Pithe, a famous Bengali dish, is considered to be a favorite of the broadcasting winters, although even now it is associated with Poush Sankranti. These coconut milk-based, rice flour based sweet and savory snacks are traditional Bengal fares prepared out of jaggery, rice flour coconut-jaggery and other essential ingredients. Here are some popular types of pithe:

1. PULI PITHE OR DUDH PULI

   INGREDIENTS:  The main ingredients used are; rice flour, coconut, jaggery and milk.

PROCESS:

1. Knead the dough with rice flour, and water to form a smooth batter like solution.
2. Prepare a sweet by heating grated coconut with jaggery till the mixture becomes sticky.
3. Roll the dough into little semi-circular rounds, put in the coconut filling and bring the edges of the dough together.
4. Add it to boiled milk which has been thickened by boiling the milk; add date palm jaggery and subsequently boil the dumplings gentle until tender.

2. PATISHAPTA

INGREDIENTS: Rice flour ,semolina, milk, coconut, raw sugar.

PROCESS:

1.  Create a batter of rice flour, semolina and milk.
2.  The next process is where you fry grated coconut to prepare a sweet filling, with jaggery.
3.  Spoon one ladle of batter to spread thinly on a greased surfaced and cook.
4.  This is put in the middle and folded then let it cook for one full minute.

3. GOKUL PITHE

INGREDIENTS:  Besan, refined flour, coconut, syrup from jaggery and sugar.

PROCESS:

1. Prepare filling by combining coconut and jaggery or any other sweeteners of individual’s choice.
2. Form the above mixture into several balls and dip into batter of flour and water.
3. Fry the balls and prepare the sugar syrup to marinate over those.

4. CHITAI PITHE

INGREDIENTS:   Rice flour, water.

 PROCESS:

1. Prepare a watery batter through rice flour and water and make it thin.
2. To make this pour a ladle of it onto hot clay griddle and fry on low heat.
3. Serve with jaggery or curry.

5. MALPOYAA

INGREDIENTS: Milk, sugar, oil/ghee.

PROCESS:

1. Prepare a batter using flour milk and sugar.
2. To prepare this, heat pure oil or clarified butter and then pour one table-spoon of the batter into the hot oil.
3. After frying until golden brown you can cover them in sugar syrup if preferred.

6. BHAPA PITHE

INGREDIENTS: Rice flour, coconut, jaggery.

PROCESS:

1. In a bowl, rice flour is dissolved over the average warm water to get dough like consistency.
2. Knead the dough and spread it and then put the coconut jagger mixture and then it is closed.
3. To cook the dumplings in the best way, place it in a steamer or in an idli maker.

7. PAKAN PITHE

INGREDIENTS: Rice flour, jaggery syrup.

PROCESS:

1. For soft dough mix the rice flour with water.
2. When it has cooled down, shape into small balls and steam until cooked.
3. Serve with jaggery or milk.

8. SEDHHO PITHE

 INGREDIENTS:  Rice flour.

  PROCESS:

1. Mix rice flour and water to make batter with consistency softer than pudding.
2. Make into medium sized balls then call them to cook through steaming.
3. Serve with jaggery or milk.

9. NOKSHI PITHE

  INGREDIENTS:  Rice flour, jaggery, coconut.

  PROCESS:

1. Prepare rice flour dough.
2. Cut various shapes with the dough or use a needle to make new shapes on it.
3. Its best taken when steamed or fried then taken with milk or jaggery syrup as needed.

10. DUDH CHITAI

  INGREDIENTS: Chitai pithe, milk, jaggery.

PROCESS:

1. Cook chitai pithe prepared as explained earlier in this text.
2. This prepares milk and add sweetening ingredient in the form of jaggery.
3. If you want to savour chitai pithe, drop it in hot milk and consume it when hot.

11. TIL PITHE

  INGREDIENTS: Seeds, jaggery, rice flour.

PROCESS:

Sesame seeds could be toasted and then mashed with molten jaggery to get the filling.

Knead rice flour with water to make some dough then stuff it with the above filling, shape and steam.

12. KHEER PITHE

  INGREDIENTS: Rice flour, milk, jaggery.

PROCESS:

1. Cook the rice flour dough and turn it into dumplings.
2. Fry them in thickened milk and add jaggery to make it sweet.

These recipes of traditional pithe are very tasty and very simple to prepare and can be enjoyed all the year round but especially during festive season or any chilly winter evening.

 

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