Posted on
March 24, 2025 by
The VRG Weblog Editor
photograph from Shutterstock
Based on Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, Patra is a well-liked Gujarati vegetarian snack or ingredient utilized in essential or facet dishes. It’s a rolled, crammed menu merchandise that resembles a inexperienced and gold pinwheel when sliced. Patra is often known as pathrode, and the leaves are generally referred to as aloo and even elephant ears. The taro leaf is the normal wrapper; nevertheless, spinach or collard leaves may be substituted when making your individual patra.
There are lots of other ways to arrange patra, identical to any beloved conventional dish. Patra is rolled up with tamarind paste and quite a lot of spices, steamed to solidify the filling, after which sliced and fried.
Besan is often the primary ingredient within the filling or paste for patra. Besan is garbanzo bean flour, additionally referred to as gram flour. It’s not a finely floor flour, and the grittiness truly provides texture to recipes during which it’s used. Besan may be present in Indian markets and on-line, however it’s straightforward to make your individual. Merely frivolously toast cooked garbanzo beans in a scorching oven till they’re crispy. Grind the crispy garbanzos in a meals processor or by hand with a mortar and pestle.
These days, many households lower to the chase and buy canned or frozen patra, which may be micro-waved or shortly fried. In case you are on the lookout for canned or frozen patra, you may additionally seek for alu wadi, which is patra within the Marathi dialect. Canned or frozen patra are often sliced earlier than packaging. While you open the package deal, you will note swirls of darkish inexperienced and gold. You may microwave, steam, or fast-fry canned or frozen patra, relying in your time and your wants. Patra have an exquisite perfume of spices, together with ginger, chili, and garlic. As well as, if rolled appropriately, the leaves and filling type a delightfully chewy, virtually meat-like texture.
Recipes utilizing patra may be discovered right here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2008issue4/2008_issue4_patra_issue.php
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