#6 Pitha Recipe

We are now down to the 6th recipe of this traditional dishes around the world blog series. Today, you will be learning the recipe for one of the famous snacks in Bangladesh.

Pitha refers to the traditional homemade cake in Bangladesh. Many types of pithas are not prepared as part of the daily menu. But these are provided on special occasions, such as hosting boyfriends or girlfriends, entertaining guests, and organizing special gatherings for family, relatives, or friends.

Pithas are a variety of food similar to pancakes, dumplings, or fritters, originating from the Indian subcontinent, common in Bangladesh and India. Pitha can be sweet or savory and usually made from a dough or batter, which is then steamed, fried, or griddled.

In this blog, you will learn how to make Patishapta Pitha.

Ingredients:

Batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (Maida)

• ½ cup rice flour (Chawal ka atta)

• ¼ cup fine Semolina (Rava or Sooji)

• ¼ cup sugar

• 2 cups milk, at room temperature

• 1-2 tablespoons oil to fry the patishapta

Filling

• 1 cup grated Coconut

• ¾ cup Mawa or Khoya (Dried milk)

• ½ cup grated Date Palm Jaggery (Patali gur)

• 1/3 cup Milk

• 1 teaspoon Clarified butter (Ghee)

Directions: (Filling)

1. In the pan, add 1 teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter) and melt it. Then add the grated coconut to the frying pan and mix for 2 minutes on medium-low heat, so that the smell of raw coconut will disappear and give off a nice nutty aroma.

2. Add grated date palm jaggery (Patali gur) into the pan and give a nice mix. Cook it over medium flame until the jaggery melts. Stir in regular intervals.

3. Add the mawa into the pan and mix it evenly over low flame. It takes around 4-5 minutes to mix the mawa with coconut.

4. Add milk into the mixture and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on the lowest flame for 2-3 minutes. Stir in regular intervals.

5. Transfer the coconut mixture to a separate plate to cool down.

6. Take a small portion of the mixture in your hand and press it in between your palms to make a narrow cylindrical shape like a log with it. Repeat the process with the rest of the coconut mixture.

Directions: (Batter)

1. Take a large mixing bowl and add 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup rice flour, ¼ cup semolina, and ¼ cup sugar, one by one into it.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients with a whisker or spoon.

3. Add 2 cups milk (at room temperature) into the bowl and make a smooth lumps-free thin batter. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for an hour.

Directions: (Patishapta Pitha)

1. Take a non-stick pan and put it on low flame. Allow the pan to become completely dry and heat up moderately.

2. Make a thin coating of oil or ghee in the pan either with a brush.

3. Take patishapta batter with a spoon and pour it at the center of the pan.

4. Spread the batter evenly to make a thin and round crepe.

5. Place the stuffing that you make at one end of the crepe.

6. Using the spatula, fold and roll it gently to the end until it will look like a spring roll. Put it on a plate and serve.