Patwadi Rassa

Patwadi (Patodi) Rassa is a traditional Maharashtrian dish in which savoury Besan (gram flour) vadi (fudge) is served with spicy hot curry. It is a speciality from Vidarbh (Nagpur) area of Maharashtra and is enjoyed typically during monsoon season. Patwadi rassa tastes best when served piping hot with chapati or bhakri. One can refer Patwadi rassa as Maharashtrian style Besan ki subzi and it is prepared in different parts of Maharashtra with little variation. The recipe is vegan and easy to follow.

What is Patwadi Rassa?

Patwadi is the savory fudge(vadi) prepared from steamed and tempered gramflour (Besan). Patwadi can be served as a tea time snack or added to the spicy curry called rassa just before serving. Patwadi rassa is a typical Maharashtrian delicacy and pairs well with chapaati or bhakri. 

Piping hot Patwadi rassa served with bhakri, onion salad, lemon wedge and urad dal papad on a rainy day is a soulful meal and my mouth is watering just by the thought of it. 

Variations to Patwadi Rassa

There are many variations to this dish. As mentioned above the recipe i am sharing here is from Nagpur (Vidarbh) area. Khandeshi version is called Patodi amti in which a spicy seasoned patodi dough is made without cooking the gramflour (besan). Thin chapatis are rolled out using oil from this dough and cut into diamond shape and dropped into boiling rassa and allowed to cook in the rassa itself. It is somewhat similar to gatte ki subji. 

In another variation, Pud chi patodi, a spicy savory masala made using poppy seeds and coconut is applied on the cooked patodi chapati and it is rolled out and cut into small roundels and served with rassa.  

Maas vadi, is yet another lip-smacking version in which cooked besan is stuffed with a delicious filling made from coconut, peanut, sesame seeds and poppy seeds and  rolled out in a triangular shape, resembling the bodyline of a fish (masa), hence the name masvadi. 

Tips to make a perfect Patwadi?

Getting a non-sticky, non-lumpy fudge is a bit tricky but with the simple trick given in this recipe, it no more should sound as a rocket science. In the traditional method, Besan is directly added to the tempered and spiced boiling water and mixed to get a lump free mixture which is then covered and allowed to cook on steam until the raw smell of besan is no more. But in this method, many a times due to addition of dry flour at one go to the boling water, multiple small lumps are formed which are difficult to break and which spoil the texture, look and taste of the fudge. I am sharing few tricks to avoid it.

• Always sift the Besan (gram flour) with a soup strainer to remove the lumps and to aereate the flour.
• If adding flour to boiling water, never add it at one go. You can sprinkle the flour in batches while continously stirring the mix to break the lumps if any.
• I follow a very easy trick of making this fudge. Instead of adding flour to the boiling water. I add the flour to the cold water , make a lump free batter and add this batter to the tempered and spiced oil and then cook (steam) the mixture for 8-10 minutes to get rid of the raw smell and taste of besan. 
• Once the mixture is cooked well and leaves the sides of the pan, remove it on a greased plate or rolling board , flatten it with greased hands or spatula and shape into a square. Garnish with fresh grated coconut and coriander leaves and cut into desired shaped on cooling a bit.
• Always add the patwadi (besan fudge) into the hot curry (rassa) just before serving the dish or else the fudge will become soggy and the dish will turn messy.

                            

How to make Rassa for Patwadi?

The rassa for the Patwadi is a fiery hot curry made using the versatile Maharashtrian Kanda Khobra vatan (Spicy roasted onion coconut curry base). Many a times, i add little roasted poppy seeds also while grinding this masala to add richness to the curry. If you have the curry base ready at hand, making this rassa for patwadi is a breeze. All you need is the curry base and few spice powders. The curry here looks very spicy, but the color is due to the use of Kashmiri red chilies which lend a gorgeous color to the curries without adding much heat. The trademark of this rassa is the red spicy oil that floatsatop and is called tarrang or tarri. This is a vegan recipe and if you skip adding asafoetida, it is gluten-free as well.

