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Especially from the\nforeign guests during our cuisine walks, all curious about Bengali food after a\nleisurely discussion and walk through the fascinating Gariahaat market. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt;\"\u003EThe first time I\nheard this question, I got a little startled and could not reply quickly.\nHonestly, the breakfast that I have most days is toast and egg which in no way\nis a traditional breakfast. It rather is a hangover from the 200 years of the British Raj and Bengal being its capital for about 139 years (1772-1911). The\nother popular breakfast items most Bengalis would drool over and get nostalgic\nabout be it luchi, kochuri or Radhaballavi are occasional\/ festive breakfasts\nnot to be had daily.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERead more by clicking on the heading...\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhf_xZ1Nl-62ipLvJWqsQNCqmSJLydD88KfXsVXuEdNdAwkfOe8t1OhTerqBI7uVBLqDvQfl1RqdoymvXJH8twYvAC4rI0DmiBqA5kRB9xiMU1KCuZl5lf1PgeqFu-naEYLiy-6iLGASOyMgc-jbIrmek88RKq11MUziAZ6HxO70rqj7Ajum1tqzx3Qvw\/s1081\/bengali.rice.flour.lacy.pancake.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1081\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhf_xZ1Nl-62ipLvJWqsQNCqmSJLydD88KfXsVXuEdNdAwkfOe8t1OhTerqBI7uVBLqDvQfl1RqdoymvXJH8twYvAC4rI0DmiBqA5kRB9xiMU1KCuZl5lf1PgeqFu-naEYLiy-6iLGASOyMgc-jbIrmek88RKq11MUziAZ6HxO70rqj7Ajum1tqzx3Qvw\/s16000\/bengali.rice.flour.lacy.pancake.recipe.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt;\"\u003EBengal from time\nimmemorial had been a rice-centric economy which keeping in mind its hot and\nhumid weather is perfect to consume as well. It’s not only food, but Bengal’s\nrelationship with rice is a very emotional one. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EBengali traditions,\nfestivals, and all its ceremonies have a consecrated use of rice.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E From snacks\nto celebratory meals, from everyday staple to a special therapeutic meal \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E(\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E'pothyo' \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eপথ্য\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003ERice is used in many Avatars, in many ingenious\nways.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIn\nearlier days and in rural Bengal Rice still is consumed four times a day,\nalbeit in different forms. Before going to work people in rural areas prefer to consume a big bowl of rice. Hot steaming rice or broken rice\nporridge (Jau bhat) in winter and panta or overnight soaked rice in summer.\nApart from that chire (beaten rice\/poha), muri (puffed rice\/ murmura), chalbhaja (rice grains fried in a kadhai) and khoi\n(Popped rice\/lai) feature in different combinations like dudh muri (milk with\npuffed rice), chire doi aam (beaten rice with yogurt and mangoes) or Khoier moa\n(popped rice laddu with jaggery) throughout the day, sometimes for breakfasts\nsometimes as a snack. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EBut\nwith the new rice crop arriving home, winter has always been a special time in\nBengali households. Just after Deepawali as winter starts to settle down,\nvarious traditional recipes mainly under the broad category of ‘pitha’ or rice\ncake start to appear on our plate. This chit ruti or chita pitha is one such.\nVery similar to Malaysian “roti Jala’ or net bread these lacy ‘chita rutis’ are\na perfect canvas for any spicy side dish. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EChit’ or chita’ comes from the Bengali word ‘chitano’ or ‘chetano’ meaning ‘to sprinkle’, which describes the process of making this dish. Using one’s fingers a thin rice batter is sprinkled on a hot tawa\/pan to make this slightly crisp pancake with a lacy delicate appearance. Very popular in Bangladesh or East Bengal as a breakfast item and is mostly paired with dimer jhuri (spicy scrambled eggs), leftover curry, or an indigenous cheese called ‘ponir’. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile growing up this was not part of our regular pithe repertoire. Maa learned it at quite a later stage from one of her classmates in Santiniketan and made it a couple of times. Much later while looking for gluten-free breakfast options I rediscovered it again.  Like most pithe recipes this also calls for only a couple of pantry staples but on a chilly winter morning this humble plate of breakfast will cocoon you in a blanket of warmth that you would never want to leave. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd if cooking comforts you then on a leisurely unhurried day, preparing this will feel therapeutic too. The cold runny batter on the fingers, the sizzle of the pan, the aroma of new rice wafting from it and filling the entire house would impart a peculiar sense of Déjà vu. Like an inherited memory without any associated sensory experience, something that we have had and lost yet which never fails to ground us with gratitude\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EChit\nRuti\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E(Makes\n12 rotis)\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgDdKAGIO6oWv-_phujXiEMU-MtgLZFzXNCwK-0FrgC_9A1q8YivgJ7rDCxto6pXDPU9UH8rs9oNZdh3LHHXDkwjusYgiZ6yTMUyaN0I_3SL4wPBd6mB-uTb6au4JsI1i3NNRSDABYEKunyoemMCntMjBhWPPhP3YVL5drPYzkIp0JpOheGcMzuYsivzA\/s1203\/chita.pitha.recipes.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgDdKAGIO6oWv-_phujXiEMU-MtgLZFzXNCwK-0FrgC_9A1q8YivgJ7rDCxto6pXDPU9UH8rs9oNZdh3LHHXDkwjusYgiZ6yTMUyaN0I_3SL4wPBd6mB-uTb6au4JsI1i3NNRSDABYEKunyoemMCntMjBhWPPhP3YVL5drPYzkIp0JpOheGcMzuYsivzA\/s16000\/chita.pitha.recipes.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"background-color: white; color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIngredients:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EAtop\nor Sundried rice: 1 cup\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESalt:\nas per taste\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EWater\nas required\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMethod:\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EWash\nand soak the rice overnight.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIn\nthe morning grind it to a smooth paste. \u0026nbsp;Start adding room-temperature water little by\nlittle. The idea is to create a thin batter that barely will coat the back of a\nspoon. Please watch the video for clarification. Add salt as per taste. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f4cccc; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: rgb(244, 204, 204);\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ECheck the following video for making chit ruti.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f4cccc; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: rgb(244, 204, 204);\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"BLOG_video_class\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GiwT5hwsf5o\" width=\"320\" youtube-src-id=\"GiwT5hwsf5o\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EPlace\nan iron Kadhai or pan on the stove. Wait till it is smoking hot. Grease the\nsurface with little white oil and Put the flame on low. Using your fingers pick\nup some batter and start gently splashing on the surface. I prefer to first make\na crisscross pattern around the edges and then sprinkle more batter within the\ngaps to get a proper lacy texture. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EBy\nthe time you finish sprinkling the batter the pitha will be cooked. Using a\nspatula fold it in quarters and serve hot with dimer jhuri.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDimer\njhuri\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi98lKVH6bzMT8TARs555GW3dvNLfNhUVX7IjCQf5-J0NaHjRRg_XaWAFA70riJX786jMitQtE-YT5H_tOrLUgF_l7nKJkhDJSG2m9q57wwm0KZhvruB4Z3Uoq8Xn3OgSJp4waRMpdOn6kmHcLIAXwMk2u0kVphOKIN90ltSqboU09f808Zh3Z3hcInUA\/s841\/dimer.jhuri.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"841\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEi98lKVH6bzMT8TARs555GW3dvNLfNhUVX7IjCQf5-J0NaHjRRg_XaWAFA70riJX786jMitQtE-YT5H_tOrLUgF_l7nKJkhDJSG2m9q57wwm0KZhvruB4Z3Uoq8Xn3OgSJp4waRMpdOn6kmHcLIAXwMk2u0kVphOKIN90ltSqboU09f808Zh3Z3hcInUA\/s16000\/dimer.jhuri.recipe.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"background-color: white; color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIngredients:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EEggs:\n4 (I used country chicken eggs)\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EOnion:\n2 medium\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ETomato:\n1 big\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGarlic:\n3-4 cloves\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ECoriander\nleaves: a small bunch \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGreen\nchillies: 3-4 or as per taste\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESalt\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ETurmeric\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EMustard\noil: 1 tbsp\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003EMethod\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E:\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EBreak\nand whip the eggs well with a little salt.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EFinely\nchop onion, garlic, tomatoes, chilies, and coriander. Don’t mix, keep everything\nseparate.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EHeat\na pan and add the oil. On medium heat first, add the garlic and chilies, and saute\nfor a few seconds. Then add the onion and sprinkle some salt. After a minute of\ncooking add the chopped tomato, little salt, turmeric, and sauté well for 2\nminutes. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ENow\nput the flame on low and pour in the egg. Stir and cook it for the next 4-5\nminutes till the egg is set around the vegetables. