Bhapa Pithe
Bhapa Pitha (if you are bangal) or Pithe (if you are ghoti). I am a Bangal so I call them pitha. Bhapa means steamed. Therefore, this is a steamed pitha. This traditional sweet is usually made with rice flour dough filled with coconut and date palm jaggery filling and then steamed. It is served with date palm jaggery syrup. But I did not make it with rice flour as I find it very difficult to work with the rice flour that I get at Tesco, London. So today, I made them with usual flour and they came perfectly fine.
Note: my father does not take sugar. Therefore, we always make an alternative. In this case, as the filling is made of jaggery which is better than sugar (health wise), he might have one or two of the pitha. However, my mother will always make some with filling made of potatoes or chicken or anything salty. You can try doing that. It is actually very nice and almost tastes like momos.
Ingredients:
½-cup Rice Flour/flour
Grated coconut
Boiling water
Pinch of salt
Jaggery as per taste (you can use sugar too incase you don’t have jaggery)
1. Heat a pan and add jaggery
2. When the jaggery is liquid add the grated coconut and combine well
3. Cook until sticky and dry but moist enough to work with the mixture
Dough:
1. Take the rice flour/flour
2. Add 1 tablespoon of boiling water at a time
3. Knead it
4. The dough should be soft and easy to work with but not sticky
5. Then make small balls of the dough
Making the Pitha (Bangal) or Pithe (Ghoti)
1. Using a roller pin, make flat rounds with the dough
2. Put little bit of the filling in the middle of the round flat dough
3. And fold it and seal it properly. Use little water if need
4. It will look like half moon
5. Boil water in a steamer or on deep pan
6. If you have steamer then just steam the pitha/e
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| steaming Pitha |
7. If you are using the deep pan of boiling water, place the pithas in a steel bowl and float it in the deep pan of boiling water and cover the pan
8. 10 minute and your bhapa pitha will be ready
Serve it will liquid palm jaggery syrup. In case, you don’t have the jaggery syrup use maple syrup
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What's in name as long as I get to eat this delicious steamed pithe 🙂 wow you have steamer at home? My Mom also makes it with minced chicken.Love you copper plate also..