Alu wadi (Patra) recipe : crisp but not deep fried

During my daughter's summer vacation, we go to my parent's place in Gujarat for about a month. We come back relaxed and ready to take on the next school year. We also come back with a couple of more kilos on us; given all the delicious mangoes of Gujarat and even more delicious food cooked by mom.

This year she made the most delicious alu wadi (if you are in Maharashtra) (or patra, if you are from Gujarat) I had till date. Since we are talking names in different languages, the English name of the leaf is colocasia leaf. Anyway, I tried the recipe as soon as we were back and settled at home after the month-long vacation. I had to record this delicious recipe for reference.

This alu wadi is not deep fried but is crisped up on a cast iron skillet with a little oil. To achieve a good browning, the cast iron pan needs to be preheated on high flame first. Once it is hot, keep the flame low throughout the cooking. A small amount of oil along with low and long heat ensures a crisp exterior.

Alu Wadi

Ingredients:

5 large	alu (colocasia) leaves
1 and 1/4 cup	besan*
1/4 cup	rice flour
1 tbsp	grated jaggery
4 tsp	thick tamarind pulp*
1/4 tsp	hing
1/4 tsp	turmeric powder
1/2 tsp	goda masala
1 tsp	salt

Method

• Soak an indian lemon sized ball of tamarind in hot water for 20 minutes. I use only about a tablespoon of water. Once the tamarind is soft, I use a sieve to squeeze the pulp from the tamarind. This way I get the maximum pulp out and only a few fibers and seeds are left to be discarded.
• Prepare a thick paste-like batter using besan, rice flour, jaggery, tamarind, hing, turmeric powder, goda masala and salt. The alu leaves can irritate your throat so tamarind is traditionally used in its preparation to negate that effect.
• Wash the leaves well and dry them with a towel.
  
• Use a knife to carefully remove the stem and the thick vein in the middle of the leaf. Try not the cut the leaf itself.
• Start with the largest leaf and spread it out on a plate, the light green side facing up. Spread a generous layer of the paste on the leaf.
  
• Stack the second largest leaf on it. I like to go in order of size. I also like to alternate the orientation of the leaves - the pointy end facing opposite directions on each leaf. Spread the paste on the second leaf. Continue this stacking for all the leaves.
• Now its time to roll up the leaves. Start at one end and roll the leaves tightly. I use the paste as a glue a few times between rolling.
  
• Once you form the roll, tuck in the ends and apply the remaining paste to the outside of the roll.
  
• I cut the roll in half because it was quite long. Then I placed it in the steamer basket of the rice cooker and steamed it for 15 minutes. The roll looks darker after it has been steamed.
  

  Before steaming	After steaming

• Remove the roll from the steamer and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Cut the roll into 2 cm thick slices.
  
  
• Spread a thin layer (about a tablespoon) of oil in a heated cast iron skillet. Lay the cut up roll slices (wadi) in a single layer and let them crisp up on low flame for 5 minutes on each side. You could use a nonstick skillet but the level of browning and crispness from the cast iron skillet is superior.
  
• Serve immediately or not. These stay fabulous in the fridge even if you eat them the next day.

Notes:

• My doctor has advised me to avoid besan for acidity reasons. So I use a mix of besan, kulith flour, and sattu flour. My mom used moong dal flour and besan mix.
• I used a small lemon sized ball of tamarind to get 4 tsp of very thick tamarind pulp.
• I do not use chilli powder for health reasons as you might have noticed. I used goda masala for spice instead. Goda masala is not used traditionally but I think it definitely elevated the taste with its complex flavour. You are left thinking "wow, what is that taste?"
• As I have mentioned, to achieve a nicely browned and crisp exterior, you need to preheat a cast iron skillet. Add a tablespoon of oil to coat a thin layer on its surface. Reduce the flame to low and let the wadis cook on each side for 5 minutes. The slow cooking gets the browning. This can also be done on a nonstick pan, although the wadis will brown faster in it.