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESprinkle\nthe coriander and serve hot with Chita pitha.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"MyriadPro-Regular, serif\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/feeds\/1414387470705835937\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2023\/01\/chit-ruti-or-chita-pitha.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/1414387470705835937"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/1414387470705835937"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2023\/01\/chit-ruti-or-chita-pitha.html","title":" Chit Ruti or Chita pitha"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02806613341538564779"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"31","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiP_glq3FLxhhYLWH9c3c029vtbJNj348r2BlYUzXXkIfJqXpWggLY6S4OcPdpSGeTy0S5e8nffN0MQMLti6ecbj1oRxwjt-Fn3Pg6nubCDk9KBS3KeYW8unHC_TjHzhw\/s117\/603004_10151448129399252_1426662189_n.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgHfluJV6kI0hr0mP4qqTKcrhInxQFqyZT7kMUn4YDmkWhLPu0rrEmi-LpfcoAICsZeCt3x12CLLrWAQ4CkVq9kOw8ht8-cA2zsDnfmx6L8pJvbCkDorHhILLQdT9_tf5c4qwZcSQi3QjnVxWmE0wEEOH1wwSXnnz4PXC98hGVSvvuK89e4E9IUk1Vtxg\/s72-c\/chit.ruti.recipe.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8011220938049387934.post-7336665235888260304"},"published":{"$t":"2023-01-08T20:34:00.006-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-01-12T10:20:32.421-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bengali"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Breakfast"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Desserts and Sweets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Rice"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Chitoi Pitha and it's many variations"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhEGaoTFsRTvbyaTAG87ZLN3f69TqHuLTZe9_MEw4PS_J-kl6bJ9-YCaCdqfzkGzsDsxqTi88O5M_6EU6VG6NTlTvuqkUgpyPHXPgAyaYkoJzjipReCo8DHkpA2gnXZRt0SaoWdRx9aTNwdtKBHdO7ezkSq4Yq2SQ8CJbdHAQIQXFw9bx50q5dp6BFNPw\/s1159\/dudh.chitoi.pitha.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1159\" data-original-width=\"792\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhEGaoTFsRTvbyaTAG87ZLN3f69TqHuLTZe9_MEw4PS_J-kl6bJ9-YCaCdqfzkGzsDsxqTi88O5M_6EU6VG6NTlTvuqkUgpyPHXPgAyaYkoJzjipReCo8DHkpA2gnXZRt0SaoWdRx9aTNwdtKBHdO7ezkSq4Yq2SQ8CJbdHAQIQXFw9bx50q5dp6BFNPw\/s16000\/dudh.chitoi.pitha.recipe.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EAnother year has gone by.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EI am another year\nolder, probably another year wiser and if anything to go by my kids- I'm another\nnotch cynical too. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ECynicism has never\nbeen my personality trait but I guess ageing slowly is not only giving me salt\nand pepper hair but also is toning down the tolerance level that I once was so\nproud of. And if that wasn’t enough,\u0026nbsp; I do not even shy away from showing my disapproval\u0026nbsp;\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;\"\u003Eat times.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EOne of the things\nthat I probably would never be in terms of, is the idea of fusion cuisine\nwithout getting the basics right. Please don’t get me wrong here. I strongly\nbelieve that food should evolve and change but at the same time am a big\nbeliever in preserving our heritage, our food culture, preserving everything\nthat invariably is ours. So, while I will vehemently agree with you that\n‘authenticity’ in food is tricky but at the same time honouring the origin of a\ndish and knowing the background is of utmost importance too.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ERead More by clicking on the heading...\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ENow that Pithe season\nis upon us I am seeing a lot of variations in those recipes without getting the\nbasic recipe and technique right. Though I don’t claim to be an expert here but\nam pretty passionate white it comes to pithe making. I can spend my whole life\nperfecting one of these recipes and writing down a detailed description for the\ncoming generation to try and get it right. So all I can do is share my\nexperience and help anyone who is scared of making these so-called difficult\nrecipes. At least as Bengalis, we owe this much to these dishes, which are considered one of the oldest recipes in history.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ELet us start this series with\nChitoi Pitha. As Shakespeare once said ‘what’s in a name!’ this pithe too is\nknown by many many names and sensibly enough they are named after the ingredients\nand techniques. If you are curious to know then just read the following.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1411\" data-original-width=\"1664\" height=\"271\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhJfFQvUhHGZZD4cUdNgcdp8Eoy6Kh1r6aRY31yDvKJcdef9iPpB20rE65i7vu26I1_O7vnCgkeEgm3dk83LOaZ61-9EDA83KtASR8kynMY1FwRgSDJmIEwOOJkxunv6Q2mXTHj1eUp6B9phcbr6prXbwM1YMYBeOAprJTQECstlEmvpMderX-2dEyyTw\/s320\/cd6a909b091dbf37877f929b52dd55f2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003Echitoi pitha mould made of iron\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ESawra pitha: These\npithes need a special flat Earthenware with few holes made in it where these\npithes are cooked. This pan is known as sawra hence the name Sawra pitha.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"743\" data-original-width=\"1199\" height=\"198\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgtIPCHG1mCQjkaLgEP_u0-aeZP9Y8XZ-i0_Ai20RvLaSax6-ENWgztbUSbdYwIKjcBZ07ElBAvhasPkZWx4Y7cuHeBoipDsyM4EXYTsg9obCezHgeVqe4Zqfjd0MT4NnrAzYBkc8jOFj-iNzrKQ0rV7s-ajrRagTVcHrqB5H7XKqJTXuN1yWAZ6PyfTQ\/s320\/DSC_0057.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg0PGgRC75KmcHICmfsQVmp6Bq5nrUeDw7FDtWkyZOvse0bQVg3JNBrESbztAXXzVdKIWlakOUy4oXUSqjcQY3nvsW0ADjysd54Pi4OdlrUYLwQyN8gIfKb-a9pK2P-AXj7qvczb59kztk7E6v1S-2Y3jsmfauhJuUvyhvlnMSHHHIMXCTDb2xwP6j5rA\/s220\/220px-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A0%E0%A7%87_%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0_%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE.jpg\" style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"165\" data-original-width=\"220\" height=\"165\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEg0PGgRC75KmcHICmfsQVmp6Bq5nrUeDw7FDtWkyZOvse0bQVg3JNBrESbztAXXzVdKIWlakOUy4oXUSqjcQY3nvsW0ADjysd54Pi4OdlrUYLwQyN8gIfKb-a9pK2P-AXj7qvczb59kztk7E6v1S-2Y3jsmfauhJuUvyhvlnMSHHHIMXCTDb2xwP6j5rA\/s1600\/220px-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A0%E0%A7%87_%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0_%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE.jpg\" width=\"220\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003E\u003Cb\u003EChitoi pitha:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E the\nsawra or the Earthen pot has flat on the top and concave at the bottom which\nlooks like a person is lying down face up. That kind of posture in Bengal is\nknown as ‘chit hoye showa’ from which the name chitoi came from.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cu style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAske Pitha:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E ‘Ashu\nchal’ or new rice is considered to be the best for making most pithes, from\nwhich the name ‘aske pithe’ is obtained. Some also say that this pithe was a\nfavourite of Emperor Ashoka and to honour that it is known as ‘ashke or aske’.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003EChidrapishtak:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E the\nword Pitha comes from the Sanskrit word ‘pishtak’ or food made of pounded\ngrain. One important characteristic of these pithes are the numerous holes or\nchidra (hole in Sanskrit) for which these pithes are also named as ‘chidra pishtak’.\nSome argue that the word ‘chidra pishtak’ over time changed to ‘chitoi pitha’.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ESajer Pitha:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E The word 'saj' is the colloquial term (derivation) of the word 'Chanch' or mould. Since making these needs a mould hence it is also called 'sajer pitha' or 'chancher pitha'.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003EKanchikhocha pitha:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\nonce the liquid batter is poured into the holes in the sawra for these pithes.\nThey stick to the surface so once cooked, one needs to use a sharp edge to\nrelease them from the pan. In rural Bengal mostly scissors were used for such\npurposes. Scissors in Bengali are known as ‘kanchi’ and ‘khocha’ means to nudge.\nThis name sure is self-explanatory.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjXNmfw3-n4e38SDkR5eWo7NE08BvmjPhqOMG3k64MQ1wZ4AGBkQkWqTJH_KlZpTn9J_l2skOWz4hNExuJ2-EXb27JynTtzQj9HrmXcTSIKZzU3GaS4QhDkeC6TlsSp_i25ngP7sFkb8X8cGrUTLocUk3uSpZR6xZ8D2dzoYqV94XdeR5pIcHGCMwxJsQ\/s1203\/jhal.chitoi.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjXNmfw3-n4e38SDkR5eWo7NE08BvmjPhqOMG3k64MQ1wZ4AGBkQkWqTJH_KlZpTn9J_l2skOWz4hNExuJ2-EXb27JynTtzQj9HrmXcTSIKZzU3GaS4QhDkeC6TlsSp_i25ngP7sFkb8X8cGrUTLocUk3uSpZR6xZ8D2dzoYqV94XdeR5pIcHGCMwxJsQ\/s16000\/jhal.chitoi.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;\"\u003EReading all these might have started to make you believe that this has originated in Bengal, which might or might not be true. Because like human race food also have travelled and migrated from one place to another and this same dish with a different name and with little changes is available in many parts of the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EIn the Uttaranchal\nregion a similar dish with an almost similar name called ‘Aska’ is made by the\nJaunsari Community. They also use a special pan called ‘Askai’ to make this. The\ngrain used there is the locally grown ‘Jhangora’ or Barnyard Millet and is\nrelished with some spicy curries.