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Teler pitha
তেলের পিঠা (teler pitha): round fried rice and date-jaggery cakes with a puffed crown
Teler pitha, literally oil cake, is the easiest of the winter pithas and the one children wait for at the start of the date-palm season, when the first pots of fresh khejur rosh are boiled down into gur in the villages of Jessore and Faridpur. A batter of rice flour and melted jaggery is poured into hot oil a ladle at a time, and each cake puffs into a round with a little raised hump in the middle, crisp and brown outside, soft and chewy inside, tasting of caramel and fennel. They are eaten warm in the afternoon or packed for a journey. Oil that is too hot gives dark cakes with raw centres, which is where most people go wrong; keep it at a steady medium heat. Chef's tip: rest the batter for at least an hour, ideally two, so the rice flour swells and the cakes rise properly.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz date-palm jaggery (khejur gur) or other jaggerygrated
- 1 cup waterwarm
- 9 oz fine rice flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 /2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
- 2 cups vegetable oilfor deep frying
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Stir 5 ½ oz date-palm jaggery (khejur gur) or other jaggery into 1 cup water until dissolved, then strain to remove any grit.
3 minStep 2: Whisk the jaggery water into 9 oz fine rice flour with 1 pinch salt, 1 /2 tsp fennel seeds and 2 tbsp grated coconut to a thick, smooth batter that falls from a spoon in a ribbon. Cover and rest for 1–2 hours.
3 minStep 3: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a small, deep wok over a medium heat to about 325°F, or until a drop of batter rises steadily without browning too fast.
3 minStep 4: Pour in a small ladle of batter (about 40 ml); it should spread and puff. Fry for 2 minutes, spooning oil over the top, then turn and fry for 1–2 minutes until deep brown. Fry one or two at a time.
20 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and eat warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does teler pitha take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 date-palm jaggery (khejur gur) or other jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of fennel seeds?
- Aniseeds, same amount (a stronger liquorice taste).
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