Pootharekulu

Pootharekulu (Paper Sweet)

Pootharekulu stuffed with jaggery and dry fruits
Alternative names Paper Sweet
Course Snack
Place of origin Atreyapuram
Region or state East Godavari
Creator Atreyapuram
Serving temperature Room temperature
Main ingredients Rice starch/Black gram, powdered sugar or jaggery, ghee
Variations Vegetable poothrekulu
Other information Unsuitable for diabetics
Cookbook: Pootharekulu (Paper Sweet)  Media: Pootharekulu (Paper Sweet)

Pootharekulu (పూతరేకులు, plural) or Poothareku (పూతరేకు, singular) is a popular sweet from Atreyapuram, East Godavari, India.[1] 'Pootha' is coating and 'Reku' (plural Rekulu) is sheet in Telugu. PoothaRekulu are also known as ‘Paper sweets’ as they give the appearance of folded paper.

Origin

It is a wafer-like sweet created in Atreyapuram, a village and mandal in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The village is well known for preparation and trading of this sweet. It is a labor-intensive job. It is procured at very cheap prices. With value additions, it becomes a delicacy which is sold at high prices in the cities.[2]

Preparation

Making of pootharekulu

It is made from a particular rice batter called jaya biyyam (biyyam means rice), powdered sugar and ghee (clarified butter). To make the edible film a hot pot is first to be prepared. To make the pot suitable for making edible films, a hole is made in it and it is alternately heated and wiped with a cloth dipped in oil for three days to smoothen the surface. To make films, coarse rice is ground for nearly two hours and made into batter. It is diluted and a thin cloth dipped in the solution and put on the inverted pot with flame under it. The edible film forms on the pot instantly.[2] The edible film thus obtained is wrapped with sugar/jaggery and coated with ghee.

This video shows the process of preparation of the rekulu/ rice wafers that go into the making of Pootharekulu

Varieties

Pootharekulu filled with sugar in the left and jaggery on the right

Pootharekulu can be stuffed with different items such as fine powdered sugar, jaggery, dry fruits, chocolate powders, etc. For diabetic people Pootharekulu is available with artificial sugars of less calorific value.

References

  1. ↑ B.V.S. Bhaskar (3 July 2005). "Life, sweetened by `pootarekulu'". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 G.V. PRASADA SARMA (April 6, 2016). "'Putarekulu' making set to get simpler". VISAKHAPATNAM. The Hindu. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
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