AI-generated image
Chunga pitha
চুঙ্গা পিঠা (chunga pitha): Sylhet's sticky rice with milk and coconut roasted inside bamboo
On cold winter nights in Sylhet and Moulvibazar, especially among the Manipuri and Khasi villages near the hills, sticky binni rice is packed into green sections of dolu bamboo with milk, sugar and coconut, plugged with straw and pushed into the embers of a fire. As the bamboo blackens the rice steams inside, and when the tube is split open it slides out as a smooth, glossy log, sweet, milky and faintly smoky. Families eat it hot, sliced into rounds, sometimes with a curl of date-palm jaggery or with fish curry for a savoury contrast. Fresh bamboo is hard to find outside Bangladesh, so this recipe also gives a banana-leaf and foil method that works under a hot grill. Underfilled tubes are the classic misstep: the rice needs room to swell but should be packed to about three-quarters full. Chef's tip: soak the rice for at least 4 hours so it cooks evenly before the outside scorches.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz glutinous (sticky) ricesoaked 4 hours, drained
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
- 1 /4 tsp salt
- 3 green cardamom pods (optional)seeds crushed
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz glutinous (sticky) rice with 1 ¼ cups whole milk, 2 ⅛ oz sugar, 1 /4 tsp salt, 2 ⅛ oz grated coconut, fresh or frozen and 3 green cardamom pods.
3 minStep 2: Spoon the mixture into the 2 green bamboo sections about 5 cm wide, or banana leaves and foil tubes until three-quarters full, with all the milk, and plug the open ends tightly with banana leaf or crumpled foil. (Without bamboo, wrap the mixture in two layers of banana leaf, then foil, into fat logs.)
5 minStep 3: Lay the tubes in glowing charcoal or on a barbecue grill and roast for 35–45 minutes, turning every 5–10 minutes, until the bamboo is charred all over and the rice inside is soft and sticky (test by splitting one). Bake foil logs at 375°F (fan 350°F) for 40 minutes, then char under a hot grill for 5 minutes.
40 minStep 4: Let the tubes cool for a few minutes, then split the bamboo lengthways with a heavy knife and slide out the rice.
Step 5: Cut into thick rounds and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chunga pitha take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.
Indian
Paneer biryani
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Masala ugali
Ugali, East Africa's staple of maize meal cooked into a stiff porridge, given a lift with toasted cumin, butter, fresh coriander and green chilli. Stir it hard and keep it soft. Serve hot with sukumawiki or any stew.