Posted on
December 25, 2025 by
The VRG Weblog Editor
picture from Shutterstock
In keeping with Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, Patra is a well-liked Gujarati veggie snack or ingredient utilized in fundamental or aspect dishes. It’s a rolled, crammed menu merchandise that resembles a inexperienced and gold pinwheel when sliced. Patra is also referred to as pathrode, and the leaves are generally known as aloo and even elephant ears. The taro leaf is the normal wrapper; nevertheless, spinach or collard leaves might be substituted when making your personal patra.
There are lots of alternative ways to arrange patra, similar 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 known as gram flour. It’s not a finely floor flour, and the grittiness truly provides texture to recipes through which it’s used. Besan might be present in Indian markets and on-line, however it’s straightforward to make your personal. 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 might be micro-waved or rapidly fried. In case you are in search of canned or frozen patra, you may also seek for alu wadi, which is patra within the Marathi dialect. Canned or frozen patra are often sliced earlier than packaging. Once you open the bundle, you will notice 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 a beautiful perfume of spices, together with ginger, chili, and garlic. As well as, if rolled appropriately, the leaves and filling kind a delightfully chewy, virtually meat-like texture.
Recipes utilizing patra might be discovered right here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2008issue4/2008_issue4_patra_issue.php
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