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Chaula Kakara Pitha

These are stuffed and deep-fried rice cakes, offered to goddess Lakshmi on Manabasa Gurubar, the Thursday of the Hindu month of Margasira, which begins towards the end of November each year. Here they have been made from sitabhog rice, but any fine and aromatic rice that can be easily floured at home will do: Wayanadan gandakashala or Bengali Gobindobhog would be good choices.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fine rice flour / chaula chuna
  • 1 ¾ cup water
  • 2 cups freshly grated coconut
  • ½ cup jaggery
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1-2 cardamon
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • Oil/ghee for frying
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • Boil the water in a deep vessel. Add crushed fennel, 1 tsp sugar and ½ tsp salt to the boiling water. Lower the flame, add the rice flour in batches and keep stirring to avoid formation of lumps.
  • Switch off the flame once the rice flour soaks up all the water and forms a loose solid mass. Cover the vessel and let it stand for 15 minutes so that the rice flour gets cooked in the residual heat.
  • Remove the lid and allow it to cool down to a tolerable temperature. Sprinkle the ghee over the dough. Knead the mixture with your hands into a smooth dough. The kneading should be done when the dough is still hot, else the pitha will crack while frying.
  • Melt the jaggery with 2-3 tsp water in another wok. Once it starts foaming, add the grated coconut and cardamon powder to it. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep aside until it cools down.
  • Divide the dough into small balls. Flatten the balls. Stuff with the coconut mixture. Shape into small discs.
  • Now heat a wok. Add sufficient oil for frying.
  • When the oil is sufficiently hot, add the stuffed discs. Reduce flame to medium. Fry until the pitha is cooked and turns golden brown.
  • Remove from the wok and serve warm.

Notes

  1. To make your own rice flour, wash the rice, drain, and spread on a clean towel to dry. Just when the grains are almost completely dry is when they are dry-enough but also brittle-enough to flour. Transfer to a mixer jar and pulverize. You may need to sift the flour for any remaining rice bits and repeat the grinding until you have an even, fine flour.
  2. Tip to avoid lumps in the dough: Reduce the flame to the lowest. Dissolve 1 tbsp rice flour in cold water and add to the simmering water before adding the rest of the flour.
  3. The above recipe makes 10-12 pithas.