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white;\"\u003EThis for me is the\nmost fascinating characteristic of food. The way it travels from one place to\nanother, the way it evolves taking into account the local\ningredients and in the end the way it gets integrated into one’s culinary culture\nand becomes a part of it is most interesting to follow. This simple aske pithe\nprobably is part of all rice-based economy’s culinary repertoire. The pandan-tinted green ‘Lak Lak’ served with coconut and palm jaggery syrup in Bali, the\nsweet or savoury ‘khanom krok’ in Thailand, The kueh Serabi of Malaysia or the very spicy ‘Mont lin ma yar’\nof Myanmar proves the same theory that ‘food is our common ground, a universal\nexperience’ (James Beard).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Co:p style=\"background-color: #fcff01;\"\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiOqDSvPp0vfPQNU7km-aNCDD3AOlX4OUpntxlrZtZfX4L1kJmM6Uh-qJN9y5gI34ePzlwgNc-pH1sMtAfa6KSqs4qrQiR8rClb_kxQ7IhPxEd0w6lOLSe3VbHosG_EoIsHitykTc15KUe1PLL0PVdgpE6nQMECQY_OI0sZnMkq9MHHJlGaLnVtseSEEg\/s1203\/sajer.pithe.recipes.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiOqDSvPp0vfPQNU7km-aNCDD3AOlX4OUpntxlrZtZfX4L1kJmM6Uh-qJN9y5gI34ePzlwgNc-pH1sMtAfa6KSqs4qrQiR8rClb_kxQ7IhPxEd0w6lOLSe3VbHosG_EoIsHitykTc15KUe1PLL0PVdgpE6nQMECQY_OI0sZnMkq9MHHJlGaLnVtseSEEg\/s16000\/sajer.pithe.recipes.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMy most favourite way of eating this pithe is with jhola gur \u003Cbr \/\u003E(liquid date palm jaggery) and freshly scraped coconut. look at the \u003Cbr \/\u003Eway the air pockets in the pithe soak the liquid gur.)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EComing back to the\nrecipe which is very simple and straight\nforward but getting them right is quite tricky. Here are a few pointers if you\nare planning to make them.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003ERice flour:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;controlling the moisture for this pithe is of utmost importance, for which cooks always suggest using newly harvested rice as the starch is much more glutinous than older rice. Preferably pounded in the traditional wooden rice mill called 'Dhenki',\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;\"\u003Ewhere soaked and semi-dried rice is pounded using the basic idea of the lever, load and effort. This is known as 'bheja chaler gura' (soaked rice flour) and results in softer and fluffier pithes.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: Times New Roman, serif;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003EUsing our mixer grinder at home we can easily grind our own rice flour. For that\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;\"\u003Ewash some rice 3-4 times. Then soak for 2-3 hours. Drain the water and place them on a kitchen cloth to dry up overnight. In the morning pulse it in your mixer grinder in small batches. Make sure to run the mixer for short bursts of 30-45 seconds. Then open the lid and stir them before running it again. once done sieve it and run the bigger particles in the mixer again. You need to save this rice in the fridge or use it up as earliest as possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;\"\u003EOr one can soak sundried rice (Atop Chal) overnight and grind it to a smooth paste using very little water. \u003Cu\u003EI prefer this method.\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003EPan or Sawra or Chanch:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E Sawra \/ sora \/ chanch\/ means mould or a specific pan with cavities made in it. they are either made of terracotta or cast iron. The idea behind such\nmaterial is its high heat retention property which is very much important for\nmaking these pithes. Try to acquire one such pan which is easily available in\nKolkata in the puja needs shops known as ‘Dashakrmma Bhandar’ around Poush\nSankranti time (Early January).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EIn case of\nunavailability try to use a very small cast iron kadhai like the Appam Patra\nfrom Kerala. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EIf you have got an\nearthenware pan then prep it by heating it on medium till burning hot. Place\nsome salt in the small cavities and stir using a small spoon. Once the salt\nis burnt discard it and wipe the pan with some mustard oil.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EHeat\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E: One needs to\nmaintain the heat while making these pithes. I prefer to use a small makeshift\nwoodfire Chula (oven) for these. If making on the gas stove make sure the pan\nis very hot before you pour the batter in it. keep the heat at maximum while cooking this pitha. Please see the video attached with the recipe down for better understanding.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003ELid:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E find the best tight-fitting\nlid as trapping moisture inside the pot while cooking, is very important. Once the\nbatter is poured immediately cover the pan to get nicely puffed up pithes.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ENow that all these difficult parts are discussed let's discuss the recipe and a few variations of this dish.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cb style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003EChitoi pitha\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhSXu-x3I32S29QLXShyXBC6pfBk-f8u8EEKiyZNWFcc0KrvFT-Wsd6tr0RdhgQ_DJcVancyOfVJN7avWD23tZRx3IEcqs3IKptLWsQ-Ta_7vhPp5azXPo6pNGLb-90dSed3RV7wFi6_5Rj8FxCXX6l80xs89Xmw2Zf9Pozmky5NCPUTJTZUGc2VkdoLg\/s1203\/chitoi.pitha.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhSXu-x3I32S29QLXShyXBC6pfBk-f8u8EEKiyZNWFcc0KrvFT-Wsd6tr0RdhgQ_DJcVancyOfVJN7avWD23tZRx3IEcqs3IKptLWsQ-Ta_7vhPp5azXPo6pNGLb-90dSed3RV7wFi6_5Rj8FxCXX6l80xs89Xmw2Zf9Pozmky5NCPUTJTZUGc2VkdoLg\/s16000\/chitoi.pitha.recipe.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EChitoi pitha with Spicy duck curry\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003EIngredients:\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ERice flour: 2 cups OR\nmix of parboiled and sundried rice washed and soaked in water for 4 hours. Then made into a smooth paste.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ESalt: as per taste\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EGrated coconut (optional\nbut suggested): ¼ cup\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EHot water\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003EMethod:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EBefore you start\nmaking the pithe put the pan on fire to make it properly hot.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EMix everything\ntogether with a wooden spatula. The thickness of the batter would be like crepe\nbatter. Slightly thick to cover the back of a spoon and flowy.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ECover and rest it for\n30 minutes.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EIf using soaked rice,\ngrind it to a fine paste before adjusting the water to make the batter.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ENow if cooking on gas stove, use the biggest burner on high and pour the batter. Immediately cover with\nthe lid. Cook for 2 minutes or till the pithe\npuff up with its signature hump in the middle. Take out and keep in a covered\npan to keep it hot and moist.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EAfter making 2-3\nbatches clean the holes with a mixture of mustard oil and water. I use a small\npiece of cloth for such a purpose.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"BLOG_video_class\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XMJybpdET5I\" width=\"320\" youtube-src-id=\"XMJybpdET5I\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Here is a small video for easy understanding.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgoOHqn0NHNGBMwGHiBtqKaIA8EZKFcnQDx1qv1mBwt7YCzrCvxrXiS175_iqFWoZV-qLEynfoCgBhnxyTjSu2NDuuXyGgK5iAIzoI_KnBxIz6kzWvqS-bM-v8WvP_vOsJDsngzpKP09xfhSnMFFBnTGuJYFNH18eYcPC-IECO2x1FhcNDJW6M1T3AjEg\/s1203\/chitoi.pitha.jhola.gur.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgoOHqn0NHNGBMwGHiBtqKaIA8EZKFcnQDx1qv1mBwt7YCzrCvxrXiS175_iqFWoZV-qLEynfoCgBhnxyTjSu2NDuuXyGgK5iAIzoI_KnBxIz6kzWvqS-bM-v8WvP_vOsJDsngzpKP09xfhSnMFFBnTGuJYFNH18eYcPC-IECO2x1FhcNDJW6M1T3AjEg\/s16000\/chitoi.pitha.jhola.gur.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EThis plain pithes\ntaste good with freshly scraped coconut and liquid date palm jaggery (nolen\ngur) or any curry of your choice.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgHAHmWt8SyNPMMdTELtg0d3dWmZSEQzkW0Z65HbaeMFsvlVBnpcUIW9-IIC_VPQ8HTR4Eg5g5NhJm47yMhHCX0LYOzKyZCwbWFySrk3k6ED6_XWu-vegs9S38q1wicvl-xjqvycLR4t8AuWm_Blc20Iciiez9oOPuEIfQiuoN2fU67Q6dxN_DUXV3zzg\/s1071\/chitoi.pitha.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1071\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgHAHmWt8SyNPMMdTELtg0d3dWmZSEQzkW0Z65HbaeMFsvlVBnpcUIW9-IIC_VPQ8HTR4Eg5g5NhJm47yMhHCX0LYOzKyZCwbWFySrk3k6ED6_XWu-vegs9S38q1wicvl-xjqvycLR4t8AuWm_Blc20Iciiez9oOPuEIfQiuoN2fU67Q6dxN_DUXV3zzg\/s16000\/chitoi.pitha.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EDudh chitoi:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E You can\nsoak these hot off the pan pithes in thickened sweetened milk. To make it boil\n1.5 liters of full-fat milk on low for 20 minutes. Switch off and take it off\nthe flame. Add some chopped Datepalm jaggery (khejur gurer patali) to it. mix\nand also add some freshly scraped coconut. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003ETake out the pithes\nfrom the sawra and directly place them in this warm milk. Rest for 2-3 hours\nfor them to soak then serve.