Fried Patra Alu Vadi Colocasia Pinwheel Fritters
Fried Patra Alu Vadi Colocasia Pinwheel Fritters is an Indian subcontinent delicacy, from a vegetable, that is considered as one of the oldest cultivated vegetables. Its popular name is Elephant Ears, and that is no wonder as elephants are found in abundance in Malaysia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. The size of the Arbi/Colocasia leaves is gigantic and justifies its popular name as Elephant ears! This plant is mainly cultivated in USA around lakes and ponds but in Indian sub continent it is widely eaten for its roots, leaves and corms. My good luck that I live next to a botanist, to whom I introduced this delicacy and he was so captivated by it, that we decided to grow it in a containter in USA, as fresh Arvi leaves are hard to find on a consistent basis! He even looked for it at the nursery for us! As I come from Jain family, my association with roots vegetables is not great, but my mother-in-law makes excellent vegetable curry from Arvi roots. So while buying Arvi root for my husband, I had a Eureka moment, and figured, why not try cultivating this root in a container pot and see if I can have fresh Arvi leaves through the year! So this eureka moment is a result of neighborly mingling and sharing one’s culture and food with others. Also always taking the opportunity to know more about different cultures and cuisines!
The common way of cooking Patra or Alu Vadi is by steaming the leaves. However my mother had an additional way of making it, by frying them. By doing this, it looses some of its extra sharpness in taste and plus the taste is crunchy, and can be served as a warm appetizers, just before the meal is served. Gujarati households have a penchant for fried stuff, so its understandable, why this dish became popular in our household! And my neighbor also liked this version better than the steamed one, and he is not of Indian origin! So this delicacy will definitely appeal to taste buds of many people, and it also has a high visual appeal with its pinwheel look.
The process involves coating the leaves with a spiced gram flour paste on the leaves, and then rolling them in group of three, or single. And then either steaming the rolls, followed by cutting into pieces and then garnish it with mustard, sesame , coconut and lime. However for fried patra, we first slice into pieces and then fry them golden brown and serve with ketchup and chat masala. The taste has some sweetness, some spice, some crunch, that creates a very attractive finger food! I can easily vouch that Fried Patra Alu Vadi Colocasia Pinwheel Fritters are addictive if you like them, as you start eating one, and you will soonfinish a handful and want more! And this recipe covers both the fried as well steam option of the Patra, Alu Vadi and Cocolasia Pinwheel Fritters appetizer.
Hope I find luck in growing the leaves in my container from the Arvi root! That way a high dose of Vitamin A and Potassium is always available through these Elephant ears/ Patra leaves! These small joyful moments of discovering something new and learning something new, make my days exciting and keeps my mind eager to learn!
Make both versions, steam and fried, and decide which one you like more!
Fried Patra Alu Vadi Colocasia Pinwheel Fritters
Recipe makes 60-70 pieces of Patra Pinwheel fritters
Cooking time 1 hour 20 minutes
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients
- 10 Arvi or Colocasia leaves (mix of large, medium and small sizes)
- 2 1/2 cups gram flour besan
- 11/2 cups water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp asafotida
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 3 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
For frying and garnishing
- oil for frying
- chat masala for seasoning
Method
- Wash the leaves thoroughly and leave them to dry.
- Using a sharp knife, skin the thick veins on back of the leaves.
- Mix all the ingredients into a paste and leave it set for half an hour, ensuring that there are no lumps.
- Lay the biggest leaf on face down and cover it with gram flour paste.
- Lay second leaf face down with tip on the opposite direction and cover it with paste.
- Lay the third smaller size leaf again face down, tip facing the side of first leaf and cover it with gram flour paste.
- Now from the tip side of the first leaf, starting rolling over small and tight till you reach the other hand. Every second turn of the roll, apply the gram flour paste.
- Slice the rolled leaves into half and inch thick pieces.
- Heat the oil for frying. and when warm, insert the sliced pieces to fry on low- medium flame.
- Turn over when golden brown and cook on the other side.
- Remove to cool a bit.
- Garnish with chat masala and serve it with ketchup.
Tips
Fresh leaves taste the best. Do not buy leaves that are yellow or lifeless. as it will taste bitter.
When skinning the veins at the back, ensure that you do not cut through leaves, and the smooth edges seem as flat as the leaf.
Instinct Factor
My mother prefers to use only single leaf roll for Fried Patra Alu Vadi Colocasia Pinwheel Fritters. This makes the pinwheel fritters to a nice bite size form.
Big spinach leaves can be an alternative to Colocasia leaves, as they have a similar color, texture.
Feel Factor
A snack in a pinwheel form with attractive gold and green colors, reminding me of a peacock feather, when laid together!. Truly enjoyable as an accompaniment to any meal, and a novel way to cook the Patra leaves. Since they are not so easily available in USA, it is a delicacy for me that needs to be truly cherished and savored every bit for its rich unique taste. The chat masala sprinkled on top is a perfect seasoning to this yummy appetizer that is rich in vitamin A and potassium nutrients. Go healthy and eat the steamed version or feel festive and have the Fried Patra Alu Vadi Colocasia Pinwheel Fritters.
