AI-generated image
Poda pitha
Baked rice and urad cake
ପୋଡ଼ ପିଠା: fermented rice and urad cake with coconut and jaggery, baked until the crust chars
Raja is Odisha's three-day festival in mid-June when the earth is said to rest before the monsoon: farming stops, girls wear new clothes, swing on rope swings under the trees and eat pitha instead of cooking rice. Poda pitha, literally 'burnt cake', is the star. A fermented batter of rice and black gram is mixed with jaggery, coconut, pepper and cardamom and baked very slowly, traditionally in a pot buried in embers, until the outside is dark and crusty and the inside sets moist and springy. This is not chhena poda: there is no cheese, only rice and dal. Common mistake: cutting it hot; it needs to cool fully to set, and it is done when a skewer comes out clean and the top is deep brown. Allow an overnight soak and an 8–10 hour ferment before you start. Chef's tip: line the tin with banana leaf if you can get it; the leaf scorches and gives the cake its smoky, village flavour.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the batter
- 7 oz raw ricesoaked 6 hours
- 3 ½ oz whole skinless urad dalsoaked 6 hours
- ¾ cup waterfor grinding, as needed
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling
- 5 ½ oz jaggerygrated
- 3 ½ oz fresh coconutcut into tiny bits
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- 2 tbsp coconut oilplus extra for the tin
For baking
- 1 banana leaf (optional)to line the tin
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 7 oz raw rice and 3 ½ oz whole skinless urad dal. Grind the urad first with a little of the ¼ cup water to a fluffy, smooth paste, then grind the rice with the rest of the ¼ cup water until slightly gritty.
15 minStep 2: Mix both batters with ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place for 8–10 hours, until bubbly, risen and pleasantly sour-smelling.
0 minStep 3: Fry 3 ½ oz fresh coconut in 2 tbsp coconut oil over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes until golden at the edges.
4 minStep 4: Stir the coconut and its oil, 5 ½ oz jaggery, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper and ½ tsp ground green cardamom into the batter until the jaggery dissolves. It should be thick but pourable, like cake batter.
5 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 20 cm cake tin and line it with 1 banana leaf if using. Pour in the batter.
5 minStep 6: Bake for 70–90 minutes, until the top is deep brown and cracked and a skewer comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if it darkens before 60 minutes.
80 minStep 7: Cool completely in the tin, at least 2 hours, before turning out and slicing. It keeps for 2 days in a cool place.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does poda pitha take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado 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
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
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.
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