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgPup7xbGBIday2YsjuCU1EPIHHDcDO4vsi_5wEnY3rN0RRniXPdRFw9wkCf9_4V24B3qT_jKNx4Op2Ie2pqCmK7tfJURx6cMgPkgkT2Ou01fwTYGu-JGgdWQQwcut4w98vTxevsFAgvDbjCegmMCXnAUh3p332SuFu6PmFXYZjw4y0Ulj2zZw58v9sPQ\/s1203\/aske.pitha.recipes.jpg\" style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"803\" data-original-width=\"1203\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgPup7xbGBIday2YsjuCU1EPIHHDcDO4vsi_5wEnY3rN0RRniXPdRFw9wkCf9_4V24B3qT_jKNx4Op2Ie2pqCmK7tfJURx6cMgPkgkT2Ou01fwTYGu-JGgdWQQwcut4w98vTxevsFAgvDbjCegmMCXnAUh3p332SuFu6PmFXYZjw4y0Ulj2zZw58v9sPQ\/s16000\/aske.pitha.recipes.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EJhal Chitoi\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cb style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003EJhal Chitoi\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003E: Chitoi\nbatter mixed with fresh herbs and chillies.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EJust add finely\nchopped coriander greens, spring onions and chillies to it. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;\"\u003EFollow the same method described above to cook them.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cspan style=\"line-height: 107%;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;Times New Roman\u0026quot;, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/feeds\/7336665235888260304\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2023\/01\/chitoi-pitha-and-its-many-variations.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/7336665235888260304"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/7336665235888260304"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2023\/01\/chitoi-pitha-and-its-many-variations.html","title":"Chitoi Pitha and it's many variations"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02806613341538564779"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"31","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiP_glq3FLxhhYLWH9c3c029vtbJNj348r2BlYUzXXkIfJqXpWggLY6S4OcPdpSGeTy0S5e8nffN0MQMLti6ecbj1oRxwjt-Fn3Pg6nubCDk9KBS3KeYW8unHC_TjHzhw\/s117\/603004_10151448129399252_1426662189_n.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhEGaoTFsRTvbyaTAG87ZLN3f69TqHuLTZe9_MEw4PS_J-kl6bJ9-YCaCdqfzkGzsDsxqTi88O5M_6EU6VG6NTlTvuqkUgpyPHXPgAyaYkoJzjipReCo8DHkpA2gnXZRt0SaoWdRx9aTNwdtKBHdO7ezkSq4Yq2SQ8CJbdHAQIQXFw9bx50q5dp6BFNPw\/s72-c\/dudh.chitoi.pitha.recipe.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8011220938049387934.post-3640238460349474187"},"published":{"$t":"2022-06-16T19:44:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-06-16T19:44:30.190-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bengali"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Desserts and Sweets"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"khira Poda Pitha"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiQfYhZvalyxPo7FxScPI_HuVt4lRH0Rzq07-w9AmzIeSMw9inY6NA1HCtzFQ-63ZxzY4tY4eoajDbuVLLRkNGSa_NhcHDzDtfZlVoe3rYEo2T7jL7H0xzEENRsrb09mkpSw-rhujMeNTNeNbTaYkYEz-BWAD7swVu5LkdYO0xynsFp2j3Tanq6j965aQ\/s1060\/khira.saku.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1060\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiQfYhZvalyxPo7FxScPI_HuVt4lRH0Rzq07-w9AmzIeSMw9inY6NA1HCtzFQ-63ZxzY4tY4eoajDbuVLLRkNGSa_NhcHDzDtfZlVoe3rYEo2T7jL7H0xzEENRsrb09mkpSw-rhujMeNTNeNbTaYkYEz-BWAD7swVu5LkdYO0xynsFp2j3Tanq6j965aQ\/s16000\/khira.saku.recipe.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIn a country where birth of a girl child is mourned, it was heart-warming\nto know of a festival that honours the womanhood. Raja parba or Raja festival is\na three-day celebration in Orissa where femininity and fertility of\nEarth and that of Women are revered.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThe word 'Raja', pronounced as Rawjaw is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Rajas’\nmeaning menstruation and a menstruating woman is called ‘Rajawshwala’. In an\nagrarian economy like India, Land has always been considered a mother, a mother that\ncreates and sustains life. In Mythology too, it is believed that at the onset\nof Monsoon, ‘Bhudevi’ (the Mother Earth), the wife of Lord Jagannatha goes through\nher menstrual cycle and needs to rest. The land thus is not touched or\ndisturbed by carrying on any sort of agricultural work. In agricultural words, the land actually is given a chance to heal from the summer heat in preparation for the upcoming\nimportant agricultural cycle that starts with the monsoon.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThe day before this three-day celebration period is known as ‘saja baja’\nwhere the entire kitchen and the grinding stone (shil nora\/ shil batta) are\ncleaned. Food is cooked, and spices are ground on this day so that the women can enjoy themselves and take rest from housework during the festivity. \u0026nbsp;unmarried girls are treated with\nnew clothes, pieces of jewellery and nourishing food by all their relatives and neighbours. flower-adorned rope swings are hung from big trees for them to have a joyous celebration.\u0026nbsp;\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EPractically this three-day celebration brings in a much-needed\nbreak for everyone. Even the men got some relaxed time before the upcoming agricultural cycle and strenuous work in the field during monsoon.\u0026nbsp;\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESince Earth could not be disturbed, the use of 'chulha' (wood\nfire oven) and grinding stones are also prohibited. It limits the possibility\nof cooking. Most households prepped and made various rice cakes or Pitha on the\nday of Saja baja. One of the most popular pitha for this festive time is poda pitha,\na slow-baked concoction of the regular pithe ingredients of rice, sugar,\ncoconut and sometimes milk. This dry sweet stays good the entire duration of the festivities hence is a popular choice.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EI probably will never stop wondering how our ancestors\ntook only a few handfuls of ingredients and applied different cooking techniques to\ncome up with so many different varieties of pithe that has different taste, texture\nand look. This poda pitha is one such genius creation by them. Rice and\nsometimes biri or urad dal are soaked, ground to a fine paste and mixed with\ndry fruits, sugar or jaggery and coconut, lined with banana or Shal leaves and left to bake overnight in the dying\nembers. The resulting cake has a deliciously charred bottom that gives it a\nunique flavour and its very name- poda pitha or burnt rice cake.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ELike most good things in life this cake also comes in many\nversions. Some bake the raw batter, some ferment it a little to give it a\nslight tang and some cook the batter on heat to get to a thick and gooey\nconsistency before baking. While the raw batter results in a light and fluffy\npitha, the cooked dough gives it a dense and chewy texture. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGrowing up in Coastal Midnapore, Poda pitha was part of our\ndessert repertoire. We made various seasonal versions of it. Wonderfully golden\nones in Monsoon with ‘taler mar’, the sweet thick juice from toddy palm or\nbrownish Nolen gur (date palm jaggery) sweetened ones in winter laced with some\nwarming flavour of ginger. But what I did not know about is the pristine white\npudding-like ‘khira saku’ or the kheer\/ thickened milk poda pitha. Thanks to\nthe blogging fraternity I got to know about it when I posted my poda pitha\nrecipe 3 years back. This uber soft treat, dotted with coconut and nuts and\nlaced with cardamom, is a joy to bite into. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESo I made it for this ‘Rajaw’ and while everyone reached for\nsecond and third helping, I remembered all the mothers before me, who gave\nbirth, nourished, and sustained life on Earth and asked nothing in return for\nthemselves. Just thinking about such selfless love is a lesson in gratitude. But\nit probably is time to teach our daughters to stand up for their rights and be respected\nfor who they are as persons rather than only for their femininity or fertility.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003EKhira Poda Pitha\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E(Makes a big pitha, sufficient for 8-10 people)\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiO3AK4bmEx5jKSAE9w7r0bh9J_b-X09W41KqCR4wAcnWZ4kX06CksoCXpyfmZfii_1wI0JK-qXx3fTh32pCrpTKMYrPkgmbZ3Bb3EtytZG2VT8eEQVaXt1b7gLYCCC9zZL7O1zWTJP_0vSZP1O4LeOSfL_FTCpJIAVhhVfnX1-E6Rox76URxsE_KzaVQ\/s1203\/khira.poda.pitha.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"803\" data-original-width=\"1203\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiO3AK4bmEx5jKSAE9w7r0bh9J_b-X09W41KqCR4wAcnWZ4kX06CksoCXpyfmZfii_1wI0JK-qXx3fTh32pCrpTKMYrPkgmbZ3Bb3EtytZG2VT8eEQVaXt1b7gLYCCC9zZL7O1zWTJP_0vSZP1O4LeOSfL_FTCpJIAVhhVfnX1-E6Rox76URxsE_KzaVQ\/w640-h428\/khira.poda.pitha.recipe.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIngredients:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ERaw Rice, I used short grain Kamini rice: 1 cup\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EMilk: 4 cups\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESugar: ½ cup\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EWater: 1 cup\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ECoconut: ½ cup\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ECashews: handful\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ERaisins: handful\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGreen cardamom-4-5\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGhee: 2 tbsp\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESalt: ½ tsp\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EBanana leaf: 1\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMethod: \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EWash and soak the rice for at least 4 hours.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGrind it to a smooth paste. If you are using the mixer use ½\ncup water to grind this. Now add ½ more cup water to this paste and mix.