Seasoned Patrode (with Urad Dal and Methi) | Phanna Patrode

Seasoned Patrode with Urad Dal and Methi

Sometimes I get bored of my own cooking. Hence, I like to try different variations of the same base recipe. Recently, I got lucky at Patel's with the fresh stock arrival of Taro leaves, a rare feat indeed! I made Phanna Patrode and the flavor was awesome. The other version of Patrode is Patrode Upkari seasoned with Garlic and Red Chillies, a favorite of the husband.

Patrode Lollo - Patrode Log ready to be steamed

My Ma pairs this seasoned cakes with Paej. The seasoning sticks to the cakes almost creating a crunchy texture. She does it in a cast iron deep dish pan so you get the crust well formed and the seasoning offers yummy surprise of flavors. I cooked them in my iron kadhai and the roll steamed beautifully.

~ Phanna Patrode ~
Preparation time: 30 minutes + 4 hours (soaking time)
Cooking time: 30 minutes (maximum)

Patrode Recipe

For Seasoning -
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Methi (Fenugreek) seeds - 1 tsp
Split Urad Dal - 1 tsp

For Garnish -
Coconut oil

Method:
Prepare Patrode as described in the recipe. In a wide mouthed iron pan, heat few spoons of oil and while its hot, season with mustard seeds, methi seeds and split urad dal. Place each sliced cake of Patrode side by side and add a cup of hot water. Cover with a lid and leave undisturbed for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip the cakes over and add 1 or 1/2 cup of hot water and cook with lid on. Once done, scoop each slice and serve hot with Paej. Drizzle coconut oil on each cake before serving.

Note - Add hot water to aid the cooking process.

Seasoned Patrode (Patrode Upkari/ Alu Vadi Bhaaji)

A quick and easy way to use the crumps left over from Patrode or pretty much use Patrode in a creative way for the next day. This one is very popular in my home, everyone loves the flavour of Patrode crumps seasoned with Garlic and Red Chillies. This dish goes well with Paej.

Patrode tastes better the next day around. In my home, we use them in many ways - plain Patrode pan roasted on frying pan, Patrode dredged in Rava, Patrode steeped and soaked in Ghashi (red chillies and coconut broth with Methi seeds) and finally Patrode seasoned with Garlic and Red Chillies. Many of my cousins who do not have access to perennial Taro leaves, freeze the rolls and use them as per choice to dish out savoury Patrode dishes whenever the heart desires. Since its quick and easy, its siesta time for the cook the next day around after the hard labor. :)

~ Patrode Upkari ~
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
Patrode (steamed and cooked, whole) - 6
Oil

For Seasoning -
Garlic (crushed) - 3 jumbo pods
Red Chillies (Byadgi) - 3

For Garnish -
Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 3 tbsp

Method:

Thaw the Patrode at room temperature for atleast 30 minutes. Crumple them to form pieces. You could use a fork or mash them with hands. Once done, set aside. In a cast iron pan, heat few spoons of oil and once the pan is hot enough, roast crushed Garlic lightly. Add Red Chillies split into two. Add the Patrode pieces now and turn over the flame to high. Keep stirring constantly for next 2-3 minutes till the pieces get a roasted texture. Reduce the flame to a low-to-medium now. Add oil if the mixture goes dry. Once done, turn off flame. Garnish with Grated Coconut just before serving. Goes well with Paej or as a side dish.

Patrode Rava Fry (Steamed Taro Leaf Dredged in Rava)

Recently, I got a huge bargain loot of Taro Leaves (Patrode Paan) from my local Indian grocery. Its a chance opportunity which I grabbed with open arms and weird enough, they were fresh, not bruised and available in plenty. I rejoice Patrode made at home and so does my husband. The only problem is here in US, we don't get them as often as we do in India and I miss them a lot. :(

In India, my parents get a perennial supply of these leaves from a kind friend, neighbour or a close relative. This is a dish which fills me with nostalgia purely because its labor intensive and reminds me of the hours Mom slogged in the kitchen to make these for us. Any Konkani Foodie, either loves Patrode too much or would blatantly hate it because of the itchy sensation it causes in throat upon consumption.

I always tease Mom that if there is a competition to make these steamy goodies, she will win the first prize. The Patrode made by my Mom are divine and hit the taste buds with precision and accuracy which is hard to express. Everyone loves Patrode made by Mom and waste no opportunity when she invites folks for lunches and dinners. I made the conventional steamed Patrode from one roll and froze the rest in my freezer to make Patrode Rava Fry and Patrode Phanna Upkari. Cover the rest of the rolls with tight cling wraps layer by layer and plonk them in freezer bags and enjoy them at leisure.

~ Patrode Rava Fry ~

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes maximum

Ingredients:

Taro Leaves/ Patrodey Paan/ Tere Paan/ Marvala Paan - 8-15

Red Chillies (Byadgi preferred) - 5-8

Rice (Sona Masoori) - 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Asafoetida - 1 tiny ball - use the edible gum and not the powdery one
Tamarind/ Bilimbi (any souring agent) - 1/2 tsp

Salt - As per taste

Water - For batter consistency
Rava/ Sooji (Fine) - 1/2 cup

Oil - For pan frying

Contraptions used ~ Idli Steamer/ Pedaavan or Patrodo/ Sanna Steamer

Method:
Follow the procedure provided in Patrode recipe and once steamed and cooked, allow to cool. This takes around 15-20 minutes. Dredge them in Rava one by one. ensure the top and bottom surface of Patrode are evenly coated with Rava. Pan fry on both sides for 5-8 minutes. Drizzle oil on the sides. Once done, they are crisp and get a beautiful roasted brown color on both the sides. Enjoy hot with Dalitoy and cooked Rice.

