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Patishapta
পাটিসাপটা · thin rice-and-semolina crêpes rolled round coconut and date-palm jaggery
Patishapta is the star of Poush Sankranti in mid-January, when Bengali homes make pithe-puli, sweets of new rice, coconut and the season's nolen gur (date-palm jaggery). A loose batter of rice flour, semolina, plain flour and milk is swirled thin on a hot pan and rolled round a sticky filling of coconut cooked with jaggery and cardamom. The crêpe should be soft and pale, never crisp. Chef's tip: keep the heat low and grease the pan only lightly with a cut potato dipped in ghee, which spreads a film rather than a pool.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the filling
For the batter
For cooking
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cook 7 oz fresh grated coconut with 5 ½ oz date-palm jaggery (nolen gur) or soft brown jaggery in a pan over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 10–12 minutes until the jaggery melts, then dries back into a sticky mass that holds together when pressed. Stir in ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 ¾ oz khoya (milk solids) if using. Cool.
12 minStep 2: Whisk 3 ½ oz rice flour, 1 ¾ oz fine semolina (suji), 1 ¾ oz plain flour (maida), 1 tbsp sugar and 1 pinch salt with 1 ¾ cups milk to a smooth batter that pours like single cream. Rest for 20 minutes; the semolina swells and the batter thickens slightly, so add a splash of milk if needed.
20 minStep 3: Heat a non-stick frying pan over a low-medium heat. Dip the cut side of 1 small potato in 2 tbsp ghee and rub it over the pan.
Step 4: Pour in a ladleful of batter and swirl to a thin 18 cm round. Cook for 1 minute until the top looks dry and the edges just lift. Common mistake: too high a heat; the crêpe browns and turns brittle and cracks when rolled.
1 minStep 5: Spoon 2 tbsp of filling in a line near one edge and roll the crêpe up in the pan with a spatula. Cook for 20 seconds more, then lift onto a plate. Repeat with the rest, regreasing each time.
25 minStep 6: Serve warm or at room temperature, on their own or with a drizzle of liquid nolen gur. They keep, covered, in the fridge for 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does patishapta take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of date-palm jaggery (nolen gur) or soft brown jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (maida)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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