The excitement was at its zenith and the imagination at its peak. I was unable to hold myself with the thought of executing these dream-like laces in the pan. Not only the beauty of my prospective masterpiece was inspiring, but also the simplicity and ease of the task were stimulating my emotions. And I had every right to be confident, as I had seen how beautifully and effortlessly they took shape as Maa poured the batter on her griddle, spread the batter, added filling and finally rolled these laced crêpes one by one, which looked so perfect to be real. Thus, moving forward with great determination, as I spun the base of my ladle on the greased pan, inhaling the aroma and listening to the splattering sound, it was the perfect moment for me. Without wasting a moment, I placed the cooked coconut filling (who in itself was intoxicating enough to lose one’s senses) on the batter taking the form of crêpe. But wait, what happened? As I tried to fold, the crêpes were suddenly breaking around the coconut filling, and what coming out to dish was nowhere near to the perfectly slender and flawless ‘Narkel Diye Pathishapta’ that I had ever imagined.
Raise your hands, who had exactly experienced the same during your first attempt of making Pathishapta. Don’t you agree the dish which looks so simple (and probably it is), is not that simple if any of the ingredients are in disproportionate quantity, or for that matter if the pan is not rightly heated. Moreover, the demanding patience that is required if you fall in the category who dies or probably is just alive to see that Pathishapta successfully coming out of the gridle…… Ufff! the challenges are manifold.
And then the ‘moment of truth’ arrives. When after much effort you finally see that perfect Pathishapta coming out of the gridle or pan. Your joy is unbounded. You want to scream. You want to jump. You want to tell everyone, how after long Tapasya (penance), you finally got your perfect Pathishapta. And your face beams with pride, everytime your loved ones devour and praised your lacy perfect Pathishapta.
Although confined to household kitchens and the tradition of making Pathishapta being passed from generation to generation, my today’s recipe post of ‘Narkel Diye Pathishapta Or Crêpes With Coconut Filling’, is ode to that Pithe which had been representing the rich sweet repertoire of Bengal, much before the Portuguese came and taught us the process of curdling milk.
Here is the step-by-step recipe of creating ‘Narkel Diye Pathishapta’.
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Recipe: Narkel Diye Pathishapta Or Crêpes With Coconut Filling
Preparation Time: Around 5 minutes Grating Coconut: Around 30 minutes Cooking Coconut: Around 10 minutes Cooking Pathishapta: Around 8 minutes for the first one (includes heating pan) and 3 minutes for rest of the Pathishaptas Equipment Used: Coconut grater, Kadai or wok, spatula, mixing bowl, ladle and skillet pan Yield: 11 pathishaptas
- 1 coconut
- 1 cup & 3/8 cup sugar
- 1 and ½ cup maida or all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup semolina
- 1/8 cup rice powder
- Around 2 cups water
- ½ cup refined oil
Method:
- Grate a coconut
- Add 1 cup sugar to the grated coconut and put the container (wok) on fire
- Stir till the sugar melts and the coconut granules are sticky and cooked
- Take a mixing bowl. Add maida (all-purpose flour), semolina, rice powder and 3/8 cup sugar into the bowl
- Mix the ingredients while adding water to arrive at a batter for crêpe. I have used around 2 cups water
- Keep around ½ cup refined oil in a separate bowl
- Heat a skillet pan
- Add a teaspoon of oil into the pan from the ½ cup refined oil kept in a separate bowl
- Scoop and spread the batter in the pan once the oil turns hot
- As the batter shows pores and the sides turn golden brown, place cooked coconut (almost the size of your little finger) on the batter or crêpe, half inch from the edge and fold the crepe
- Shift the crepe to a dish
- For the next pathishapta, scoop and spread batter in the pan and spread oil (from the ½ cup refined oil kept in a separate bowl) with a spoon around the batter. Cook till pores appear and the edges turn golden brown and place cooked coconut on the batter (half inch away from the edge). Fold and transfer the Narkel Diye Pathishapta to a dish
- Follow the same steps for the rest of the batter
Grate a coconut.
Cook the grated coconut after adding 1 cup sugar.
Add maida (all-purpose flour), semolina, rice powder and 3/8 cup sugar in a mixing bowl.
Mix the ingredients while adding water to arrive at a batter.
Keep around ½ cup refined oil in a separate bowl.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet pan.
Scoop and spread batter in the pan once the oil turns hot.
As the batter shows pores and the sides turn golden brown, place cooked coconut on the batter or crêpe, half inch from the edge and fold the crepe.
For the next pathishapta, scoop and spread batter in the pan and spread oil with a spoon around the batter. Cook till pores appear and the edges turn golden brown and place cooked coconut on the batter. Fold and transfer the Narkel Diye Pathishapta to a dish.
Tips:
- Use same container to grate and cook coconut. This will help you avoid wastage and save effort
- It is important to cook coconut on low flame, else sugar will burn before the coconut granules are cooked, leaving the mix dry
- Keep stirring continuously while cooking coconut, so that the coconut mix does not stick to the pan
- The batter for pathishaptas should not be too runny or too tight. Don’t add water all together in the beginning. Mix and add water little by little to arrive at a perfect batter for Pathishpta. It is advisable to check the consistency of batter by pouring as little a spoon in the pan before starting to make the actual crêpe
- Heat pan on low flame, if you are using non-stick pan
- The pathishaptas were cooked on low flame
