Taler patishapta aka taler pitha is one of the most popular Bengali pitha recipes which is prepared in Bengali houses during the Janmashtami festival. During the festival, devotees prepare this rich, creamy, flavoured, sweet stuffed pancake and offer it to Lord Krishna. Taler pithe is hugely popular in Bangladesh and West Bengal. In this preparation, palm pulp is cooked with milk, sugar, grated coconut and rice flour for stuffing and placed on an all-purpose flour-rice flour-semolina battered crepe and folded into a roll. This taler recipe is mostly served as breakfast or snack. But can be relished at any time of the day to satisfy your craving.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Taler Patishapta (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is Taler Patishapta?
Taaler patishapta is a Bengali delicacy and the name itself explains the recipe. Here the word Taal or Tal means Sugar palm and patishapta means stuffed thin pancake folded to a roll. It is a summer delicacy and people wait for the whole year to have this delight.
Sugar palm is known by different names in different subcontinents. It is also called Toddy palm, Cambodian palm, Asian Palmyra etc. In Bengali, it is known as tal, in Telugu as gomuti and in Tamil it’s nungu.
For Bengalis, Janmashtami is a big festival. Lord Krishna was born on this holy day. This festival usually comes in July or August month in the English calendar. According to our ancestors, Lord Krishna loves sugar palms. Hence, taler bora, taler kheer, Taler patishapta and a few other taler pitha are prepared and served to Lord Krishna as Prasad.
It’s not that Bengalis only prepare taal er pitha on Janmashtami. During the month of August and September, ripe sugar palm is easily available in the market. During this period, whenever they get the chance, they try to prepare these anticipating recipes to satisfy their craving.
Whenever I talk about any Taler recipe, it always makes me feel nostalgic. I have thousands of sweet memories with it. I remember how my dad used to bring a pair of sugar palms from the market and Mom and Dad both worked so hard to extract the palm pulp from it.
My Mom always used to divide the palm pulp into three portions and used to prepare three different recipes with it – taal er bora, taler kheer and taler patishapta and they all taste heavenly. Taler pitha is an old recipe which has been prepared in Bengali kitchens for ages and till now the tradition has been continuing. We have learnt these delicacies from our ancestors and we are so thankful to them.
I have learnt this authentic recipe from my mother and she from her mother aka my granny. I always consider myself lucky to get the chance to taste and learn these traditional recipes.
When I start the preparation of taler pitha, the complete house smells heavenly and triggers the family’s taste buds to enjoy the delicacy. They all wait when it will be done and they can have their portions. They even don’t want to give time to cool down the dish.
Taler patishapta is not a very easy Bengali pitha recipe. The difficulty level of preparing this Bengali recipe is moderate. This recipe demands a little bit of arrangement before cooking. Peeling the sugar palm and extracting the palm pulp from each kernel is the toughest job of the recipe. It is always better to arrange the ingredients like grated coconut and rice flour when you plan to prepare patishapta. This taler pitha requires only a few basic ingredients which are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry.
Taler patishapta with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tricks and tips below in the instruction section to make the recipe easier for you.
Ingredients for Taler Patishapta
Palm pulp: The primary ingredient which provides taste, flavour and colour to the dish. It is added in both stuffing and batter.
Milk: The primary and basic ingredient of any patishapta recipe. It requires two stages to prepare the stuffing and the batter as well.
Rice flour: Rice flour is another important ingredient of the recipe which is used in stuffing to thicken it and to prepare the batter.
All-purpose flour & semolina: Both ingredients are used to prepare the batter of patishapta.
Coconut: The addition of coconut enhances the taste and flavour of patishapta stuffing. I have used freshly grated coconut for the recipe.
Sugar: It adds sweetness to the recipe. It is added in both stuffing and batter.
Salt: A pinch of salt is added to the batter to enhance its taste.
Cardamom powder: The addition of cardamom powder in the stuffing enhances its flavour.
Tips to prepare perfect Taler Patishapta
- Always choose ripe black-coloured sugar palms for the recipe.
- Always try to use thick palm pulp to prepare the recipe so that maximum flavour and taste get induced into the bora.
- The addition of grated coconut enhances the taste and flavour of stuffing for patishapta. So don’t skip it.
- You can adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste.
- To prepare a perfect patishapta, it is very important to prepare the perfect batter for the crepe. Please follow the measurement given in the ingredient section. You can double or triple the quantity as well for mass preparation.
