Pootharekulu

A sheet of rice starch thin as paper, folded round sugar and ghee.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (ghee).

Ingredients

• 300 g rice, soaked 4 hours
• about 900 ml water
• 150 g jaggery, powdered fine
• 100 g cashew nuts, chopped small
• 4 tablespoons ghee, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Method

1. A SHEET OF RICE STARCH THIN AS PAPER, FOLDED ROUND SUGAR AND GHEE. Its article gives the form and the name together: the sweet IS WRAPPED IN A WAFER-THIN RICE STARCH LAYER RESEMBLING PAPER AND IS STUFFED WITH SUGAR, DRY FRUITS AND NUTS, and the name LITERALLY MEANS 'COATED SHEET' -- POOTHA MEANS 'COATING' AND REKU MEANS 'SHEET'.
2. AND THE SHEET IS LIFTED OFF A HOT SURFACE, NOT ROLLED OUT. This is the part that makes it difficult. A thin rice batter is wiped over the underside of an upturned pot or a hot griddle, sets in seconds into a film, and is peeled away whole. Anything you could roll would be ten times too thick.
3. ITS ARTICLE RECORDS WHERE THE IDEA CAME FROM, AND IT IS A THRIFT STORY. IT IS SAID THAT A VILLAGE WOMAN FIRST PREPARED THE SWEET BY ADDING SUGAR AND GHEE TO LEFTOVER RICE STARCH. The starchy water poured off cooked rice is the material.
4. GRIND THE SOAKED RICE WITH PLENTY OF WATER AND LET IT SETTLE. Blended fine, then left an hour; pour off the clear water on top and keep the thin milk beneath. It should be about the consistency of single cream.
5. HEAT AN UPTURNED PAN OR A GRIDDLE TO MEDIUM AND WIPE THE BATTER OVER IT WITH A CLOTH. A clean muslin dipped in the batter and drawn across in one pass. In five seconds it goes from wet to matt.
6. PEEL IT OFF WITH YOUR FINGERNAIL FROM ONE EDGE. It will tear for the first several attempts; the batter is either too thick or the pan too hot. Stack the good ones between sheets of greaseproof paper.
7. MIX THE FILLING DRY AND KEEP IT DRY. Powdered jaggery, chopped cashews and cardamom. No liquid at all: moisture dissolves the sheet from inside within minutes.
8. BRUSH EACH SHEET WITH GHEE, SPRINKLE THE FILLING, AND FOLD IT IN FOUR. Two sheets per sweet is easier than one and gives the layered bite the article describes. Eaten the same day.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes