Pineapple Patholi

5 from 2 votes

Make this Ganesh Chaturthi festival and Nagar Panchami festival extra special with a twist to a traditional sweet recipe – Pineapple patholi or Sweet Pineapple Tamales Indian style.

Pineapple Patholis are steamed cakes or dumplings where the rice batter is filled with pineapple coconut jaggery mixture and steamed in turmeric leaves.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Desserts, snacks, sweets

Cuisine: Coastal Karnataka, karkala, Mangalore, Mexican, Udupi

Servings: patholis

Calories: 135kcal

Author: Kushi

Ingredients

For the Filling

1 to 2 tablespoon Ghee or Butter
¾ cup Pineapple , finely chopped
¼ cup + ¾ cup Jaggery
½ tsp Cardamom powder
1 cup Coconut , grated

FOR THE OUTER COVER

1 cup Rice , uncooked/raw
½ cup Coconut , grated
¼ cup Puffed rice (Popped rice/Murmura/layi) or Flattened rice (poha) – optional. It makes the outer layer soft.
½ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
¼ cup Water (an additional 1 or 2 tablespoon may be added if required)
16 medium-sized Turmeric leaves (check tips for substitute)

Instructions

STEP I (Prepare Batter For The Outer Layer Of Patholi)

Wash & soak rice in water for 1 hour and then drain.
1 cup Rice
In a mixer, add coconut, poha (or popped rice), salt, soaked & drained rice, and ¼ cup water to make a medium-thick and smooth paste. Check the video for pineapple patholi for the correct consistency of patholi batter.
½ cup Coconut, ¼ cup Puffed rice, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ cup Water

STEP II (Prepare The Filling While The Rice Is Soaked)

Heat butter or ghee in a pan. Add the chopped pineapple and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. To this, add ¼ cup jaggery and cardamom powder and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes on medium flame. Switch off the flame.
1 to 2 tablespoon Ghee, ¾ cup Pineapple, ¼ cup + ¾ cup Jaggery, ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
Add remaining jaggery and coconut and mix. Adjust the amount of grated coconut depending on the moisture content in the jaggery.
¼ cup + ¾ cup Jaggery, 1 cup Coconut
The filling is ready.

STEP III (Steaming Pineapple Kadubu Or Avanas Patholi) – This Is The Same As Traditional Patholi.

Wash the turmeric leaves and wipe out any excess water.
16 medium-sized Turmeric leaves
You may have to trim ends or cut each leaf into halves depending on the size of the steamer and the leaves.
Make your steamer ready: Depending on the steamer or cooker you are going to use, add water to it. Cover the steamer, and bring it to a rolling boil.
Now spread the batter about 1 or 2 tablespoon on each turmeric leaf. Thick or thin is an individual choice. We love when the outer layer is on the thinner side. (Check the video for more details)
Add the filling along the length of the leaf and fold one side over.
Place these in the steamer and steam for 12 to 14 minutes or until done.
Let it cool for 10 minutes so patholis separate easily from the leaves.
If there are any leftovers, you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or a refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

Video

Notes

If you cannot find turmeric leaves, use banana leaves, corn husk, leaves from the frangipani (Champa/Kudchampe) tree, or even parchment paper with dry turmeric (whole root, not powder) to give a traditional taste.
Some people even add jaggery to the outer filling. Add if desired.
Adjust the sweetness in the filling to taste.
For more tips, you can check my traditional patholi recipe.

Nutrition