Rose Flavored Patholi with Gulkand Churan.

"My Naivedyam: Rose Flavored Patholi with Gulkand Churan (Sweet Dumplings in Turmeric Leaves with sweet rose filling)" ... I love experimenting with flavors and trying different mix and match with patholi ... I prepared this on the auspicious occasion of Anant Chaturdashi and 10 th day Ganesha Visarjan ... this one surpassed my expectations on taste ... I assume it is only coz. of God's Grace ...

** Patholi is a sweet dish prepared by Konkani Saraswats during festive occasions and otherwise when plenty of turmeric leaves are available especially during monsoon. The four months of Chaturmasa fall during this period and there are many festive events during this period. The sweet patholi which are steamed dumplings prepared on turmeric leaves are loved by one and all Amchies. By now, my friends those who follow my Blog are aware that I love experimenting with food and I really love giving twists to our own Konkani Saraswat dishes the most as I do not like deviating from relishing that food which I grew up eating and also which we are very fond of. Patholi is very versatile and many different flavors of dumplings can be prepared out of the same. To learn more on Patholi, I am sharing a common link at the bottom of this recipe, where in you will find plenty of matter penned in. Please go through the same, you will come across many different varieties of patholi that can be prepared and relished in your own home, remember home cooking is the healthiest and the best gift you can give to your children and coming generations. 

** Gulkand used in this recipe is store bought, though very soon I intend to prepare the same at home as there are plenty of roses available now. Gulkand is a sweet preserve prepared with crushed rose petal along with sugar and is supposed to be good for health and has a good shelf life. You can read about the same on net, and there is no point of writing it again here. I always see to it that a small bottle of the same is always there in my fridge as I like to add on spoon of the same to my kheer at times. Well, there was a bottle of Rose syrup lying in the fridge and gulkand was lying before me. The next day was Anant Chaturdashi (Nopi) a day when all Amchies prepare a sweet dish as Naivedyam to Lord Ananata (Vishnu). In addition, it is 10 th day Ganesha Visarjan, when we bid adieu to lord Ganesha by immersion in water/sea. So for Naivedyam I prepared these patholi with addition of rose syrup to outer cover and Gulkand to inner filling and I must tell you this was the best of all patholi both color wise and taste wise. Do try it out, children are sure to love it as the color will lure them to eat it and to make them share it with their little friends who will also appreciate your effort and you will be happy seeing gleaming faces. 

** Here is my method of preparing "Rose Flavored Patholi with Gulkand Churan (Sweet Dumplings in Turmeric Leaves with sweet rose filling)" which I prepared as Naivedyam …. 

** Cut the edges of 10-12 turmeric leaves, wash and wipe them clean. Keep this ready. If the turmeric leaves are too big in length, you can cut them horizontally into two pieces. In all you will need about 12-15 leaves. You can check out the picture, where in the method of arranging the same is showed clearly. 

** For the outer applying paste/cover : Wash and soak one cup of rice in water for an hour or so. Strain and then grind to a fine paste. This is the traditional method. However, in Mumbai we get a very good Rice flour ie. used for preparing Modak which is very similar to our patholi. So I just use that powder for the outer cover. The patholi not only comes out good, the texture and the aroma is also awesome. 

** I prepared the outer covering this way ...  For 1 cup of rice flour add in 2 tblsp of coconut milk and ¼ cup of rose syrup. I used store bought readily available rose syrup. Mix well taking care to see that there are no lumps adding little by little water, till you get a smooth thick batter. If using soaked rice, drain rice add it into mixer along with syrup and grind with little bit of water. Remove, check consistency and then add water as required. 

** For the Inner filling/Chruan : In a thick bottomed kadai or pan add in one cup of coconut gratings along with 50 gms of grated jaggery,1 tblsp of ghee and keep stirring till the jaggery melts and combines with coconut. Cook till it leaves the sides and comes in together. Remove and allow to cool a little bit. When warm add in 3 tblsp of gulkand mixture and mix well. Allow to completely get cooled. I have used store bought gulkand mix. 

** Do not make the churan too brittle or hard textured, if you find that it is slightly waterish on cooling down, just add in some grated coconut and mix well, or you can add in some layi pitto (powdered paddy rice) and mix well and the churan is done and ready. Traditionally layee pitto is added to ensure that the mixture does not leave water as it soaks in the extra moisture. I have not added any as this is rose flavored and I wanted the taste to remain intact. If you make the churan to correct consistency, this can be avoided. 

** Now keep the turmeric leaves/haldi paan in a row on a platform or table the darker inner side of the leaves should be facing on the top towards you (Check the picture). Take a some rose flavored rice flour paste on your hand (about a large tablespoon) and apply it on the turmeric leaves in one direction motion evenly leaving out 1 inch gap on all side of the outer edges of the leaves. Do not apply very thick nor too thin. 

** Now in a thin layer lengthwise at the center of the applied rice paste, put in the prepared gulkand churan/filling mixture neatly ensuring you leave some space towards the top and bottom. This is to ensure that when you fold over the leaves, into half moon type shapes, the center filling should get stuffed inside ie sealed within the outer rice flour paste. I have enclosed pictures for proper knowledge of the same. 

** Once you have applied them on all the leaves, start folding them over one by one. Fold over the leaves, and press gently on all sides so that they become compact. Do not apply excess pressure, which may then result in the paste coming out of the leaves. So follow the procedure in ease and do not hurry and spoil the same. Check the picture for much clear vision of the same. 

** Heat a pedavan/Idly steamer with plenty of water as per the requirement placing the holed divider too. When it comes to full boil, lower the heat and gently place the patholi in a layer, seeing to it that they are kept with the opening leaf side upwards. If there are more patholis made than that can be laid in a single layer then follow the step given below. 

** Just steam first layer for 10 minutes and then place the second layer on top of the first one changing its angle a bit and then steam all together for 15-20 minutes. This is to ensure that all the patholis get evenly steamed. If you place them in rows all together in one go sometimes the center ones will not get proper steam due to which they may not get cooked properly. 

** Once the patholi are steamed and done, remove from fire and leave them in open for some time to cool down. Then gently remove and place them on a plate and allow to cool to room temperature. If you try opening the leaves when they are hot they do not come out intact but break up, so take the precaution and allow settling time. 

** "Rose Flavored Patholi with Gulkand Churan (Sweet Dumplings in Turmeric Leaves with sweet rose filling)" is done and ready to be served as Naivedyam to God and thereby distributed among family and friends. These patholi as I mentioned above is mostly prepared on festive occasions, though you can prepare them any day when the leaves are in season and are accessible. Patholi is best served topped with fresh homemade ghee, it tasted delicious that way. This is one dish loved by young and old alike, so do try it out and enjoy with your family and friends. 

** Note : You can keep the extra patholi in fridge and serve them the next day after leaving them to get thawed a bit for 15-20 minutes. It tastes equally good. I usually microwave them for 30 seconds and they are as good as freshly steamed ones. However, it is best consumed within 48 hours even when kept in fridge, as it somehow looses taste later, though does not spoil for another day or two. 

** I am sharing a common link to “Patholi” dishes posted in my blog before, you can check out on the same for various combinations of the same. 

https://gayathrifoodbytes.blogspot.com/search?q=Patholi

** I am sharing a common link to “Muddo” dishes posted in my blog before, you can check out on the same for various combinations of the same. 

https://gayathrifoodbytes.blogspot.com/search?q=muddo

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