Bengalis and their love for sweets is no strange fiction. The age-old, rich, diverse and delicious Bengali cuisine has a vast array of delicious desserts that have tugged at the heartstrings of food connoisseurs across the world. Bengalis have a sweet dish for every single occasion to look forward to. Bengalis have also mastered the art of extracting the essence of the local produce to make their desserts even richer. A substantial number of Bengali desserts are made from rice, chhena and gur. These desserts have managed to keep many Indians hooked to them for ages.
As the year is about to end in a few days, the excitement of welcoming another year filled with festivities is immense. Bengalis eagerly wait for the month of January as it is filled with some exciting festivals that bring with them an assortment of decadent foods to relish. One such festival is Poush Sankranti that is celebrated in mid-January. The festival comes with a mandatory ritual of making and savouring some of Bengal’s most loved desserts like Moa, Patishapta and Pithe. As we have already talked about the other two delicacies earlier, it’s time for us to know more about Patishapta.
Patishapta is basically a crepe dish made with rice flour and is stuffed with a coconut and jaggery mixture. Rice is soaked overnight and is ground into a smooth batter. The filling is prepared by frying grated coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder and milk on low flame for about 15 minutes. This filling is then cooled down and is used as a stuffing for the rice flour crepes. Depending on your preferences, you can top the crepes with condensed milk or dry fruits.
Being an Odia, I have a deep penchant for Patishapta as they appear to be cousins of Odia pitha. The coconut and jaggery filling is also common in both cuisines. The same filling is also used in Odia Kakera, Manda and a lot of other pithas.
Are you eager to try these Bengali crepes at your home? Here’s a detailed recipe you can follow.