- Make a smooth lumps-free batter and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour.
- Always prepare patishapta on a non-stick material utensil. The patishapta crepe comes out easily without sticking to the pan and saves your effort.
- Brush oil on the pan each time before preparing patishapta. Don’t skip it or else your patishapta will stick to the pan.
- For the patishapta stuffing, it is very important to prepare a sticky stuffing which you can bind with your hand. Don’t prepare dry stuffing or else you will not be able to roll the patishapta tightly or properly.
- Don’t overcook the crepe then it will not get sealed during the time of folding to a roll.
- Always cook the crepe of the patishapta from one side and not from both sides.
- After preparing the stuffing, divide it into equal portions and make narrow cylindrical shapes with them. This step makes the preparation handy during the time of placing the stuffing into the crepe before folding.
How to make Taler Patishapta?
To prepare the taler patishapta, first, we need to extract the pulp from the sugar palm. First of all, always select ripe black colour palm to prepare the recipe. Don’t pick a younger palm for the recipe. Remove the thick skin of the sugar palm and then separate the kernels of the palm. Normally there would be 2 or 3 kernels in a palm. Then start grating each kernel with the help of the bigger side of the grater to extract the pulp. Dip the kernel in water in between to extract pulp easily but don’t use too much water or else the pulp will become thin and watery. In this way, extract the pulp from each kernel. If you feel there is some impurity in the pulp then strain it once before use.
Take milk in a pan and put it on flame to boil. Then turn the flame low and cook it for 10 minutes. Stir it in regular intervals. Switch off the flame and allow the milk to come to room temperature.
Then add palm pulp, grated coconut, rice flour, sugar and cardamom powder, one by one into the pan and mix it nicely. Cook it over low flame and stir it continuously until the moisture evaporates and the content becomes a mass releasing the sides. Turn off the flame and allow the content to cool down completely.
Take small portions of the stuffing and make narrow cylindrical shapes with it. Keep them aside.
On the other hand, take a large mixing bowl and add all-purpose flour, rice flour, semolina and sugar, a pinch of salt, one by one into it and mix them. Add palm pulp, milk (at room temperature) into the mixture and make a smooth lumps-free batter. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for an hour.
You can even use water to prepare the batter instead of milk. But the addition of milk makes the crepe yummier and softer.
Take a non-stick pan and put it on low flame. Brush oil on it either with a brush or with the head of a clean brinjal stem.
Add some batter into the pan and swirl the pan to spread the batter thin and round. At this stage, the shape does not matter much because anyway it is going to be folded.
Once the crepe gets cooked, place the cylindrical-shaped stuffing on one side of the crepe and gently fold it from the side of the stuffing and continue till the end. Hold the end of the folding towards the bottom side of the pan for a couple of seconds to get sealed properly. Take the taler patishapta on a separate plate.
Again, brush the pan and repeat the whole process to prepare patishapta with the rest of the batter and stuffing.
A few taler recipe have already been shared in my previous posts. You may like a few of them like
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 cup = 250 ml
For the stuffing
- 1 cup Taler rosh aka Palm pulp
- 1 cup Milk
- â…“ cup Sugar
- ½ cup grated Coconut
- 2 tablespoons Rice flour aka roasted rava
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
For the batter
- 1 cup Taler rosh aka Palm pulp
- 1 cup all-purpose Flour (Maida)
- ¾ cup Rice flour (Chawal ka atta)
- ¼ cup fine Semolina (Rava or Sooji)
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 pinch of Salt
- 1½ cups Milk, at room temperature
- 1-2 tablespoons Oil to fry the patishapta
Instructions:
For the stuffing
- Remove the thick skin of the sugar palm and then separate the kernels of it. Normally there would be 2 or 3 kernels in a palm. Then start grating each kernel with the help of the bigger side of the grater to extract the pulp. Dip the kernel in water once or twice in between to extract pulp easily but don’t use too much water or else the pulp will become thin and dilute. In this way, extract the pulp from each kernel. If you feel there is some impurity in the pulp then strain it once before use.
- Take 1 cup of milk in a pan and put it on the flame to boil. Then turn the flame low and cook it for 10 minutes. Stir it in regular intervals.
- Add 1 cup palm pulp, ½ cup grated coconut, ⅓ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons rice flour and ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, one by one into the pan and mix it nicely.
