Coconut Stuffed Crepes (Pati Shapta)

The winter harvesting festival in Bengal is known as Poush Parbon which is usually celebrated in the second week of January (14^th-15^th January). Every year I wait for these days as it is the only time of the year when I can feed on home-made sweets for all the meals especially dinner. As a kid, I used to help my mom while she prepared Doodh puli, Sheddho Pithe, Shoru Chakli, Rosh Bora and the mouthwatering Pati Shapta. Though Pati Shapta is basically a rice pancake with a coconut filling, one can use khoya/kheer or even sooji as a filling. I however prefer the coconut filling as it renders that traditional flavour to your pancakes. I made pithes at home during the Sankranti this year and would post all the recipes under this label. As a starter, here is the recipe for Pati Shapta…

Ingredients

For the Filing

Freshly grated coconut

Jaggery (preferable Date Jaggery)

2 tbsp Ghee

For the Pancakes

2 cups Rice powder

All purpose flour ½ cup (Maida)

Cold Milk

Refined oil

Condensed milk – dilute it to Rabri like consistency (Optional) 

Cloves (To seal the pancakes - Optional)  

Method

• Put a Kadhai on low flame and add ghee to it.
• Add the grated coconut and mix it well with the ghee on high flame. Now add Jaggery and allow it to melt over a low flame.
• Once the Jaggery has melted, turn the flame to medium, and mix the coconut well with Jaggery. Keep stirring the mixture till it turns into sticky dough like mixture. Remove from flame and allow it to cool down.
• For the Pancackes- Mix rice powder and Maida with cold milk to make a batter (similar to Dosa batter)
• Place a tawa over medium flame; spread 1 tsp of refined oil on it.
• Now, put some batter and spread it to a make a small, round pancake (10cm radius approx).
• Once it is cooked, take it off the tawa, fill it with the coconut filling and roll it. You can seal the roll with a clove.

 

• Similarly make rest of the pancakes.
• In the end, you spread condensed milk generously over the pati shaptas and serve them hot.