Bengali winter sweet · Poush Sankranti
Patishapta Recipe (Bengali Coconut Jaggery Crepes)
Rest the batter. Thin and low. Dry filling.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenPatishapta are thin Bengali crepes filled with coconut cooked in jaggery, made for the winter festival of Poush Sankranti. They tear or stick when the batter is thick or the pan is hot. The fix is resting a thin batter, a lightly greased pan on low heat, and a filling cooked until dry and sticky.
The 3 laws of patishapta
Why this recipe works
Fresh batter
Smoother crepes.
High heat
Pale, soft and untorn.
Wet filling
Rolls neatly.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Batter
Filling
The NineFoods crepe gauge
Is the crepe ready?
Lift the edge.
Method · 3 stages
Step by step
Filling
- Cook coconut and jaggery, stirring, until sticky and dry; add cardamom.
Batter
- Whisk batter smooth and rest 20 minutes.
Cook
- Spread a ladle thin on a greased pan.
- When set, add filling and roll. Use the gauge above.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Thick batter.
Fix next time
Thin with milk.
Why
Pan not greased.
Fix next time
Brush ghee each time.
Why
Undercooked.
Fix next time
Cook until it pulls away.
Why
Overcooked.
Fix next time
Cook only until set.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Nolen gur | Sweetness | Any jaggery or brown sugar |
| Coconut | Filling | Desiccated coconut soaked in milk |
| Rice flour | Softness | All plain flour |
| Kheer filling | Variation | Reduced milk khoya |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
As they are, or with thickened milk.
Store
Fridge 2 days.
Reheat
Warm pan, covered.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 12 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 3 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the crepe ready) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Patishapta FAQ
What is patishapta?
A Bengali crepe filled with coconut and jaggery.
When is it made?
For Poush Sankranti in winter.
What is nolen gur?
Date palm jaggery from Bengal.
Can I use desiccated coconut?
Yes, soak it in a little milk first.