Patrode

What is patrode?

Patrode is a steamed roll of colocasia leaves layered with a thick paste of ground rice, coconut, red chilli, tamarind and jaggery. Once cooked, the roll is cut into rounds that show a swirl of dark green leaf and orange paste. The taste is sour, sweet and hot at the same time, with the earthy taste of the leaves underneath.

The leaves are called kesu (ಕೆಸು) in Kannada, so many families call the dish kesuvina patrode or kesuvina ele patrode. Kesu is colocasia, the same plant as taro or arbi. Its big heart shaped leaves come up beside streams, wells and garden channels as soon as the rains begin.

In most homes it is a tea time snack or a side dish with rice and saaru. On a wet afternoon, hot fried slices with a cup of coffee are what the whole house waits for.

Is pathrode the same as patra or alu vadi?

Pathrode is the same dish, only spelt differently. Patra in Gujarat and alu vadi in Maharashtra are close cousins made the same way, by spreading a paste on colocasia leaves, rolling them and steaming. The difference is the paste. Those use gram flour (besan), while the Karnataka dish uses soaked rice ground with coconut, tamarind and jaggery.

Where and when is Malenadu patrode made?

Malenadu patrode is made in the monsoon, from about June to September, when kesu leaves are tender and growing everywhere. It belongs to the wet hill and coastal belt of Karnataka, from Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga down to Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. You can see which taluks make up the hills on our page of Malenadu districts and taluks.

Karnataka Tourism describes patrode as a coastal Karnataka dish of colocasia leaves coated with a rice and urad dal mix, spices, tamarind and jaggery, then rolled and steamed. It notes that the leaves are picked from plants near streams and that the dish is eaten with plenty of coconut oil and jaggery. Hill homes follow the same idea, with a few habits of their own:

• A sharper paste. More tamarind and less coconut, because local leaves can itch.
• Coconut oil everywhere. On the slices, in the frying pan and in the tempering.
• Joni bella on the side. A spoon of liquid jaggery with the hot slices is common.

On the Tulu coast the month of Aati, in July and August, is the season of rain greens like kesu. Our guide to the Malenadu monsoon explains why everything grows so fast in these months.

Why do colocasia leaves itch and how does patrode stop it?

Colocasia leaves itch because they hold tiny needle shaped crystals of calcium oxalate that prick the mouth and throat when the leaves are undercooked. A bulletin from ICAR’s Central Tuber Crops Research Institute names calcium oxalate as the cause of this “acridity” and notes that some kinds of taro are much more acrid than others. It also says that boiling, steaming, frying and pressure cooking reduce it.

The rolled dish deals with the itch in four ways at once. That is why it works even with leaves that would itch in a quick stir fry.

1. Long steaming. The rolls steam for 35 minutes or more, so the leaves cook right through.
2. A strong sour. A large ball of tamarind goes into the paste. Every Malenadu cook will tell you that kesu without enough huli (sour) will itch.
3. No thick veins. The thick ribs on the back of each leaf are shaved off. They are tough, slow to cook and the part many cooks blame for the itch.
4. A second cooking. Frying or tempering the slices gives the leaves one more round of heat.

Tamarind is the usual sour, but some hill homes use kokum (murugalu) instead. Soak 8 to 10 pieces in a little warm water, then grind the soft rind and its water into the paste in place of tamarind.

If the cooked slices still tingle on the tongue, the leaves needed more sour or more steaming. Next time add more tamarind and steam for 10 minutes longer. If one plant itches whatever you do, stop using it, because some kinds of kesu are simply too acrid.

How do you choose leaves for kesuvina patrode?

Choose tender, fresh leaves between the size of your palm and the size of your hand, with no holes, yellow patches or mud splashes. Large old leaves are fibrous and more likely to itch.

Here is what older cooks look for when they pick leaves for kesuvina patrode.

• Bright green, smooth leaves. Pale, yellowish leaves with thick veins are old.
• A plant the family trusts. Every village knows which clumps are gentle and which ones itch. Older cooks keep the gentle kind growing near the house.
• Purple or dark stalks. Many cooks prefer leaves with a dark purple stalk and say green stalked leaves need a little more tamarind.
• Clean water. Pick from clean streams and garden channels, never from roadside drains.

Some families wait for a kind of kesu that grows on tree trunks in the rains, which is prized for these rolls. Only pick a wild kind that someone in your family or village knows well. In city markets the leaves are sold in bundles as colocasia or arbi leaves, so pick medium leaves with firm, unbroken stalks.

For the thick sweet and sour relish made from the same leaves, see our kesuvina gojju recipe. Kannada names for the leaves, roots and spices used here are on our page of spice and ingredient names in Kannada.

