Poda Pitha is a traditional dessert from the Indian state of Odisha and the traditional way of making poda pitha in a makeshift Chullah in which charcoal and dried cow-dung cake is used as fuel, is now a thing of the past. Modern day households would rather use a pressure cooker and the gas chullah, even though it means being deprived of the unique feel of the tradiotional kind of taste and flavour that Poda pitha is associated with. The name "Poda Pitha" translates to "burnt cake" in the local Odia language. It is a type of pancake made with rice flour, jaggery and coconut. The present generation of Odia children are perhaps deprived of enjoying a bite of Poda Pitha on the occasion of Raja Festival, which the elders were privileged with.
Ingredients of Poda Pitha:
• 300gm Rice
• 200gm Sugar
• 150gm Black Gram
• 50gm Chopped Ginger
• 10-15 Small pieces of thin coconut slices
•1 cup finely scrubbed coconut
• 1tbs ghee or refined oil
• 1/2 tbs salt
• 1/2 bowl of cashew nut (broken into pieces)
• 1tbs baking powder
Method:
Soak the rice and black gram in water in seperate bowls for about 4-5 hours. Wash them thoroughly. Put the black gram in the mixer grinder with water to form a fine batter. Do the same with rice too but keep in mind that the batter should be coarse and not as fine as the batter of black gram. Mix both the batters and add coconut slices, chopped ginger, grated coconuy, salt, sugar, cashew nuts and baking powder. Mix all the ingredients very well and keep it covered for about 2 hours for self-fermentation. Pre-heat the pressure cooker. Form a thin layer of oil on all the inner surface of the cooker. Now pour the mixed batter into the pressure cooker and the lid (without mounting the whistle-weight). Place the pressure cooker in simmer flame for about one hour. Now your Poda Pitha is ready. When the pressure cooker comes to normal temperature take out the pitha carefully, and cut it into desired shapes/pieces and serve. :)
(Note: Instead of cooking in pressure cooker you can also use oven for this recipe)
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