Pattre for Tihar

Made especially during the festival of Tihar, Pattre is a special kind of food item. It is neither sweet nor salty but has its own unique taste. Mostly in the Terai region of Nepal, sisters often include Pattre in the Sagun they give to their brothers during ‘Bhaitika’ or ‘Bhaidhuj’. This colorful item is made from rice flour and is common in Terai during the festival of Tihar.



It looks more or less similar to puri or papad. Pattre, meaning layered, is made after a series or layers of process.

pattre

For making Pattre, all you need is rice flour and leaves of banana tree. First of all, grind the rice flour into very fine and smooth powder that looks and feels like Maida (all purpose flour). Now, add water to it and make a thin paste out of it. Then, put a tawa to heat on the stove and place a banana leaf over the tawa (flat pan for making a roti). Now, slowly pour and spread a spoonful of the paste over the leaf and make sure the paste is spread in thin circular shape. When it dries, carefully pull it out of the leaf and repeat the process for remaining paste. If you want to make it colorful, add your desired food color to it. When all the batter is finished and the Pattre’s are done, place them on a clean cloth and leave to sundry for a day. After that, for cooking it, heat oil in a deep frying pan or kadhai and deep fry the pattre. Serve hot or cold, according to your desire.

You can also store it in an air tight container for future use.