PATRODO VERSION
– A
SPICY ELEPHANT EAR PLANT LEAF ROLLS
A NORTH KERALA KONKANI FAVORITE
Ingredients (for 8 persons):
1) Big tender leaves of edible elephant
ear plant, a type of taro(colocasia
esculenta) – 20 to 40 Nos. depending on size
2) Tor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) –
1 kg.
3) Raw rice – 1 kg.
4) Big coconut – 1
5) Hot red chili powder – 3 tablespoons
6) Asafoetida powder – ½ teaspoon
7) Bimbul or Bilimbi (cucumber tree
fruit) – 150 gm.
8) Salt – 5 teaspoons
To select and to prepare the leaves:
Only the innermost leaf which is also
the most tender, is to be taken to make the patrodo. If you take the second or third leaf, you will find that
the patrodo itches so much as to be
totally inedible. The preparation and the cooking of this dish takes time. If
you have other people to help you, you can collect and prepare the leaves in
the morning in order to cook the patrodo
in the afternoon. If you are alone, it is better to collect and prepare the
leaves a day in advance.
Once the leaves are collected, you
have to remove the veins and the stem from the underside of the leaf. Use a
small sharp light weight knife to gently cut away the protruding veins without
tearing the leaf. This is a time consuming ordeal but the end result is well
worth the work. Once the veins are off, wash the leaf thoroughly in running
water on both sides, taking care not to tear the leaves. Drain and set aside.
To prepare the paste:
Soak the rice and the dal in water
for 2 hours. Wash well and drain. Grate the coconut. Cut off the tips of the
cucumber tree fruits. Wash and cut to pieces. Put the soaked rice, the dal, the grated coconut and
the cucumber tree fruit pieces into a wet grinder or food processor with just
enough water to grind to a thick super fine paste. Add the salt and the chili powder and blend once again.
Taste the
paste. It should be hotter and saltier than the final taste of the patrodo
since you need to compensate for the unmarinated leaves. So add a bit more salt
and chili powder if necessary.
To Make The Rolls:
On a clean table, spread out a leaf bottom side up. Grab a little paste with your fingers and spread it thinly and evenly over the leaf. Now put another leaf over the first one with the rounded portion covering the pointed portion of the first leaf. Spread more paste on the second leaf and continue the process till the sixth leaf is thinly covered with the paste. All the leaves are to be put upside down only.
Now gently fold in the right and the left ends of the heap (to align the edges of the roll) and then start rolling the portion nearest you outwards tightly with both hands till you finish a nice long thick roll. Make the rest of the rolls likewise.
To Cook:
You will
need a large steamer to cook the patrodo.
Put enough water to last for an hour or more in the base portion of the
steamer. Set the steamer on the stove. Put a banana leaf on the steam disc.
When the steam starts to rise, arrange the rolls on the banana leaf (the banana
leaf will give you more flavor but it is not compulsory). Cover with lid. As
soon as the steam comes out of the sides of the lid, turn down the heat and
steam for 1 hour.
Now open
the lid and check to see if cooked. The outer leaves should be olive green in
colour. Insert a sharp knife into the roll. If the roll is cooked, the knife
will come out clean. It is time to enjoy your patrodo. Serve hot in thick slices (it is nicely soft when hot).
Pour some fresh coconut oil on the slices and eat to your heart’s content.
Serve by itself or with rice.
Notes:
1) Keep the left over patrodo
rolls in the fridge. When you want to eat it again, slice the roll thinly and
roast on low heat in a flat cast iron pan laced with coconut oil. Roast both
sides and enjoy.
3) The bimbul is an important ingredient of patrodo because it makes the
leaves edible, soft, tasty and free of their itch.
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