What goes into the patrode paste?

The paste is soaked raw rice ground with coconut, roasted red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, tamarind, jaggery, turmeric and salt. It should be thick and smooth, like a chutney you can spread with a spoon, never runny like dose batter. Each ingredient has a job.

Ingredient	Its job in the paste
Raw rice (and a little urad dal)	holds the layers together and sets firm when steamed
Grated coconut	softness and a rich taste
Dry red chillies	heat and colour
Coriander seeds, cumin, fenugreek	the warm spice smell
Tamarind	the sour that stops the itch
Jaggery	balances the sour
Turmeric and salt	colour and seasoning

The balance of sour and sweet is the heart of the dish. Many cooks use about twice as much jaggery as tamarind by weight. Taste the paste before you spread it: it should taste clearly sour, then sweet, then hot and a little too strong on its own, because steaming softens it.

Liquid jaggery is the easiest sweetener here. It grinds straight into the paste without lumps and you can add a spoon at a time.

Patrode recipe: how to make colocasia leaf rolls at home

This patrode recipe makes 4 colocasia leaf rolls, enough for a snack for four to six people. You need a steamer or a big pot with a stand, a sharp knife and about 4 hours of soaking time.

Well cooked rolls are firm enough to slice cleanly and dark olive green, with the paste set like a soft cake between the layers. They should smell of roasted chilli and coriander, with no raw rice smell. If the knife comes out sticky, steam for another 10 minutes.

How to serve patrode: steamed, fried or as oggarane

There are three ways to serve it: as plain steamed slices, as crisp shallow fried rounds or crumbled and tempered as oggarane. Most homes make all three from one batch.

Steamed slices with kobbari enne and bella

Many grandmothers prefer this simplest way. Put the warm slices on a plate, pour a spoon of raw coconut oil over them and add a spoon of jaggery or joni bella on the side. Eat with your fingers, a little jaggery with each bite.

Shallow fried slices

Heat a heavy iron tava and add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Lay the slices in a single layer and drizzle a little more oil around them. Fry on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until both sides are brown and crisp. For an extra crust, dip each slice in a thin batter of leftover paste or press it into rava before frying.

Patrode oggarane (patrode usli)

Oggarane means tempering. Crumble 2 steamed rolls roughly with your fingers. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, add 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and urad dal, then a few curry leaves. Add the crumbled rolls, 3 tablespoons of grated coconut and 1 tablespoon of jaggery, then toss on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the edges turn a little crisp.

Patrode variations from Malenadu homes

Every family is sure its own way is right. These are the variations you will meet most often.

In a plate, with chopped leaves

When the leaves are too small or torn to roll, chop them finely and mix them into the paste. Spread the mix in greased plates or idli moulds and steam for 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares and fry or temper them like the rolled kind.

With gandhari menasu

Grind one or two gandhari menasu, the tiny bird eye chillies of Malenadu backyards, into the paste in place of two red chillies. The heat is sharp and fresh and suits the sour paste. Our bird eye chilli is very hot, so start with one.

With vate huli

Some older cooks use vate huli, the dried monkey jack fruit of the hills, as the sour instead of tamarind. It gives a round, fruity tang. One to one and a half teaspoons of monkey jack powder can replace the tamarind ball in this recipe.

Common patrode mistakes and how to fix them

Most problems come from runny paste, thick veins left on the leaves or too little steaming. This table shows what went wrong and what to do next time.

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Itchy throat	undercooked leaves or too little sour	more tamarind, steam 10 to 15 minutes longer
Roll opens while steaming	paste too thin or roll too loose	thicker paste, roll tightly, seal outside
Raw, sticky centre	roll too thick or steamed too short	use 4 to 5 leaves only, steam until the knife is clean
Leaves tear while rolling	thick veins left on	shave veins flat, use tender leaves
Slices break in the pan	sliced while hot	cool the roll first, slice with a sharp knife
Tastes flat	not enough salt, sour or jaggery	the paste should taste strong before steaming

Steamed rolls keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge, wrapped in a clean cloth or a closed box. Fried slices are best eaten the same day, because they turn soft as they cool. If the rolls smell sour in a fermented way or grow mould, throw them out.

Where to go next after patrode

These rolls sit best in a full monsoon meal with rice, a peppery kokum saaru and a spoon of kesuvina gojju. For more rain food from these hills, start with our Malenadu food guide or try the soft rice flour akki rotti for breakfast. Coconut oil for frying the slices is in the oil and ghee section of our shop.

Frequently asked questions about patrode