The Patoleo or Patoli is a popular part of authentic Goan cuisine.

A mix of patriotism, faith and a special birthday.

The day is celebrated by Christians as the Solemnity of Assumption of Mother Mary and it is also my MOTHER’S BIRTHDAY.

The purest and the most selfless form of LOVE is a mother’s love for her children. 🤗🤗 And I must say we consider ourselves BLESSED to have her in our lives. There has not been a single year that my mom has not prepared Patoleos on 15^th August.

At the end of this page you will find another beautiful memory of this day.

On this day in every household in Goa you will experience the beautiful aroma of Patoleo / Patoli / Pateos (the name differs slightly in every village) as they steam away.

Even in Karnataka these are famously made. The Goan Hindus prepare these during the Ganpati festival.

On 15th August – the Independence day, like all school going kids, we used to attend the flag hoisting ceremony and immediately thereafter attend Mass at the Church in our School compound. I remember by the time we reached home, we used to be famished. We knew a big tray of the steamed turmeric leaves stuffed with coconut and jaggery is waiting for us.

The aroma of the turmeric leaves would fill the house. These are some vivid & awesome memories ! Then in the evening there is always the cake cutting and all of us thanking God for the gift of my Mother – a happy ending to a beautiful day.

I remember a time, I used to find making Patoleos extremely cumbersome, but few years ago something in me changed and I have become this person, who loves to cook elaborate recipes. And will be making them this year too. Every time I make these they just disappear.

Goan Patoleos

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup freshly grated coconut
1 cup jaggery Powder or grated Jaggery
1 tsp cardamom Powder (elaichi )
1 cup Rice Flour
Pinch of Salt
Hot water as required
3 fresh Turmeric leaves

Method:

Mix the grated coconut, jaggery (as per taste) and cardamom powder until completely combined. Adjust the jaggery as per the desired sweetness.
Take rice flour in a large plate or bowl, add the hot water and a pinch of salt and knead into a smooth dough.
Turn on the steamer.
Wash the turmeric leaves thoroughly and cut as per the size of the steamer so that they fit in.
Take a small ball of rice dough and gently spread it onto the smooth side of the turmeric leaf. You may use a little water to wet your hands while doing this.
Spread the dough evenly on the leaf and once covered with the dough, take a spoonful of the coconut and jaggery filling and spread it in the center of the leaf.
Do not stuff excess filling, it can ooze out while steaming
Fold the leaf lengthwise and seal the edges by pinching them.
Place the patoleos in the steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes. The colour of the leaf will change once it is done.
Remove from heat and gently peel the turmeric leaf.
Serve the patoleos warm.

Another fond memory, rather a proud memory is of the days back in the year 2014 at NSD – Naval Store Depot, where I was heading the pre-primary section of the Navy school located at the Nausena Vihar in Mumbai.

It was the School annual Day and the OIC (Officer In Charge) came upto me and handed me the mic requesting me to end the program with the National Anthem. Standing on that stage of the Navy School and proudly singing the Anthem in the presence of the entire Naval fraternity in their starking white uniform, alongwith my colleagues and the school children with their parents, is something I will always be immensely proud of.

Happy Independence Day everyone.

Handy tip :
I cook the coconut and jaggery mixture for a couple of minutes in a pan with a tsp of ghee in it. This gives it a bit of a fudgy texture, which I personally like. You may skip this step if you are pressed for time.