Patrode (Steamed Taro Leaves in Spicy Coconut Batter)

Patrode or Pathravadey is the most pampered Konkani dish I have come across. Making Patrode is a big ritual for those who are not used to it, primarily because its a labor intensive process, takes lot of time, patience and has finer steps to be followed till the completion. Surprisingly, many of my the ladies in my family are experts in making the tastiest Patrode. This is one dish which I can proudly say resembles my Mom's whenever I've made it. I follow her measurements accurately and its never failed me. Unlike some houses, we do not add Mong Daal to the batter but only use - Coconut, Rice, Red Chillies and Tamarind. This recipe has been followed by four generations in my family and has never failed us.

It is a must-have dish especially during Ganesh Chaturthi festival food preparation. I enjoy them with Paej/ Brown Rice soup and feel that best way to enjoy them would be when the rolls are piping hot. There are many versions of Patrode made at my home - Steamed Patrade, Phanna Upkari Patrado, Patradey Ghashi, Patrode Rava Fry.

Patrode has been a common dish at my home. My mother and me are big fans of these creamy spicy treats. Mom used to make these specially on Sunday lunches where elaborate conversations set the tone of the day. Patrode is made from Taro leaves which are a common sight to see in local markets particularly during rainy seasons where they grow in abundance on streets, marshy tree side, areas with vast foliage and fauna and damp areas.

There are two kinds of Taro leaves - One with green stem and the other with purple stem. Its a common belief that the one with purple stem causes less itchiness in throat while eating Patrode. Many refrain from eating owing to potential itchiness in trachea and throat region due to which you do not want to go through the ordeal. To tackle this, Tamarind is added to the batter. The main reason for itchiness in leaves is due to the presence of Calcium Oxalate crystals which is believed to reduce its impact after considerable amount of cooking.

Patrodo has 2 major parts - Getting the leaves deveined and getting the batter to be smeared ready which is also called as Peet in Konkani. The leaves mesh well with the paste to create a unique flavour which is one of its kinds. Various leaves used for making Patrode are - Marvala Paan, Tere Paan and Patrode Paan. While rest of them are available in plenty during the rainy season, Marvala Paan grows on trees and is very thick, rubbery in texture. My Ammama used to procure them from local farmers who used to rear their cattle into forests and pick them up from trees. Since they grow high on trees, one needs to be skilled enough to climb the tree and pick the right leaves.

Devour with some coconut oil slathered on top of each Patrode, you are set for a cool afternoon siesta. If some remain for the next day, dredge them in some Rava and pan-fry with little oil and they turn into crispy rolls. The Patrode taste even better the next day. :)

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes maximum

Ingredients:

Taro Leaves/ Patrodey Paan/ Tere Paan/ Marvala Paan - 8-15

Red Chillies (Byadgi preferred) - 5-8

Rice (Sona Masoori) - 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Asafoetida - 1 tiny ball - use the edible gum and not the powdery one
Tamarind/ Bilimbi (any souring agent) - 1/2 tsp

Salt - As per taste

Water - For batter consistency

Coconut oil - For garnishing Patrodo

Contraptions used ~ Idli Steamer/ Pedaavan or Patrodo/ Sanna Steamer

Method:
1. Wash the Taro leaves thoroughly and flip them over on the non-shiny side and remove the veins with a knife. Soaking in water is believed to reduce the effect of Calcium Oxalate crystals which causes the itchiness. Pre-soak rice for 2-3 hours in water. Roast Red Chillies and once they are cooled down, grind to a stiff paste with grated coconut, salt, tamarind, asafoetida and rice. The paste must be stiff and tight, so add very less water while grinding the paste. The stickier the paste the better.
2. Add enough water in a steamer and transfer on stove to boil water with the lid on. Arrange the leaves in order of their size, this helps while choosing the leaves for applying the paste. On a work surface, take one taro leaf with the non-shiny side facing up and the stem side facing you. Smear the paste evenly on the entire leaf, place another leaf covering 3/4 of the previous leaf and smear the paste. Similarly add leaves and smear the paste till all leaves are done. Fold the sides and roll them over to a cylindrical shape, apply paste on all sides and fold the edges in. Once done, you could tie a string to hold them together, make slices of 1/2 a inch and place them in the steamer side by side and stack one upon another when one complete circle is done. Alternately, one could also pick the whole roll (known as Lollo in Konkani) and steam cook it. The steamer water should be boiling hot by now. Cover the steamer with a lid and let it steam on medium-to-high flame for 30-45 minutes.
3. Once done and completely cooked, scoop each of the piece and serve hot with coconut oil. Should they remain for next day, dredge them in rava and pan-fry with little oil and you have Patrodo Rava Fry.