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EScrape or grind the coconut to fine pieces. I sliced a few\npieces too for textural difference.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ETake a pressure cooker, a non stick fry pan or another heavy\nbottom pan. I used my iron kadhai for this. Line it with banana or shal leaf. I\ndid not have much shal leaf so layered some Annapurna\/payes pata\/ pandan leaf\nwhich imparted a nice aroma to the pitha. Grease generously with ghee.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ETake a heavy bottom pan and heat 1 tbsp ghee. Fry the nuts\ntill golden, saute the raisin for some time and keep aside.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EAdd the milk to this pan and bring it to a boil. Add the\ncoconut, salt and sugar. Stir till sugar dissolves. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EKeep the flame to low and mix the rice paste slurry once\nagain. Add it to the milk while stirring continuously. Add the nuts. The milk\nwill start to thicken. Be alert to stir it or lumps will start to form. Keep\ncooking for 4-5 minutes or till the whole mixture becomes a soft lump. Switch\noff.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EPour the mixture in the lined and greased pan and smoothen\nthe top and grease with ghee. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook this on the\nlowest flame for min 25 minutes or until the sides start to brown. Carefully\nturn this on a plate and turn it again in the cooking pan to roast the opposite\nside again. Do cook the other side for 10-15 minutes and then switch off the\nflame. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EAfter 10 minutes take it out of the pan and peel the leaves\nonly when it is cool to touch. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhAA0eo0m0EO9hMTdaOdwoLky92LnaTl9RXGtEPQlCOyB2VBCoCJagytv68gH0veYHL1OmR_3uCP5H1BbGWgdByNf3Kv0ZUyFSd9BBStCqfz5UcIEWz0lzPOoyZrJfE7qysesPWza7Cs7SlBLSgBTOuIy2hFkyd4zFe-FklJmbtv7eNBwhJ3j9ibgy12w\/s984\/poda.pitha.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"984\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhAA0eo0m0EO9hMTdaOdwoLky92LnaTl9RXGtEPQlCOyB2VBCoCJagytv68gH0veYHL1OmR_3uCP5H1BbGWgdByNf3Kv0ZUyFSd9BBStCqfz5UcIEWz0lzPOoyZrJfE7qysesPWza7Cs7SlBLSgBTOuIy2hFkyd4zFe-FklJmbtv7eNBwhJ3j9ibgy12w\/s16000\/poda.pitha.recipe.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ECut and serve at room temperature.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EKeep this saved in the fridge in an air tight container.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/feeds\/3640238460349474187\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2022\/06\/khira-poda-pitha.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/3640238460349474187"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/3640238460349474187"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2022\/06\/khira-poda-pitha.html","title":"khira Poda Pitha"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02806613341538564779"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"31","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiP_glq3FLxhhYLWH9c3c029vtbJNj348r2BlYUzXXkIfJqXpWggLY6S4OcPdpSGeTy0S5e8nffN0MQMLti6ecbj1oRxwjt-Fn3Pg6nubCDk9KBS3KeYW8unHC_TjHzhw\/s117\/603004_10151448129399252_1426662189_n.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiQfYhZvalyxPo7FxScPI_HuVt4lRH0Rzq07-w9AmzIeSMw9inY6NA1HCtzFQ-63ZxzY4tY4eoajDbuVLLRkNGSa_NhcHDzDtfZlVoe3rYEo2T7jL7H0xzEENRsrb09mkpSw-rhujMeNTNeNbTaYkYEz-BWAD7swVu5LkdYO0xynsFp2j3Tanq6j965aQ\/s72-c\/khira.saku.recipe.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8011220938049387934.post-4801740749087640715"},"published":{"$t":"2022-01-17T22:31:00.002-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-01-17T22:31:21.415-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bengali"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Breakfast"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Kholajali Pitha"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEjKPCDskeI1p3R9wNjdpTngfMBBUoZJ-L-d-is9kTh2L7tIi2blUJ8L8BSyruutTcY9seXRWuUGJ_DqiLys8ZO3jUTrRd8SdzP6qX2Veik-UqYTMUIKFo4Uuf9dfh1If76Bzhal9mhUl3t84HEalXf-Q3aZEj48overOaMbEQ0JS58Vj_4NNoX7BDClxQ=s1109\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1109\" data-original-width=\"737\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEjKPCDskeI1p3R9wNjdpTngfMBBUoZJ-L-d-is9kTh2L7tIi2blUJ8L8BSyruutTcY9seXRWuUGJ_DqiLys8ZO3jUTrRd8SdzP6qX2Veik-UqYTMUIKFo4Uuf9dfh1If76Bzhal9mhUl3t84HEalXf-Q3aZEj48overOaMbEQ0JS58Vj_4NNoX7BDClxQ=s16000\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EEggs and fish in your pitha? As she asked the question, I\ncould see her nose twitching in disdain. But the 10 years old me by then was\nseasoned enough to deal with such questions and hardly cared enough of what\nothers thought of my food. So sharp went my answer\u0026nbsp; ‘ yes, fish and egg and they are quite\ndelicious too. If you want to try here it is.” My open tiffin box with sobji and\nmacher puli (fish stuffed rice cake) went as an offering.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"\u0026quot;Arial\u0026quot;,sans-serif\" style=\"font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EWhat happened after that is not the subject of this post. Rather when I look back to this I see a perfect case study for what Edmund Leach explained as, ‘cooking is thus\nuniversally a means by which nature is transformed into culture and categories\nof cooking are always peculiarly appropriate for us as symbols of social\ndifferentiation.” As a self proclaimed student of food studies this often brings me to the question whether in a country characterised by the caste system we are defined by what we choose to eat and vice-versa.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EFood has a thousand connotations,\nyou could look into it with a rose-tinted glass of nostalgia, can play with it\nto create a sensory experiences, or can use it as a divisive weapon.\u0026nbsp; The choice is yours to make. But w\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003Eith the rising intolerance\nin society, it is becoming more obvious how we have a preconceived notion of\nwhat is food and what is not. This is not a new phenomenon. Wading through the\npages of history and anthropology will reaffirm that food preference and\nculinary intolerances are as old as humans coming together to form and live in\nsociety. As \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EClaude Levi-Strauss said, “food emotions are just a learned aspect of cultural conduct and member shipping\nwhich however contribute powerfully to the creation and maintenance of social\nboundaries, kinship system, and power hierarchies”.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; line-height: 107%;\"\u003ETruly,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EAs dictated by society, this culinary casteism\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; line-height: 107%;\"\u003E not only decides what is food and what is not\nbut what kind of food should be eaten on what occasion.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EThe incident that I narrated, in the beginning, is an example of that. Poush sankranti in West Bengal, for the\nHindu Bengalis is as much a cultural festival as it is religious. While\ncelebrating the new harvest we offer puja to the giver of food, Goddess Lakshmi\nor Dhanyalakshmi. As a custom, we abstain from anything non-vegetarian during\nthis time. But in Bangladesh for the Bengali Muslims it’s the joy of the new\nharvest that they celebrate with good food both veg and nonveg. The food here is\nan important marker to identify who we are as a group. It is on us whether we\nuse it as a marker to differentiate and shame or embrace the diversity.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEgOg_xmAH9Q_5na4hJkybm6YwOSkD7vOlXPD2lB_IdxNhb4OcCUabIdijtl8Z-o5AIBB5QIH1317evTot1UnbDdCnLkoZKQqrGW7eYPfTQYZP5L3OfILBzjxHUCF3D5oMh4_SyaqKZ45jZpjkqXAC_JLYhLVtJrJzVRinxyiE8zNmAlAsDQKgZN-79G3w=s1203\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEgOg_xmAH9Q_5na4hJkybm6YwOSkD7vOlXPD2lB_IdxNhb4OcCUabIdijtl8Z-o5AIBB5QIH1317evTot1UnbDdCnLkoZKQqrGW7eYPfTQYZP5L3OfILBzjxHUCF3D5oMh4_SyaqKZ45jZpjkqXAC_JLYhLVtJrJzVRinxyiE8zNmAlAsDQKgZN-79G3w=s16000\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EI was lucky enough to grow up in a household where food was food,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIt never mattered from which community the food practice or recipes ever came from.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;The only marker my parents allowed in their\nkitchen is 'it had to be tasty and nutritious'.\u0026nbsp; We loved our Dhuki pitha with khasir\nmangsho (goat meat) that Rowshenara masi will cook for us in winter or would\nnever twitch an eye to pair our soru chakuli pitha with duck meat or duck egg\ncurry or making Macher or shutki macher pithe (dry fish stuffed pithe).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EBut that was at home. In the\noutside world our choices were often questioned. along with our native food\nfrom Midnapore which many people thought were the food of the poor and\nridiculed us for eating those. It hurt me badly as a kid but with time I learned to\ndeal with it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EAnother aspect of food that intrigues me is how food travels from one place to another and we can draw parellels between food from different geographical locations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EWhen I look at this kholajali pithe with the\nnumerous tiny holes on the surface, it instantly reminds me of Kerala's Appam, Moroccan Baghrir\nor Malaysian Apam Balik. Probably another fascinating and unknown journey of\nfood from one place tracing which we can learn a lot about the journey of our ancestors.\u0026nbsp;Thier journey for survival, the cultural amalgamations and people embracing food, making it thier own and adapting it using l\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eocal ingredients and techniques.