Culinary Chronicles
By Yasmin Rahul Bakshi
As a child and teenager, I was a silent observer, often eavesdropping on family conversations, especially those about food, to accumulate knowledge. Intellectual property, after all!
Once, at mathematics tuition—I believe I was in grade seven then—I noticed my tutor’s wife struggling with colocasia leaves, trying to roll them into “Patauds”. Being a helpful soul, I offered her my mother’s recipe. And she succeeded in the Herculean task!
“Mam, thank you so much for the recipe,” the lady said, leaving my mother stunned when they met a few days later at the market.
“Indra, which recipe? I don’t recall sharing any with you.”
“Mam, Yasmin gave me the recipe for Patauds that you follow.”
More shocking news for her. “Did she?”
“Yes, Mam, and they turned out flawless.”
My mother was flabbergasted, wondering how I knew that recipe, or any of them for that matter. On returning home, she questioned me, “How do you know the process of making Patauds? And what recipe did you give to Indra?”
Naively, I told her that I watched her cooking, or rather anyone doing that. That’s how the art of culinary started fascinating me.
Today, I blindly stick to many recipes of my mother, who has been an exceptional cook. Here, I’ve served “Pataud” over a bed of Salsa.
RECIPE
- Colocasia leaves (arbi leaves) – 6 to 8 nos
- Orange lentils (dhuli masoor dal) – ½ cup
- Split Bengal gram (chana dal) – ⅛ cup
- White lentils (dhuli urad dal) – ⅛ cup
- Gram flour (besan) – 1 Tbsp
- Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp (optional)
- Green chilli paste – ½ tsp
- Salt – according to taste
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Black salt – ¼ tsp
- Mango powder – 1 tsp
- Asafoetida – ¼ tsp
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Mustard oil – 2 Tbsp
- Oil – for frying
- Toothpicks – 10 nos
Wash and soak all the lentils for 4 to 5 hours. Discard the water and grind into a fine paste using fresh and minimal water. Mix in all the ingredients (except the oil reserved for frying and toothpicks). Wash and pat dry the colocasia leaves from both sides. With the help of a rolling pin, roll the mid rib flat (thick vein in centre). Take the biggest leaf and apply the lentil paste as a thin film, covering all areas. Now take a leaf smaller than the first, place it on top of the paste-applied leaf, and coat it with the paste. Repeat with all the leaves. Align the edges on your left and right side by folding them inwards. Apply the paste on the folded edges. Hold the leaves from one end and roll them tightly. Coat the roll, including the sides, with the paste. Insert toothpicks where the leaves are ending on the roll, about 4 inches apart. Grease a steamer and steam the roll for 25 minutes. Cool and slice the roll. Deep fry the slices in hot oil. Serve hot.
(Yasmin Rahul Bakshi is a food historian and an accomplished Chef associated with multinational hospitality brands. A widely travelled Army wife from the Mussoorie hills with exposure to international cuisines & preserving recipes with the medium of food photography and digital content creation in the form of stories to reach the readers.)
