Pittha (Steamed Rice Dumplings)

Name: Pittha (Steamed Rice Dumplings)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Jharkhandi
Ingredients: 300 g rice flour; 400 ml Water; 0.25 tsp Salt; 100 g Sesame seeds; 120 g Jaggery; 50 g desiccated coconut; 0.5 tsp green cardamom powder

Soft steamed rice flour dumplings filled with a sweet sesame and jaggery mixture, traditionally made for Makar Sankranti and other winter festivals.

🇮🇳India· Jharkhand

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 65 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 180 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 7 gathered

Servings

Equipment

•Steamer
•Mixing bowl

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 180 kcal
fat: 5 g
carbs: 32 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 3 g
calories: 180 kcal

Instructions

1
Boil water with a pinch of salt in a pan.
2
Add rice flour to the boiling water. Stir quickly to form a thick dough with no lumps.
3
Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes. Rub a little oil on your hands and knead the warm dough until smooth.
4
For the filling, mix roasted ground sesame, grated jaggery (cane sugar), coconut and cardamom powder together.
5
Divide the rice dough into small balls. Flatten each ball into a small disc.
6
Put a spoonful of sesame-jaggery filling in the centre. Fold into a half-moon and press the edges firmly to seal.
7
Arrange the pitthas (rice dumplings) on a greased steamer plate or banana leaf.
8
Steam for 12-15 minutes until the dough turns slightly see-through.
9
Let them cool briefly before serving.

Chef's tips

Shape the rice dough while it is still warm, as it stiffens and cracks when cool. Press the edges tightly so the jaggery filling does not leak during steaming.