Good evening, Hive community food lover friends.
Winter is almost over, but our pitha-eating season is not finished yet. We are planning a pitha festival soon, and I will share that with you all. Since you liked my pitha recipes so much, today I’m sharing another one. It’s a very simple pitha recipe — the traditional Bangladeshi Puli Pitha. This pitha is very famous in rural areas of Bangladesh.
Although I made this pitha for the first time today (I had never made it before), I really liked it. At the beginning of making pitha, I prepared the filling first. While the filling was being prepared, I went to take a shower, so I couldn’t record that part. My grandmother made it. So I will explain everything step by step. It’s not difficult at all — just listen carefully and you can make it easily.
Ingredients for the filling:
Rice flour
Grated coconut
White sesame seeds
A pinch of salt
Jaggery
Roasted rice
The entire pitha-making process was done on the stove.
First, roast the rice in a dry pan over low heat until it looks like small puffed grains. Then grind it well using a shil-pata (traditional stone grinder). In the same way, roast the white sesame seeds and grind them finely.
Now, in a mixing bowl, add a small amount of rice powder, grated coconut, jaggery, a pinch of salt, and ground sesame seeds. Mix everything very well and keep it aside to rest for some time.
While the filling is resting, take a pot and mix water, rice flour, and a little salt thoroughly. I didn’t put the pot on the stove at first — mixing properly beforehand is important. Then place it on the stove and stir continuously. Gradually, it will thicken and form a sticky dough. After that, add rice flour little by little and knead it into a dough similar to roti dough. Do not make it too hard.
Then transfer the dough to another bowl. Take small portions and knead them well by hand. When the dough becomes perfect, divide it into small balls. Shape each ball into a bowl using your hands. Then add a generous amount of the prepared filling inside and close it properly to give it a pitha shape.
I also added some designs to the pitha. Designing is optional — traditionally, Bengalis usually make these pithas plain without any design. But I felt like decorating them a bit since I’ll be sending some to my in-laws’ house. Designs make them look more beautiful. You can shape them however you like; just make sure the filling is generous, because that makes the pitha taste better. Also, adding a small amount of salt to any sweet dish or pitha enhances the flavor
Meanwhile, heat a pot of water on the stove. These pithas are cooked by steaming in water — they are boiled in water steam. This is how it’s traditionally done in villages. If you want, you can also use a rice cooker.
Here’s an important tip: while making the pithas, put them into the hot water immediately one by one. If you make all the pithas first and keep them aside, they may crack. Once boiled properly, the Puli Pitha is ready. In some places, this pitha is also called Kuli Pitha.
I absolutely love the taste of this pitha. Let me know in the comments how you liked this recipe. 😊