Patishapta | Stuffed Crepe (Bengali)

If there is one sweet in the whole wide world that I can make a meal of, it would be the Bengali crêpe patishapta. But they have to be made by Maa or my paternal aunt. I struggle when I have to eat ones made by others; which in no way means patishaptas made by them are not good. Just that I have a finicky sweet tooth! #embarassedgrin

So when Pishi (paternal aunt) came visiting in December, Maa and she had a gala time churning out Bengali delicacies, including pandering to my demand for patishaptas. Their only condition being I had to learn how to make them. Oh yes! I am always game for cooking lessons and so began the lessons.

One among the pithe (type of rice cake) family, patishapta is typically made of rice flour or wheat flour and can be made anytime during the year. But it is a must in the month of January when several parts of India celebrate Makar Sankranti. In my native state of West Bengal, this celebration is referred to as Poush Sankranti while in my resident state Gujarat the festival is celebrated as Uttarayan better known as the Kite Flying Festival.

As is with most local delicacies, each household has customised the recipe for patishapta as per its taste so there are honestly no rules.

The tricky part of this recipe lies in the crêpes – a breeze for veterans and a struggle for beginners like me. It is imperative that you get the thickness of the crêpes right – too thick and it feels like a pancake and too thin will give you a droopy patishapta. An additional challenge was folding and rolling the crêpe. Too stressful I say but worth every bead of sweat!

Do let me know what you think of the patishapta recipe in the comments section below. If you post a photo on Instagram, tag (and follow) From The Corner Table. You can also follow the blog on Facebook and Pinterest; subscribe to be a part of the mailing list for regular updates.

Photos: Vaibhav Tanna