                               

Me Marathi@FoodieMondayBlogHop

Me Marathi is the 258th theme on Foodie Monday Blog Hop, a Facebook gourmet group where a bunch of like-minded bloggers share their culinary creations each week depending upon a pre-decided theme. This week it was Priya's turn to propose themes, and the one which won with maximum votes was Maharastrian food. Priya suggested that we share traditional Maharashtrian dishes, and me being a typical Maharstrian myself, could not miss this chance. I took the opportunity to share a Monsoon delight, a authentic Varadhi dish, Patwadi Rassa as my contribution towards the theme. Meanwhile, do check out Priya's space (SweetSpicyTasty.com) for some amazing recipes from traditional South Indian Cuisine. There is so much to explore from her vast vegan collection of food dishes as well . I have bookmarked her vergan curries, Kaju Matar masala and Tomato Gojju to try out soon.

                                     

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4-5 

Ingredients for Patwadi:

• 1 cup besan / Gram flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoon oil + for greasing
• 1/4 teaspoon rai / mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
• 2 green chilies
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1/2 inch ginger
• Pinch of hing / Asafoetida
• 1/4 teaspoon  turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• Small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh coconut, scrapped

Ingredients for the Rassa:

• 1/3 cups Kanda Khobra vatan (roasted onion coconut curry base)
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 1/2 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 1/4 teapoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon goda masala / garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Few coriander leaves for garnishing

Method for making the Patwadi:

1. Pound the garlic, ginger and green chilies using a mortar and pestle. Sift the gramflour (besan) and keep in a bowl.

2. Add 1 cup water in batches to the flour and make a lump free batter.

3. Heat oil in a thick bottom or non-stick wok. Add mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds splutter, add cumin seeds followed by asfoetida. Next, add the ginger garlic green chili crush and saute on low flame until the raw smell goes off.

4. Now add turmeric powder followed by the gramflour batter and keep stirring. Add salt and chopped coriander leaves and cover cook on steam for 8-10 minutes. 

5. After 10 minutes, the mixture should leave the sides of the wok and appear as a dough.

6. Remove the patwadi dough on  to a greased plate , tray or rolling board. With greased hands or spatula, flatten the dough and give it a square shape. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and scrapped coconut. Cut into desired shapes on cooling using a greased knife. Our delicious patwadi is ready. You can serve it at tea-time as a snack or pair it with the rassa and serve with chapati or bhakri for lunch or dinner.

7. To make the rassa, heat oil in a wok and add cumin seeds to it. Once the seeds crackle, add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Now add the Kanda khobra Vatan and stir-fry on low flame for 3-4 minutes or until you see oil ozzing ot from the sides.

8. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and goda masala. Stir fry for few seconds so that the spices blend well with masala. Add salt and 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Allow the rassa to cook on low to medium flame for 5-7 minutes until it thickens a bit. Garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve piping hot with the prepared Patwadi and flatbread like chapati or bhakri.

Recipe Notes:

• You may roast around 1-2 tablespoon of poppy seeds also along with coconut while making the Kanda Khobra Vatan to make the rassa. to make the curry more flavorful and rich.
• Always add hot water to the roasted masala while making rassa to get the desired tarri and taste of the curry. The rassa thickens further on cooling so adjust the cooking time accordingly.
• Patwadi rassa is a vegan recipe and if you skip adding asafoetida in both the patwadi and rassa then the dish is gluten-free as well. 
• If you make patwadi ahead of time, make sure you warm it in a microwave oven and the rassa has to be always piping hot while serving for the best taste.
• In Maharashtrian Cuisine lavangi lal mirchi, a ht variety of pepper is used. But since my family cannot handle so much spice, i always use Kashmiri red chilies and that too after deseeding such that it lends vibrant red color to my curries without making it hot (spicy).
• In this version of making patwadi  ,since we are adding the gramflour batter to the tempered oil, make sure you cook the mixture for good 8-10 minutes, to get rid of the raw taste of Besan in the patwadi.
• Always sift the Besan (gram flour) with a soup strainer to remove the lumps and to aereate the flour.
• Always add the patwadi (besan fudge) into the hot curry (rassa) just before serving the dish or else the fudge will become soggy and the dish will turn messy.
• Serving suggestions - Patwadi rassa can be paired with any flatbread like chapati or Bajri Bhakri. Make sure the rassa is piping hot. The dish is usually accompanied by a roasted urad dal papad, lemon wedge and sliced onions.

I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.

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For more Maharastrian curries check out the following recipe links

• Maharashtrian Style Drumstick Masala
  

• Khus Khus Khobryachi Amti

• Bhogichi Bhaji

• Bharli Wangi

• Missal Paav

• Katachi Amti

• Methichi Patal Bhaji

• Kandyachya Patichi Bhaji