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThough same in texture, kholajali\nfor me is more complex in technique - as it does not use any leavening agent\nlike the other two. It uses a simple fact that when liquid batter touches the very hot surface of an Earthen pan it creates vapour, while trying to escape the vapour in turn creates hundreds of tiny holes giving it a net like appearnce.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;It’s the sheer ingenuity of our ancestors who played\nwith a handful of items and applied various techniques to come out with so many different types of pithes with\ndifferent textures, shapes, and tastes.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EAs a food enthusiast it’s an honour for me to\nlearn and document those for the future generation.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EThe name kholajali refers to\nthe words 'khola' or Earthen pan and 'jali' or net. While the first refers to the Earthen cooking pan\/tawa the later, to the unique net-like texture. I believe this pitha originated in the Eastern parts of Bengal and is\nvery famous in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EOne can pair it with either\nsweet or savoury sides. In our home, it’s a winter ritual to have it with a\nspicy duck meat curry called Haser mangsher kalia. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EThis recipe calls for only\nthree ingredients which I am talking about in the following section.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003ERice flour\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E: If you are\nplanning to make it I would urge you to make your own rice flour which with the help of a mixer grinder is not a very difficult job. I in my next post will try to write in detail how to make your own rice flour.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EAlternatively, you can soak\natop or sundried rice overnight and can make a smooth paste out of it to make\nthis pithe.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003EEgg\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E: if possible use duck\negg or country chicken egg as they are bigger. If you are using poultry eggs\nplease substitute each duck egg with 1.5 of those.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003EWater\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E: we need to use both\nwarm water and room temperature water. Please read the recipe to know which\none to use at what stage.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #cc0000;\"\u003EEarthen tawa\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E: That gives the\nbest result and we need to heat the Earthen pot on medium heat (gas burner) at\nleast for 10 minutes before starting the process.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EIn case you do not have an\nearthen tawa use non-stick or seasoned cast iron one.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cu\u003E\u0026nbsp;Kholajali Pitha\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003E(Makes 7-8)\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEhwXhCQFGmGACQBBl8EpoCpmI6tFPn9_g9AA6S3YYUDeLBWAO_fHJ5mpgJhOUM4BkPxHTn1_z868OgKio-9nccICht-CjYwV9GMlM4_O1fefPM9RDrxWuBBvNvUCzBw8opSQ6MoApf8_0RSYO1CIOHZURqNNTls-fGfVaD4couQMVXygsxZMzvSD0WXdA=s1203\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEhwXhCQFGmGACQBBl8EpoCpmI6tFPn9_g9AA6S3YYUDeLBWAO_fHJ5mpgJhOUM4BkPxHTn1_z868OgKio-9nccICht-CjYwV9GMlM4_O1fefPM9RDrxWuBBvNvUCzBw8opSQ6MoApf8_0RSYO1CIOHZURqNNTls-fGfVaD4couQMVXygsxZMzvSD0WXdA=s16000\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; color: red; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIngredients:\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003ERice flour: 1 cup (atop or raw rice)\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EDuck egg: 1 OR poultry egg one and half\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EPinch of salt\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003ETo season the earthen pot 1\ntablespoon of mustard oil mixed with 1 tbsp of water\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMethod:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003EPreparing the batter\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003ESieve the flour and place it in\na big bowl. Add a pinch of salt.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EHeat 1 cup of water till the\nwater starts to simmer. Take off and mix with the flour. Depending on the\nquality of the flour the quantity will vary. Start with less water and\ngradually add more to get the right consistency. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003EMix to get a lump-free\nbatter and keep it pourable yet thick like a slightly thinner pancake\nbatter.\u0026nbsp; Keep it aside for 5-7 minutes\ntill it cools down a bit then add the egg and mix.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003ENow adjust the consistency\nwith room temperature water. The thickness should be enough to pour and spread\neasily by swirling the pan. Please check the associated video. \u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan face=\"Arial, sans-serif\" style=\"background: white; color: red; font-family: verdana; line-height: 107%;\"\u003ECooking the pitha.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"BLOG_video_class\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/noujJLJ6fmg\" width=\"320\" youtube-src-id=\"noujJLJ6fmg\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003ECheck this video to understand the consistency of the batter and the cooking technique\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EHeat the pan to very hot\nthen keep the heat to medium. Take the oil and water mixture in a small piece\nof cloth and wipe the surface of the pan. Pour a ladleful and carefully by\nholding the two sides of the pan swirl it to cover the surface. Cover the pan\nwith a lid and cook on medium-high for 30 seconds or till the top changes\ncolour and is cooked. Using a khunti or a spatula take it out.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEgSA-WwXnB3tXVpoolIKYYXRvzJTtU864GK6keWMCsMRON7WBWq7sZz2r9Azs5PjKX1Eg1mIuWdm75oZi33MVHH1SnAWKEhiy4b9UOWLIAJD7i6FLyE8TwLeHD-q5stk5ZhIj5HR1Tt7EobbRfKaTD4--NncDw39EPDx1EVlSJ2QCT_X4pznlzfRuZYWA=s713\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"713\" data-original-width=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEgSA-WwXnB3tXVpoolIKYYXRvzJTtU864GK6keWMCsMRON7WBWq7sZz2r9Azs5PjKX1Eg1mIuWdm75oZi33MVHH1SnAWKEhiy4b9UOWLIAJD7i6FLyE8TwLeHD-q5stk5ZhIj5HR1Tt7EobbRfKaTD4--NncDw39EPDx1EVlSJ2QCT_X4pznlzfRuZYWA=s16000\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003EServe hot with any side of\nyour choice.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/feeds\/4801740749087640715\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2022\/01\/kholajali-pitha.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/4801740749087640715"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/4801740749087640715"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2022\/01\/kholajali-pitha.html","title":"Kholajali Pitha"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02806613341538564779"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"31","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiP_glq3FLxhhYLWH9c3c029vtbJNj348r2BlYUzXXkIfJqXpWggLY6S4OcPdpSGeTy0S5e8nffN0MQMLti6ecbj1oRxwjt-Fn3Pg6nubCDk9KBS3KeYW8unHC_TjHzhw\/s117\/603004_10151448129399252_1426662189_n.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/a\/AVvXsEjKPCDskeI1p3R9wNjdpTngfMBBUoZJ-L-d-is9kTh2L7tIi2blUJ8L8BSyruutTcY9seXRWuUGJ_DqiLys8ZO3jUTrRd8SdzP6qX2Veik-UqYTMUIKFo4Uuf9dfh1If76Bzhal9mhUl3t84HEalXf-Q3aZEj48overOaMbEQ0JS58Vj_4NNoX7BDClxQ=s72-c","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8011220938049387934.post-832151660194576774"},"published":{"$t":"2021-08-09T21:13:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-08-09T21:13:27.591-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Baking Supplies n Kolkata"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bengali"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Curry"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Fish and Seafood"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"vegetarian"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Shapla Chingrir Torkari"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EWater Lily stem and Shrimp curry\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmsXEbPoCKvViPfZK9SWZw-US95qsRhZ7oWdme6WWzDDTGYME2SWbgY_oa7W7w5JWiNvGmluPC77acui791wwOY2rDNp1Ow79ldniw5s6RzzPSUjyt3z2_bAMT68LCAioOVbaBn0jaO0DE\/s1119\/shapla.chingri.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1119\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmsXEbPoCKvViPfZK9SWZw-US95qsRhZ7oWdme6WWzDDTGYME2SWbgY_oa7W7w5JWiNvGmluPC77acui791wwOY2rDNp1Ow79ldniw5s6RzzPSUjyt3z2_bAMT68LCAioOVbaBn0jaO0DE\/s16000\/shapla.chingri.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EI have written about water lily or Shapla (\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003ENymphaeaceae) in two other posts with two different recipes (\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2015\/09\/shaplar-bhyala-or-fritter-of-water-lily.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EShaplar Bhyala\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E and \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2015\/09\/shapla-chingri-ghanto-water-lily-stems.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EShaplar ghanto\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E) before. Today while writing this recipe I decided to include the write-up that I posted on my Facebook page a few days back. It for a change was in Bengali where I wanted to describe how monsoon is experienced in rural Bengal. For people who do not read Bengali I have included a small English write-up in the same line. Hope you will enjoy it.