CURRY AND SPICE: MAWA MATAR STUFFED PATISHAPTA

We are just back from a week long tour of Port Dickson & A'famosa Amusement Park located in Malaysia.... a four to five hours drive from our island. They are not major tourist attractions as of Langkawi or Redang Island or say Penang, yet we chose them for a couple of reasons. Going for any kind of tour was not in our agenda this year as the son is appearing for his boards. We did not go to meet our family back in India for the same reason. However, I felt the son needs a break from the monotony of the daily routine.... He is not the type who will sit at home and study all day through ..... better we go for an outing! We wished to save on the airfares and have a luxurious stay, and we did!

I do not wish to go into further details on our stay.... it can be as boring as is the account of how lavish is the interior of the Ambani House... Antilia or the Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma Wedding are to me! The husband travels to Port Dickson for ship visits and said, "you will like the place wifey.... it is quiet, free from any kind of crowd". On her tours, this lady loves to explore the daily life of the local people ..... how they live.... what they eat or wear! People come n stay there to play golf and eat street fries too. I indeed caught few moments and did not miss a cheese cake either ... haha...

That is when a message comes from that wonder woman Chutu's husband on my phone.... S..... is your husband playing golf?.... He is among very few who does not leave a single chance to play pranks on my man.... Chutu is perhaps the only woman on earth to whom my stubborn husband listens to a bit.... The woman or the couple gave shelter to one T for three long months at their Mumbai home when T was frantically looking for a decent job after a 21/2 years of stay at home because of our monkey's birth, running out of all our savings. I can never repay their debts, more details on them some other day.... today is definitely not the right day to discuss them.... though the post suited! Anyway, I do not understand anything about photography, I just aim and shoot.... that too with my cell phone. The senior did not carry his camera either.... he takes them on long tours.... In fact he said, "S absorb dear... why do you ask us to pose... its irritating.... I say, I am making memories... I will relish them when the son will be away or my skin gets wrinkled"! Moreover, our family and friends want to see us together at least once or twice in a year....

Port Dickson is a small township by the sea.... some 11/2 hour drive from its capital Kuala lumpur and a 4-5 hours drive from our island. It has few small beaches, good food.... local and fusion.... its market areas reminds me of the "haat" we read about in our Bengali text books or story books.... farmer's market? The palm & coconut gardens, small patch of farmlands remind me of such places I went for picnic years back.... the journey seemed as if I am travelling through the Kalyani Expressway towards the interior!

A'famosa Amusement Park is an estate with water themed park, animal safari, hotel, condotel, villa, farmlands.... both personal properties and for the visitors. I enjoyed the view while those theme parks were for the men. Thank God, taking pictures in the theme parks were prohibited, else it would have been a comic relief for you to see me in the wave pool.... I am not adventurous with life! When the son ventures out with his girlfriend or wife, the old couple will stay in one of those log houses in the deep forest.... by the way.... is there any insect free forest with wifi connection in this world?

This MAWA MATAR STUFFED PATISHAPTA has an unusual filling. Patishapta / desi crepe falls in the 'pithepuli' category .... the sweet meat[?] section among us! It is during this winter do the Bengalis had or may be still have 'pithepuli'.... I will do a few among many in the coming days as I do every year. I do them round the year, this is a tropical island.... no point waiting for the winter to prepare them. The idea of doing them in winter is that a lot of milk products and coconut is used in them.... summers are not ideal.... anyway Indians and bloating are synonymous if you are not an ardent follower of Milind Soman or Rujuta Diwekar! Rujuta is here today to speak at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre.... I missed an earlier one, this time I do not want to miss it.... We are tired.... let us see if I can.... I just wish to listen to her... very scientific take on life and health!

Patishapta / desi crepe is usually made with a coconut and thickened milk filling.... I drifted away from the traditional recipe and prepared this MAWA MATAR STUFFED PATISHAPTA with an unusual filling made of instant reduced milk, thickened milk, green pea paste, ghee! The family enjoyed it, they are forced to welcome my experiments with food.... I tell them... I love my blog, however unwilling you are.... there can be no other guinea pig better than you... haha... The brother loves his sister, yet will not agree to be a guinea.... could he ever get out of the Biryani phobia and explore the vast arena of food?.... Though I do not agree with my men's comfort level with anything from Octopus to Camel.... that is the painful part of travelling with them!

INGREDIENTS: [for the filling]

Green Pea : 1coffee mug
Thickened Milk : 1small cup
Instant Mawa : 1medium cup
Powdered Milk : 2tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1tsp
Sugar : 3tbsp
Ghee : 4tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the desi crepes]

Refined Flour : 1coffee mug
Rice Flour : 1/2coffee mug
Semolina : 1/2coffee mug
Sugar : 2tbsp
Baking Soda : A pinch
The Mawa Matar filling
Oil : Few drops
A non stick pan

METHOD :

I did not specify the ingredients for the thickened milk and instant mawa.... I mentioned it several times and there are too many youtube videos on them.

For the thickened milk, we will take about 400ml of full cream milk in a vessel and boil till it reaches half the consistency.... let cool for later use.

For the instant mawa, take 1/2 medium cup powdered milk, 1/4 small cup ghee, 1tea spoon of sugar and 3 table spoon of milk. Mix together all and microwave at high for 2-3 minutes stirring every 1 minute.

Wash the green peas and prepare a paste of it! Heat ghee in a wok and add the green pea paste to it.

Stir for 2-3 minutes and add the powdered milk. Fold in well.

Add the sugar and fold in well.

Add the thickened milk, fold in well.

Stir till the mixture tends to come out from the sides. Add the green cardamom powder and fold in well. Stir for a minute or so, take down.

Once the green pea paste is cool, add the instant mawa to it and roughly mix. Our filling is ready.

As for the patishapta crepes, we actually will prepare the batter at least 2 hours prior to its making, the soaking period is very important.

Take all the flours and sugar in a bowl.

Add water little by little and prepare a batter that is not too thick, neither too watery. Add 2-3 drops of oil.

Keep aside for 2-3 hours and add a pinch of baking soda and mix well only before frying them. Usually thickened milk is used to prepare the batter, but I wished to keep it less rich and added water.

Heat a non stick pan and grease with few drops of oil, wipe off any excess! Add a big spoonful of batter and immediately spread in roundels with the back of your ladle.