙂
thanks sarika
Hi Dassana!
I love your site! Good Job 🙂 Keep pouring more recipes 😀
thanks anita for appreciating
Hi Dassana!
My favorite dish!! Your photos are looking so perfect and yummy, I am missing the aluvadis made by my Aai… especially because I cannot make it here in Dubai (no leaves)These are staple in our household just like any from Konkan as it is grown in the backyards in nearly every home.
Just like to suggest a small tip (if I may)… when you remove the veins/ stalks that are on the leaves, instead of using knife (as it might tear the leaf if not used properly) we can use a belan ( i.e rolling pin) and gently roll it on the leaves. This will flatten the veins and leaf will not get cut. We can adjust the pressure as per the thickness of the vein. I hope I was able to put this action in words appropriately (easier to do than to describe 😉 ) I think cutting with knife requires some time and finesse. So one might find this tip useful.
Thanks as always for the wonderful recipes!! Keep them coming…
welcome suruchi. in fact in konkan and goa i have seen the alu leaves growing anywhere. in fact most of the houses have fresh colocasia leaves growing in their gardens. i know about the rolling pin method. i did not do as i am pretty good in slicing the veins 🙂 i shall add your tip in the post, so that it helps readers who are making the vadis for the first time. thanks suruchi. i had forgotten about the belan tip when writing the post. will update now.
Thanks Dassana! I was sure that you already knew this tip as well 🙂
Hi Suruchi,
We do get aloo wadi leaves in Dubai also, in lulu supermarket. Check it out! Enjoy making 🙂
i love how detailed this post is. great job dassana!
thanks nags.
New recipe… Interesting… look appetising