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThe recipe today is very simple but with a spectacular flavour that with every morsel will remind you of monsoon. Just a few pantry staples and a handful of shrimps that are easily available in this season. That is the merit of regional cooking, celebrating the seasonal flavours while retaining all it's goodness.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThis is Shapla or water lily. Bangladesh's national flower. In Monsoon, when our green Bengal  looks even greener and water bodies and lowlands are logged with water, they come in profusion, in all sorts of hues of pink, blue and white, making the state look like a fairyland. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EAt the peak of the Monsoon, people in the rural often have to resort to Dingi Nouko or bhyala (banana plant raft) to commute. But the soaking rain, the wobbly Dingi, or the tidal force of the water nothing can stop them from admiring the beauty of the blooms or collecting a few on his trip back home. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EIn the afternoon on her way to the river to take bath the wife will carry a chakni jal (handheld small fishing net) to catch some small fish. The pressure of 'filled to the brim' water in the stream will make the fish pant for fresh air and they will appear on the surface.  that's when she will catch them. sometimes even with her bare hands or the pallu of her sari. back home a delicious curry would be prepared with the water lily stems and those fish. The little boy though would want something crunchy, after all it's monsoon. The mother will think of the hardship and the danger that his man has to go through every day and utter a prayer for him. She then will shape a small raft out of the stems, secure it with thin twigs, and will batter fry it for the waiting child.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThe meal will be a delicious Shaplar ghanto (curry) and shaplar bhyala (raft shape fritter made of water lily stem) with hot steamed rice. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThe following piece in Bengali is a story of a family in rural Bengal, very similar to what has been written above.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjcWHQkaoewq9zQea-G9-9PXvDFB6WBMJn_f0g8JqekzgpmrPYr4-P8sOEFiIkZF6HlbnqoUfLSUL7epSz_RXHnpRQqxjUtaz2a-YrDwDa3zqeTw4HfvWburG2pMW0Ow9FM8aUzw1dcc_Sd\/s1203\/monsoon.meal.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjcWHQkaoewq9zQea-G9-9PXvDFB6WBMJn_f0g8JqekzgpmrPYr4-P8sOEFiIkZF6HlbnqoUfLSUL7epSz_RXHnpRQqxjUtaz2a-YrDwDa3zqeTw4HfvWburG2pMW0Ow9FM8aUzw1dcc_Sd\/s16000\/monsoon.meal.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA Bengali Monsoon meal, Kochur loti narkol die (Taro stolon cooked with mustard and coconut paste), Shapla chingrir torkari (Water lily and shrimp curry, Chuno mach bhaja (tiny freshwater fish fry) and Kamrangar chutney (Fennel scented starfruit chutney)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eভরা বর্ষায় যখন মাঠ ঘাট এক করে জল থইথই করে চারপাশে তখন খাল বিল নদী আলো করে ফুটে ওঠে শাপলা। লাল, নীল, সাদা কত তার রং, কত তার রূপ। দু দণ্ড দাঁড়িয়ে দেখতে সাধ জাগে গ্রামের চাষার। কিন্তু মাথায় তার তখন মেলা কাজ। সেই কবে খনা বলে গিয়েছেন\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eআষাঢ়ে কাড়ান নামকে, শ্রাবণে কাড়ান ধানকে। \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eশালী ধানের সোনালী স্বপ্ন যে এই শ্রাবনেই শুরু, আর কে না জানে, ঘরের সমবচ্ছরের খাবারের যোগান  এই শালী ধানের চাষেই। তাই পৃথিবী রসাতলে গেলেও চাষা ক্ষেতে যায়। বীজতলা থেকে সদ্য লাগানো চারা তখন মাঠে লকলক করে।  যত্ন করে চাষা আল বাঁধে, নিড়ানি দেয় আর লম্বা বাঁশ দিয়ে গাছের আগা থেকে ঝরিয়ে দেয় জমা জল।\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eবিপত্তি যত ডুবে থাকা মাঠঘাট নিয়ে। তাই দা দিয়ে কলার গাছ কেটে বানাতে হয় ভ্যালা বা তাল গাছের ডিঙি। এই ভ্যালায় ভেসে একখান বাঁশের লগি ঠেলে সে দুপুরে মাঠ থেকে বাড়ি ফেরে। হাত বাড়িয়ে শাপলা ছিড়ে ছিঁড়ে জড়ো করে ডিঙ্গির ওপর। জলের তোড়ে ডিঙি দোলে এপাশ ওপাশ,  খোকা ভয় পেয়ে বাবার কাছ ঘেঁসে এলে মাথায় হাত বুলিয়ে বলে, \" ভয় কি বাবা আমি আছি তো\"।\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eওদিকে তখন চাষা বউ হাতে ছাঁকনি জাল নিয়ে বিলের জলে নাইতে যায়। বিল উপচে মাছ পালায় এপাশ ওপাশ। জলের চাপে হাঁসফাঁস করা মাছ, স্বাস নিতে ভেসে ওঠে ওপরে আর তখনি ছোট জাল, শাড়ির আঁচল বা কখনো শুধু হাতেই চাট্টি মাছ ধরে ফেলে বউ। ঘরে ফিরে তুলসি তলায় জল ঢেলে সে মাছ ছাড়ায়। সেই মাছ দিয়ে রান্না করে শাপলার ঘন্ট। \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eখোকা এসে মায়ের আঁচল ধরে টানে একটু কুড়মুড়ে বড়ার আশায়। চকিতে চোখে ভেসে ওঠে খোকার বাবার ভ্যালা ঠেলে উজান বাওয়া।মনে মনে মা বিপত্তারিনি কে স্মরণ করে খোকার মা, আর কাঠি গুঁজে গুঁজে তৈরি করে শাপলা ডাঁটার ছোট ছোট ভ্যালা।  পিঠালি ডুবিয়ে ভাজে মচমচে করে। হাতে নিয়ে খোকার আনন্দ দ্যাখে কে, বাবার মত তারও একখান ছোট ভ্যালা।\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eগরম ভাত, ঘন্ট আর বড়ার গন্ধে ম ম করে চাষার নিকোনো উঠোন।  ছেলের মুখে মাখা ভাতের গরাস তুলে দিতে দিতে চাষি বউ ঘরের মানুষের ফেরার পথ দ্যাখে আর মনে মনে আউড়ে চলে\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eলেবুর পাতায় করমচা\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eযা বৃষ্টি ধরে যা\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb style=\"background-color: white; font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003EShapla Chingrir Torkari\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgDkTMwHcdRdfQ_w4sKlzPyrEQYoS-Ysfnj-hPbS1VXqapsz-7L5U2pfKtp9BKYWK_CJtkdmmJUyGe4fPJ7Hu_5Fds5mjTRBqcLZJV4AwGd9yVwLNa6BUj2qRgCtUruGdqM8mAwfEB9IEOv\/s667\/shapla.chingri.bengali.delicacy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"622\" data-original-width=\"667\" height=\"596\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEgDkTMwHcdRdfQ_w4sKlzPyrEQYoS-Ysfnj-hPbS1VXqapsz-7L5U2pfKtp9BKYWK_CJtkdmmJUyGe4fPJ7Hu_5Fds5mjTRBqcLZJV4AwGd9yVwLNa6BUj2qRgCtUruGdqM8mAwfEB9IEOv\/w640-h596\/shapla.chingri.bengali.delicacy.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIngredients\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EShapla: 1 bunch (Cut in 1.5\" pieces, 3.5 cups)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EShrimps: 150 gms (1\/2 cup)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EOnion: 1 small\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGarlic paste: 1 tsp\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EChili powder: 1 tsp\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ECoriander powder: 1 tsp\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ETurmeric\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ESalt\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EMustard oil: 2 tbsp\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EGreen chilies: 2 for flavour\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red;\"\u003EMethod\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E:\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EPeel and slice the onion in fine slices.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EThe stems have very fine skin that covers them. The best and easy way to remove them is to break in the middle in a way that the parts are still attached to the skin. Then just pull each part away from each other. The whole skin comes off in seconds. OR just use your knife to peel them.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EWash the shrimps and marinate with little salt and turmeric. keep aside.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ENow heat 2 tbsp oil and add the onion. Saute on low till brown then add the garlic, little salt, and chili powder. Cook for a couple of minutes till the raw smell is gone.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ENext, add the coriander and turmeric. Saute for 30 seconds and then add the shrimps. Mix and cook for 2 minutes on medium before adding the Shapla stems. Add 1\/2 tsp salt at this stage and mix. Cover and let it cook on medium.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EA lot of water will be released and the whole curry would be cooked in this. After five minutes open the lid. The stems should shrink a lot by this time. Now adjust the seasoning and better keep it at the lower side. Mix and add 2 green chilies for flavour. cook till you are happy with the consistency and the cooking of the shapla.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EServe hot with steamed rice.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EA Homemaker's Notes:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"auto\" style=\"background-color: white; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003ETo make this recipe vegetarian just omit the prawns. You can also add a handful of black chana.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/feeds\/832151660194576774\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2021\/08\/shapla-chingrir-torkari.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/832151660194576774"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/832151660194576774"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2021\/08\/shapla-chingrir-torkari.html","title":"Shapla Chingrir Torkari"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02806613341538564779"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"31","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiP_glq3FLxhhYLWH9c3c029vtbJNj348r2BlYUzXXkIfJqXpWggLY6S4OcPdpSGeTy0S5e8nffN0MQMLti6ecbj1oRxwjt-Fn3Pg6nubCDk9KBS3KeYW8unHC_TjHzhw\/s117\/603004_10151448129399252_1426662189_n.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjmsXEbPoCKvViPfZK9SWZw-US95qsRhZ7oWdme6WWzDDTGYME2SWbgY_oa7W7w5JWiNvGmluPC77acui791wwOY2rDNp1Ow79ldniw5s6RzzPSUjyt3z2_bAMT68LCAioOVbaBn0jaO0DE\/s72-c\/shapla.chingri.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8011220938049387934.post-1550439698386412975"},"published":{"$t":"2021-07-07T22:00:00.004-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-07-07T23:14:31.387-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Bengali"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"boiled or mashed"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"vegetarian"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Kharkol pata bata"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhgrN1BJ1YwxfBtfmE8taVS3jMFhaavLVFqOX00_wyR99kriZVXD0Q3iZHmdPD2znN3En9TkEyx45YBEyfzMR4xAo3w8SvERZC8eX0HIAWGbeH7-6r2Iu5iN72NO-yI0_ER0tRvtV-qv92G\/s995\/ghatkol.pata.bata.