Sweet rice flour and coconut-jaggery mixture wrapped in fresh turmeric leaves and steamed — the fragrant festival sweet of Goa made for Nag Panchami.
Ingredients
8 to 10 fresh turmeric leaves (larger than 20 cm — the rhizome leaves, not the flowers; give the patoleo its distinctive earthy perfume; use banana leaves if unavailable)
For the rice paste:
1.5 cups rice flour
Hot water — to make a soft paste
1/4 tsp salt
For the filling:
1.5 cups freshly grated coconut
3/4 cup jaggery — grated
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Method
Make filling: combine grated coconut, grated jaggery, cardamom and sesame seeds in a pan.
Heat on low-medium stirring for 4 to 5 minutes until jaggery melts and binds. Cool.
Make rice paste: combine rice flour and salt.
Add hot water gradually kneading with wet hands into a smooth, pliable paste — slightly softer than roti dough.
Wash turmeric leaves. Dry.
Spread a thin layer (2 to 3 mm) of rice paste across the entire surface of one turmeric leaf — go right to the edges.
Place 2 tbsp coconut-jaggery filling along the centre of the rice paste.
Fold the turmeric leaf in half lengthwise, bringing the two rice-paste covered sides together. Press gently to seal.
Set up a steamer. Place the folded leaf parcels on the steamer rack.
Steam on medium for 15 to 18 minutes until the rice paste is completely cooked through and firm.
The turmeric leaf infuses the rice with a distinctive earthy perfume.