- Cook it over low flame and stir it continuously until the moisture evaporates and the content becomes mass, releasing the sides. Turn off the flame and allow the content to cool down completely.
- Take a small portion of the mixture in your hand and press it in between your palms to make a narrow cylindrical shape like a log with it. Repeat the process with the rest of the palm-coconut mixture.
For the batter
- Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup rice flour, ¼ cup semolina and ¼ cup sugar and a pinch of salt, one by one into it. Mix all the dry ingredients with a whisker or spoon.
- Add 1 cup palm pulp, 1½ cups milk (at room temperature) into the bowl and make a smooth lumps-free thin batter. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for an hour.
For making taler patishapta
- Take a non-stick pan and put it on low flame. Allow the pan to become completely dry and heat up moderately.
- Make a thin coating of oil or ghee in the pan either with a brush or with the head of a clean brinjal stem or tissue.
- Take patishapta batter with a spoon and pour it at the centre of the pan. Swirl the pan quickly to spread the batter evenly to make a thin and round crepe.
- Place the cylindrical stuffing at one end of the crepe. With the help of a spatula, fold it gently to a roll from the side of the stuffing and continue till the end. Hold the end of the folding towards the bottom side of the pan for 2-3 seconds to seal it properly.
- Transfer the taler patishapta to a separate plate. Again, brush oil into the pan and repeat the whole process to prepare patishapta with the rest of the batter and stuffing.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the taler patishapta to a serving plate. Serve this delectable Indian stuffed pancake as a companion with a cup of tea or coffee or simply as a snack and enjoy the Bengali delicacy.
How to store taler patishapta?
You can store the taler patishapta in an airtight container and can refrigerate it for 1 week.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250 ml
For the stuffing
- 1 cup Taler rosh aka Palm pulp
- 1 cup Milk
- â…“ cup Sugar
- ½ cup grated Coconut
- 2 tablespoons Rice flour aka roasted rava
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
For the batter
- 1 cup Taler rosh aka Palm pulp
- 1 cup all-purpose Flour (Maida)
- ¾ cup Rice flour (Chawal ka atta)
- ¼ cup fine Semolina (Rava or Sooji)
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 pinch of Salt
- 1½ cups Milk, at room temperature
- 1-2 tablespoons Oil to fry the patishapta
Instructions
For the stuffing
- Remove the thick skin of the sugar palm and then separate the kernels of it. Normally there would be 2 or 3 kernels in a palm. Then start grating each kernel with the help of the bigger side of the grater to extract the pulp. Dip the kernel in water once or twice in between to extract pulp easily but don’t use too much water or else the pulp will become thin and dilute. In this way, extract the pulp from each kernel. If you feel there is some impurity in the pulp then strain it once before use.
- Take 1 cup of milk in a pan and put it on the flame to boil. Then turn the flame low and cook it for 10 minutes. Stir it in regular intervals.
- Add 1 cup palm pulp, ½ cup grated coconut, ⅓ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons rice flour and ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, one by one into the pan and mix it nicely.
- Cook it over low flame and stir it continuously until the moisture evaporates and the content becomes mass, releasing the sides. Turn off the flame and allow the content to cool down completely.
- Take a small portion of the mixture in your hand and press it in between your palms to make a narrow cylindrical shape like a log with it. Repeat the process with the rest of the palm-coconut mixture.
For the batter
- Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup rice flour, ¼ cup semolina and ¼ cup sugar and a pinch of salt, one by one into it. Mix all the dry ingredients with a whisker or spoon.
- Add 1 cup palm pulp, 1½ cups milk (at room temperature) into the bowl and make a smooth lumps-free thin batter. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for an hour.
For making taler patishapta
- Take a non-stick pan and put it on low flame. Allow the pan to become completely dry and heat up moderately.
- Make a thin coating of oil or ghee in the pan either with a brush or with the head of a clean brinjal stem or tissue.
- Take patishapta batter with a spoon and pour it at the centre of the pan. Swirl the pan quickly to spread the batter evenly to make a thin and round crepe.
- Place the cylindrical stuffing at one end of the crepe. With the help of a spatula, fold it gently to a roll from the side of the stuffing and continue till the end. Hold the end of the folding towards the bottom side of the pan for 2-3 seconds to seal it properly.
- Transfer the taler patishapta to a separate plate. Again, brush oil into the pan and repeat the whole process to prepare patishapta with the rest of the batter and stuffing.
