Pathrode / Patra (Colocasia Leaf Rolls)

Pathrode or Colocasia Leaf Rolls (Pic by June Carvalho)

COLOCASIA plants grow in profusion all through the year around my parents' house near Mangalore. During a recent visit, I brought back a few leaves to make (after a very long time), these rolls, also known as pathrode in Konkani. 

The leaves are stuffed with a batter of rice ground with cumin seed, red chillies, tamarind and a little jaggery and salt, and then tightly rolled and steamed. They are then sliced, smeared with a bit of chilli paste and shallow fried in ghee or coconut oil and served as a very filling snack. (The pathrode slices shown in the picture were yet to be fried). There are many variations of the pathrode. In one method, the leaves are chopped up finely and added to a thickish rice batter which is then steamed in thalis. The idli-like pathrode can be cut into cubes and dunked in a mutton or chicken curry. A plateful of this meat with pathrode curry is usually a satiating and filling meal in itself. Some communities use gram flour (besan) instead of rice.

The presence of calcium oxalate in these elephant-ear shaped leaves can cause an itching sensation in the mouth and throat. A considerable amount of tamarind is therefore used to counterbalance this effect while cooking colocasia leaves.

The stem of the plant, especially of the dark maroon variety, is used in a dish called allum dento that is cooked with green gram sprouts. This is a special dish during Monthi Fest, the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, that Konkani Catholics of Dakshina Kannada celebrate with great pomp and fervour on September 8 each year. Traditionally, the festival repast comprises strictly vegetarian dishes, usually an odd number of items - either 7 or 9 - and the meal is served on plantain leaves. In the northern parts of the district, however, fish curry and fish fry are also part of the festive fare.   

What I used:

4 colocasia leaves

2 cups of red rice

6 red chillies

1 tsp cumin seed

Walnut sized ball of tamarind

3 tbsps of jaggery & Salt to taste

Carefully trim the leaves of their spines.

Soak the rice, preferably overnight and grind with all the other ingredients till fine. Be careful to add just enough water to make an easily spreadable batter, neither too thin nor too thick.

Lay the biggest leaf, smooth side down and evenly spread a thin layer of the rice batter on the entire leaf, right up to the edges. Place another leaf, smooth side down again, on top of the first leaf and repeat the process of applying the batter. Repeat this by layering two more leaves. Fold the bottom corners of the leaves and the tip towards the centre. Now start rolling it tightly into a roll from the side. Tie up the roll with kitchen twine and steam for about 20 minutes to half an hour.

When cool enough to handle, snip off the twine, slice the rolls and smear some chilli paste, like the kind used for fish fry, and shallow fry the pathrode slices in ghee, coconut oil or any other cooking oil. Garnish with a tempering of mustard and curry leaves and some freshly grated coconut if you like.

PS: If the process of grinding the rice deters you, the easier way is to use red rice flour, with red chilli & cumin powders and tamarind pulp. Dissolve the jaggery and salt in the water that you need to mix with the powders in order to obtain the batter. Though I love shortcuts and simpler ways of doing things, I haven't tried this method out, but I believe it works.