Bengali Puli Pitha Recipe

At the end of the Bengali month of Poush in mid-January, Poush Sankranti is celebrated as the winter solstice festival of Bengalis. Sweet delicacies called pitha and patishapta are made with rice, palm jaggery, sugar, and milk. On this day, mothers and grandmothers spend all day making some special homemade sweets, which is called the Pitha. The festival of Nabanna is also celebrated in West Bengal.

Bengal has a style of food marked by Indian influences, but with nuances that give it a unique character. We present some clues about what to eat in Bengal. Most Bengalis do not use cutlery to eat but do it with the right hand. An authentic Bengali cuisine mash with spicy flavors and the undeniable historical significance is the Pitha. It has established itself as one of the most beloved foods of locals during Makar Sankranti.

Pitha is a homemade dumpling that is improvised in every household. Usually filled with vegetables or potato, although sometimes also meat. Over time, the palate improved by adding various condiments and replacement of meat with vegetables, which is commonly found and consumed in Bengal. One of the most popular food during Makar Sankranti Pitha is a must on the menu. It can be served in various styles, namely, steamed, fried or boiled.



Pithas are made from rice flour, which can sometimes be replaced with wheat flour, palm or a flour made from local root vegetables. The pithas are basically a kind of sweet bread mainly formed from a batter of flour rice or wheat then be filled with other sweet or savory ingredients.

Inside pithas you can find vegetables, around which the dough, soft but slightly toasted. A drug, especially when served alongside steaming jaggery. The ethereal beauty makes them more like the clouds of something to eat, but we assure you taste them, in fact, has something to do with the sky. Makes you want to eat them just for the shape created when the dough is still raw, before being boiled.

The pitha is usually stuffed with vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, or potatoes, which are cooked or fried and then smashed, cooled and filled, until they take the form of a small meatball, to then be inserted inside the pitha as a filling.

The pithas instead include sugar, jaggery, a type of local sugar, or palm syrup and dates stuffed with coconut, nuts and vegetables flavored with spices, natural ingredients that whet the appetite of those who love sweet flavors and intense.

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 50 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 153

Ingredients:

500 gm rice flour
100 gm grated coconut
200 gm date palm jaggery
200 gm date palm jaggery
6 cups water (for soaking rice)
Pinch of salt
Lukewarm water for kneading

How to Make Traditional Bengali Puli Pitha (Step-by-Step)