Patishapta or Bengali Pancake

Ingredients for Filling:

Desiccated coconut: 2 ½ cups
Jaggery: 1 cup
Or sugar: 1½ cup
Or condense milk: 400ml
Cardamom powder: ½ tsp
Dry fruits: according to your choice
Khoya: 1/3 cup (Homemade or store bought)
Sugar: if necessary (my taste buds are always satisfied with the sweetness of jaggery)



Preparation for Filling:
Make tiny pieces of the jaggery. It will help the coconut to blend with it faster.
Take a large pan and heat on medium flame.
Add desiccated coconut and dry roast for 2-3 mins on medium-low flame.
Add jaggery/sugar/condense milk into pan, whichever you are using.You can use any either sugar or jaggery or condensed milk for the mixture. Or you can always combine them. if you are planning to combine don’t forget to decrease the amount specified. Otherwise it will yield sugar lump only. Keep checking the sweetness before adding the next ingredient.
Now,try to mix it with the coconut flakes.Coconut has a tendency to burn easily so be very careful while cooking it.
In the beginning it will seem to be impossible but allow the jaggery to warm a little to melt. Then these will easily mix up.
Once you notice that jaggery-coconut mixture is not sticking to the pan any more, add khoya and keep stirring continuously on medium-low flame.
Once khoya is mixed completely increase the flame to medium and stir non-stop for 1-2 mins. If you are also using dry fruits, add them now.
Switch off the flame, sprinkle cardamom powder and transfer immediately into a flat wide palate to cool off.

Ingredients for Crêpes:

All-purpose flour: 1 cup
Rice flour: 6 tbsp
Semolina: 5 tbsp
Caster sugar: 1 tsp
Cardamom essence: 2-3 drops
Milk: 2½ cup + 1/3 cup (if necessary)
Ghee/ any white oil to fry


Preparation for Crêpes:

Sieve and sift the both flour in a deep bottomed bowl. Add semolina and caster powder.  
Add milk little by little to make a thick paste. Add very small amount of milk to avoid lumps. Break the lumps, if any forms and mix well with a fork.
Once the batter is lump free and smooth add more milk and keep mixing to form a very balanced batter. The batter should be in finely dripping consistency, neither very thick not very thin. It should be able to cover the back of a spoon.
Take a non-stick flat pan or tava. Add few drop of ghee on it.
Place a ladle full of batter on the pan and rotate the pan to cover the surface with the batter.
Keep the flame on low, otherwise the crêpes will be brown in color and that will be the last thing we want.
Once the crêpe changes the color to pale golden, carefully flip it and allow the opposite side to cook.





Assembling the Patishapta:
Take 1-2 tbsp of the filling prepared before in your palm and make a flat rectangle pattie.
Flip the crêpe again and place the pattie gently on a round edge of the crêpes. (The nearer edge to you.)
Now turn the edge inner wards and roll the crêpe on the opposite direction. (far from you.)
Roll until you reach the other edge. Press it gently with the spatula to give it a shape of a Frankie.
Flip the Frankie and press gently again. Now your patishapta is done. Remove immediately.
Follow the same with rest of the portions.
Serve warm or cold; both ways patishapta will provide you immense pleasure.
You can serve it with Nolen Gur or dry fruits or even rich Rabri.







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