Pithe-Puli — Poush Parbon Rice Dumplings

Name: Pithe-Puli — Poush Parbon Rice Dumplings
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Bengali
Ingredients: 300 g rice flour; 350 ml Water; 250 g Grated coconut; 150 g nolen gur (date-palm jaggery); 3 g green cardamom powder; 2 g Salt; 10 g Ghee; 100 ml Milk

Delicate rice-flour dumplings filled with sweetened coconut and date-palm jaggery, steamed and traditionally made for the Poush Parbon harvest festival.

🇮🇳India· West Bengal

Prep: 60 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 100 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Hard
Calories: 220 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

300 g rice flour
350 ml Water — for dough
250 g Grated coconut — fresh
150 g nolen gur (date-palm jaggery) — grated
3 g green cardamom powder
2 g Salt — a pinch, for dough
10 g Ghee — for greasing hands
100 ml Milk — for optional dipping syrup

Equipment

•Steamer
•Rolling pin

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 220 kcal
fat: 8 g
carbs: 36 g
fibre: 3 g
protein: 3 g
calories: 220 kcal

Instructions

1
Cook the grated coconut and nolen gur (date palm jaggery) in a pan on low heat. Stir for 8–10 minutes until it thickens.
2
Stir in the cardamom powder. Let the coconut-jaggery filling cool down completely.
3
Boil water with a pinch of salt. Take it off the heat and slowly stir in the rice flour to make a soft dough.
4
Cover the dough with a damp cloth. This keeps it soft and easy to shape.
5
Rub a little ghee (clarified butter) on your palms. Take a small piece of dough and flatten it into a disc.
6
Put a spoonful of filling in the centre. Fold into a half-moon shape and press the edges firmly to seal.
7
Repeat this process with the rest of the dough and filling to make all the puli (dumplings).
8
Line a steamer with a damp cloth. Steam the dumplings for 12–15 minutes until the dough looks slightly see-through.
9
Serve them warm as they are. Or, dip them briefly into warm milk sweetened with jaggery.

Chef's tips

Shape the rice flour dough while it is still warm, as cold dough stiffens and cracks. Press the edges of each dumpling firmly so the filling does not leak out while steaming.

Ingredient substitutions

nolen gur → regular jaggery in warmer months

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 2 days; the dough hardens somewhat on chilling.

Reheating

Re-steam for 3–4 minutes to soften before serving.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Putting in too much filling, which makes the dumplings burst open while steaming.
•Letting the rice dough get too cold before shaping, which causes cracks and makes sealing difficult.