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Chakuli pitha
ଚକୁଳି ପିଠା · soft, lacy Odia rice and urad dal pancakes
Chakuli pitha is Odisha's breakfast pancake and the first of the pithas a child learns to love; it is offered to Lord Jagannath and made at home on Sundays and for Manabasa Gurubar in the month of Margasira. Rice and a little urad dal are soaked, ground and fermented overnight, then poured onto a hot pan into a pancake that is thinner than an uttapam but softer and thicker than a dosa, with a lacy, holey top. It is eaten with aloo bhaja, ghuguni or simply with jaggery. Chef's tip: cook only on one side under a lid; the steam sets the top and keeps the holes.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Wash 7 oz raw short-grain rice and 2 ½ oz whole or split urad dal separately and soak each in plenty of water for 6 hours.
Step 2: Grind the urad first with a little of the 1 cup water until very smooth and fluffy, then grind the rice to a fine batter. Mix both with 1 tsp salt to a pourable batter like double cream.
15 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 8–12 hours until it has risen, smells pleasantly sour and is full of small bubbles. Stir gently; don't beat out the air.
Step 4: Heat a cast-iron or non-stick pan over a medium heat and wipe with a few drops of 2 tbsp vegetable oil. It is ready when a sprinkle of water sizzles and vanishes in a couple of seconds.
Step 5: Pour a ladle of batter in the centre and spread it in one or two circles to about 15 cm, a little thicker than a dosa. Cover and cook for 2 minutes until the top is set and covered in holes and the edges lift. Common mistake: spreading it paper-thin like a dosa; chakuli should be soft and spongy.
2 minStep 6: Lift off without flipping (or flip for 20 seconds if you like a speckled top). Serve warm with ghuguni, aloo bhaja or a spoon of jaggery.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chakuli pitha take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 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.
- What can I use instead of raw short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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