Ghavan Ghatla Panna Cotta

It is Ganpati Time!! Every year, at about this time, my longing for home goes up a few notches! This time, it is many fold more, what with not having been home in four long years. Quick gyan – As per the Hindu tradition, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesh, during August/September every year. My absolute favorite thing about this festival is the food, and the decoration. Mostly the food…..As kids, my sister was far more proactive (cough cough “bossy!”) about the decoration!! (I was mostly content to just sit back, pass the cello-tape, and critique).

But the food though…..modaks, our house staple matkichi usal, and the tons of sweets we would invariably get to sample from friends, and neighbors….drool!

Although ukadiche modak always hog the limelight, another favorite of mine is the humble Ghavan Ghatala. Strangely though, for me it became a favorite only when I moved to Australia, and had a chance to make it myself one day.

Ghavan is a thin, soft rice crepe, served with the ghatala, which is like a sweet porridge made with fresh coconut, and jaggery and spiced with cardamom. It is the perfect comfort food!!

As a child, being introverted and a picky eater, nothing appealed more than this simple meal. To the little me the pros outweighed the cons as such….Its sweet, no going out of my comfort zone to try a new taste/texture, and I get to skip all those pesky unlikeable veggies, if I just loaded up on this one dish! What luck!!

Over the last couple of years, I have tried my hand at making modaks. This time however, I decided to honor the humble Ghavan Ghatla (and to feed my panacotta obsession), and create another fusion dessert, the Ghavan Ghatla  panna cotta!!

I decided to make it vegetarian this time by using agar instead of gelatin. Agar, used as a gelatinizing and thickening agent, is a fascinating substance. Agar gels tend to be more brittle and harder than gelatin gels. I will delve into the mechanics and mysteries of agar in my next post. For now, read on to find the recipe for the perfect NRI Ghavan Ghatla .

This panacotta turns out super delicious, with the creamy consistency and subtle flavor of coconut, and the crunchy Ghavan as the perfect textural complement.

Ingredients

For the Ghatla panacotta

• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup full fat milk
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tablespoon jaggery (rapadura sugar)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4^th teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1/4^th teaspoon + 1/8^th teaspoon powdered agar agar
• 1 tablespoon rice flour (optional)

For the Ghavan rice crackers

• 1 tablespoon rice flour
• 1/8^th of a cup water

Method

1. Add the coconut cream and the milk to a saucepan, and place the saucepan over a low flame.
2. Add the white sugar and the jaggery (or the rapadura sugar) to the cream and milk. Stir lightly to dissolve the sugar, and to ensure that the mixture heats up evenly. You can adjust the amount of sugar based on taste preference.
3. Add the cardamom powder and stir. Add more of it here if you prefer a hit of spice!
4. Once the mixture has heated up evenly, allow it to simmer, taking care not to let it boil over
5. At this stage, as an optional step for a creamier and more “porridgy” panacotta, you can add about one teaspoon of rice flour to the saucepan. Stir well to ensure no lumps are formed. For a sturdier panacotta, skip the rice flour.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, take about 2 tablespoons of hot water. Add the powdered agar agar to this hot water and allow it to sit for a few moments.
7. Once the coconut cream and milk mixture has heated up evenly, add the hot water with the dissolved agar agar, while stirring constantly.
8. Allow the panacotta to simmer for another 3-4 minutes, taking care not to let it boil over.
9. Give the panacotta one last stir and pour it into two ramekins, and let cool.

For the Ghavan crackers

1. In a small bowl, take about 2-3 tablespoons of rice flour.
2. Add enough water to the bowl to make a thin batter. The batter should be the consistency of a thin, crepe batter. Add a pinch of salt, or as per taste.
3. Heat a pan, or a tava, on a medium flame. With a spoon, ladle a small amounts of the batter on the hot pan, to form little crepes. Go wild with the shapes!! (At this stage, it is important that the pan is hot, or the ghavan/rice crackers will not turn out crispy)
4. Reduce the flame and allow the crepes to slowly crisp up and cook. After a few minutes, the tiny crepes will crisp up into little ghavans!

Once the panacotta has cooled and set, garnish with a light dusting of jaggery and the crisp ghavans! Enjoy your humble Ghavan Ghatla in all its fusion panacotta glory!