Celebrating Sankranti in a Bengali household is not complete without making Pithe-Payesh. During winter, there are countless varieties of Pithe (seasonal homemade Bengali sweets) that can be prepared, with main ingredients such as rice flour, maida, suji, jaggery, and coconut. However, preparing or enjoying Patishapta is especially essential during Sankranti.
I made these Patishapta by following my mother’s recipe. Growing up, eating these delicacies made by my mom every year on Sankranti has become a cherished part of my childhood memories. The sight of a pile of freshly made Patishapta, the excitement of waiting for my share, the joy of sharing Pithe with neighbours, friends, and relatives, and receiving different boxes and plates of Pithe in return—those past glories will always remain vivid in my mind.
In our modern urban lifestyle, we seldom make various types of Pithe in a single day, as was customary in earlier times. We also lack the warm community of people to share these treats with. Nevertheless, it is crucial to try and keep this tradition alive. Each year on Sankranti, I make a small batch of Pithe, and I’d like to share this simple recipe with you. My mother’s recipe uses more rice flour and jaggery than maida and sugar for the crepes, which is why they don’t have a whitish appearance. The soft crepes, filled with a melt-in-mouth coconut, jaggery, and mawa mixture, are entirely addictive—you might lose count as you indulge in them!
I hope you’ll find the recipe useful, do try and let me know your experience. 🙂
Patishapta/Bengali sweet Crepes with Jaggery-Coconut filling
Patishapta is a traditional Bengali sweet (pithe) prepared especially during winter. It consists of soft crepes filled with a delicious coconut-jaggery filling, making it absolutely addictive.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 medium-sized- Coconut (grated)
- 200g- Date Palm Jaggery/Khejur Gur/Patali Gur (Adjust as per your desire for sweetness)
- ½ cup- Water
- 70g- Mawa/Khoya/Thickened milk solid (grated)
For the crepes
- 250g- Rice flour/Atop chaler guro
- 75g- Rawa/Suji
- 60g- All-purpose flour/Maida
- 125ml- Liquid Date Palm Jaggery/Liquid Khejur Gur
- Water as required
Instructions
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For the Patishapta filling break solid jaggery coarsely into pieces. Now In a Deep frying pan (nonstick preferably) add the jaggery and water, keep stirring over low heat until the jaggery melts completely and a thick mixture forms. Add some more water if required, so that the jaggery doesn’t burn.
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Add grated coconut into the thickened jaggery mixture, stir well and keep cooking over low heat for the next 5-6 minutes.
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Next to add mawa, mix and keep cooking until the mixture becomes a bit dry but still spreadable. Remove from the heat, keep aside.
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To make the Patishapta batter add everything mentioned For the Crepes in a bowl. Whisk well, keep adding water until a semi-thick batter forms. The batter should be neither thick nor very thin in consistency (read note).
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Heat a nonstick tawa or frying pan and apply some vegetable oil with a pastry brush over the top surface of the pan, and pour two ladleful batter in a oblong shape.
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Wait for 2 minutes and now add some coconut filling on top of the crepe vertically (watch the recipe video for reference), a bit apart from the center. Start folding patishapta from one side, while folding press gently on top of the folded patishapta with the spatula, remove and keep aside. Do all these over low heat. Serve warm or at room temperature (read note).
Recipe Notes
- The Patishapta batter might start to become thick after making a few crepes, add a little bit of water to keep the consistency pourable that spreads on the frying pan without any effort.
- Keep rest of the Patishapta refrigerated in an airtight container, and consume within 4-5 days.
- You can reheat Patishapta in the microwave before serving, as they taste best while warm.
Watch the recipe video below:
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