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Chitoi pitha
চিতই পিঠা (chitoi pitha): soft, spongy rice-flour cakes from a clay mould, with coriander bhorta
As soon as the cold arrives in December, women set up clay stoves on the pavements of Dhaka, Mymensingh and every district town, and chitoi pitha is what they sell: round, white rice cakes steamed and baked in small covered clay moulds, smooth and slightly crisp underneath and full of tiny holes on top. Winter evenings are spent queuing for them, and they are eaten hot with a row of bhortas, mustard, coriander, garlic or dried fish, or with duck curry. At home, leftover chitoi is soaked overnight in milk sweetened with date-palm jaggery to make dudh chitoi for breakfast. A batter that is too thin gives flat, dense cakes; it should be like a thick pancake batter. Chef's tip: blend a spoonful of cooked rice into the batter, which keeps the pitha soft and spongy even after it cools.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pitha
- 9 oz fine rice flour
- 1 ¾ oz cooked rice
- 3 /4 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups warm waterroughly
- 1 /4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp vegetable oilfor greasing
For the coriander bhorta
- 1 bunch fresh corianderabout 60 g, with stems, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 1 ¾ oz cooked rice with 100 ml of the 1 ½ cups warm water until smooth, then whisk into 9 oz fine rice flour with 3 /4 tsp salt and the rest of the water to a smooth batter, thicker than pancake batter.
3 minStep 2: Cover and rest for 20 minutes, then whisk in 1 /4 tsp bicarbonate of soda.
20 minStep 3: For the bhorta, blend or pound 1 bunch fresh coriander, 3 green chillies, 2 cloves garlic and 1 /2 tsp salt to a rough paste and stir in 1 tbsp mustard oil.
3 minStep 4: Heat a clay chitoi mould, or a small heavy 15 cm frying pan with a lid, over a medium heat for 5 minutes and wipe with a little 1 tsp vegetable oil.
5 minStep 5: Stir the batter and pour in a ladle (about 80 ml), cover tightly and cook for 3–4 minutes until the top is set and full of holes and the edges come away from the pan. Do not turn it.
4 minStep 6: Lift it out and keep warm under a cloth while you cook the rest, wiping the mould with oil now and then. Serve hot with the coriander bhorta.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chitoi pitha take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of cooked rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
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