Most of us are familiar with the Maharashtrian snack Aluvadi, but did you know that there’s a Parsi version too? Although Parsi cuisine is known to be very meat-heavy (with a special mention for their love of eggs!) over the years their dishes blended with the fare of Gujarat, the region where their ancestors landed from Persia – to include more vegetarian options.
As more and more of the community shifted from Gujarat to Maharashtra, the culinary skills diverged even further to include local produce and techniques. Their take on Alu Vadi for example is similar to the more famous Maharashtrian version but with a few twists.
Aside from the essential colocasia (arbi) leaves and spiced besan paste, they also add ripe bananas and jaggery to achieve the perfect balance. Best served with green chutney or drizzled with lemon juice, this all-day snack is a little time-consuming to make but well worth the effort when it's ready.
Ingredients
- 24 Colocasia Leaves
- Gram Flour
- 6 tbsp oil
Masala
- ½ cup Gram flour (besan)
- ½ cup Wheat flour 1/2 cup
- ½ cup Rice flour 1/2 cup
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 6 cloves
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 3 chopped green chillies
- 2 tbsp minced coriander leaves
- 1-inch fresh ginger
- 10 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2 mashed bananas
- 2 cup tamarind pulp
- 2 tbsp grated jaggery (gud)
- Salt to taste
Method
- Remove the central large stem from each of the leaves. Wash and wipe dry each leaf.
- For the masala dry roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon and powder.
- Grind green chillies, ginger and garlic to a fine paste.
- Mix gram flour, wheat flour, rice flour, powdered spices, green chilli-ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, mashed bananas, coriander leaves, tamarind water, jaggery and salt into a thick paste.
- Add water as required. Keep a leaf with the back facing up.
- Apply the mixture thinly on the leaf and place another leaf on top and again apply the mixture. Continue this process for six leaves.
- Tuck in the sides and roll as for a Swiss roll and tie up securely with a string.
- Make more patrel rolls in a similar way.
- After they are all ready, heat three tablespoons of oil in a pan, fry the patrels on all sides, and then cover the pan with a lid.
- Put water on the lid and cook on low heat, turning occasionally, for forty-five minutes to one hour.
- Cool, cut into slices.
- Heat remaining oil in a shallow frying pan and fry patrel slices till crisp.
- Serve sprinkled with lemon juice.