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"995\" data-original-width=\"727\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhgrN1BJ1YwxfBtfmE8taVS3jMFhaavLVFqOX00_wyR99kriZVXD0Q3iZHmdPD2znN3En9TkEyx45YBEyfzMR4xAo3w8SvERZC8eX0HIAWGbeH7-6r2Iu5iN72NO-yI0_ER0tRvtV-qv92G\/s16000\/ghatkol.pata.bata.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EIsn’t it confusing that in monsoon when the plants start to sprout almost everywhere making the Earth look lush and green, is also the time when we are told to refrain from eating any sort of leafy greens? India's Monsoon eating philosophy is ingrained in the age-old practice of Ayurveda and backed up by many practices, folklores, and rituals. Which probably were developed to collectively fight deadly disease outbreaks that once were very common during the rainy seasons.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca name='more'\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003ERitucharya in Ayurveda is a practice of altering one's diet and lifestyle in each season.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;It is supposed to balance all the three doshas (energetic principles) in the body and keeps one’s body and mind in perfect\u0026nbsp;harmony. In Varsha ritu, pitta gets accumulated in the body, resulting in a dip in metabolism and digestion. At the same time, Vaata or the dosha responsible for the movement and nervous system in our body gets aggravated. Since leafy greens or anything that takes longer to get digested,\u0026nbsp;provocate Vaata further, it is suggested to avoid such food at this time. What is prescribed rather are light, soupy, salty, and sour, easily digestible meals to keep the digestive fire going.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EMany of us do not follow such practices but what we cannot negate is the logic behind it. Think of the monsoon in India and the heavy rainfall that most part experiences. Roads, grounds, and almost all open space get submerged in water, forcing all insects including the ones living in the grounds to come upon the surface and take shelter in the vines and shrubs growing along the ground. This also is the season when they breed. All these infect the greens making them harmful to the human body. It does not take the whole system long to attack the weakened immune system of the body and make it seriously ill.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana;\"\u003EFurther to strengthen this practice there are stories in mythology. It is said that\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white; font-family: verdana;\"\u003Eon the day after Ulto Rath (which is known as Ashad Ekadashi or Harishayani Ekadashi, 11th day of the Bengali month Ashad) after taking care of the universe for the whole year, tired Lord Vishnu falls asleep. He sleeps for four months (known as chaturmas\/ four holy months ). To sleep the God chooses a bed of Kolmi lata or Waters pinach vine and as his pillows, he uses pointed gourd or Patol. It thus is believed that picking kolmi during these four months will disturb his sleep. No need to say that kolmi here represents most greens that grow along the ground during this time.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EWhether we believe any of it or not what would not harm us is to be careful. Ayurveda always prescribes eating greens in a specific way. It needs to be lightly steamed first and then after discarding the water, it is to be sauteed in ghee or sesame oil. This sure makes the cellulose-rich leafy greens easy to digest.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvRugXDnwHwkmxMK1YwdMbkxDoAw6iQSw6XIUyqxwtf3e7Si_-Z3_ntzEnUZYJnWmeVD4wg3ZDeb8cLauRSwcM9HnJVp8FKtsYwVyp03NfRbwl-t1uPRcc92u8EGwnPWDi5IeU0qRMhoVe\/s2048\/BeFunky-collage.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1537\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjvRugXDnwHwkmxMK1YwdMbkxDoAw6iQSw6XIUyqxwtf3e7Si_-Z3_ntzEnUZYJnWmeVD4wg3ZDeb8cLauRSwcM9HnJVp8FKtsYwVyp03NfRbwl-t1uPRcc92u8EGwnPWDi5IeU0qRMhoVe\/w640-h480\/BeFunky-collage.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003EKharkol\/ Ghetkul or Bengal Arum leaves\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;\"\u003EI personally love the monsoon greens especially the ones that grow uncultivated. With little care and proper cleaning they sure are a seasonal treat. Like this Kharkol\/ ghatkol\/ ghantkochu leaves \u0026nbsp;(Typhonian trilobatum) is a type of arum that grows wildly in the rainy season. '\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;\"\u003EThe rhizome of this plant is traditionally prescribed for the treatment of skin eruption, gastric ulcer, asthma, headache, swelling, excessive expectoration, traumatic injury, lymph tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, vomiting, cough, pyogenic sore throat, rheumatism, abscess, and snake-bite\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: transparent;\"\u003E,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;diarrhea and dysentery\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;\"\u003E, stimulant and menstrual troubles. Leaves and tubers are cooked as vegetables and given to the patient suffering from piles and rheumatism.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Read more\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3609382\/\"\u003EHERE\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: transparent;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003ELike any other arum variety, this also contains calcium oxalate crystals which causes a lot of itchiness. But that never had deterred the Bengalis to cook and consume it. They will steam the greens with something sour and will cook it in a spicy mash to start a monsoon meal with garom bhat (steamed rice).\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003ECooking it is very easy. Here is how maa taught me to cook it. She and I both are a little allergic to any sort of taro and yam products. So we prefer to discard the boiling water before proceeding further.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cu\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKharkol Pata Bata\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E(serves 2)\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjTxgY1ra3t2EtwXaZs2RUKZ2i0xDtPP1b7gEILNuZad2FIVU5-y4lX0ENeDQ_XBiq2REUGpuy4LXEhKCJJS4JzyPoiWfxt8HTs3jlgG93Mc5GGbWXX097YN5NX0Pwllk74DZX9DVCyTDo2\/s1203\/kharkol.pata.bata.recipe.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1203\" data-original-width=\"803\" src=\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjTxgY1ra3t2EtwXaZs2RUKZ2i0xDtPP1b7gEILNuZad2FIVU5-y4lX0ENeDQ_XBiq2REUGpuy4LXEhKCJJS4JzyPoiWfxt8HTs3jlgG93Mc5GGbWXX097YN5NX0Pwllk74DZX9DVCyTDo2\/s16000\/kharkol.pata.bata.recipe.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIngredients:\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EKharkol pata: 10-12 pieces\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EGarlic: 4-5 cloves\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EOnion: ½ of a medium one\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003ENigella seeds: 1\/3 tsp\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EGreen chilly: 1\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EDry red chilly: 1\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003ESalt\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003ETurmeric\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EMustard oil: 1 tbsp\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMethod:\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003ESeparate the leaves from the stalk. The stalk generally is itchier. Have seen many people cook it in a charchari but have never tried it myself.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EWash the leaves very well to remove all the dirt especially from the back of the leaves. Boil it with little tamarind (1\/2 tsp) for 4-5 minutes. Discard the water and let it cool down a bit.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EIn a heavy bottom kadhai dry roast the chilly and take out. Dry roast the garlic for 2-3 minutes until they are blistered and soft. Take out.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EThen make a coarse paste of the leaves with half of that garlic, green chilly and a little salt.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Co:p\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white;\"\u003EHeat the oil and temper it with the nigella seeds. Add the onion and after sauteing for a minute add in the leaf paste. Cook on low with salt and turmeric till the mash looks dry and start to release oil.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EMash the rest of the garlic and the dry roasted red chilly and mix it in just before taking it off the heat.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;\"\u003EServe with hot steamed rice.\u003Co:p\u003E\u003C\/o:p\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/feeds\/1550439698386412975\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2021\/07\/kharkol-pata-bata.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/1550439698386412975"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/8011220938049387934\/posts\/default\/1550439698386412975"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.ahomemakersdiary.com\/2021\/07\/kharkol-pata-bata.html","title":"Kharkol pata bata"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02806613341538564779"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"31","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEiP_glq3FLxhhYLWH9c3c029vtbJNj348r2BlYUzXXkIfJqXpWggLY6S4OcPdpSGeTy0S5e8nffN0MQMLti6ecbj1oRxwjt-Fn3Pg6nubCDk9KBS3KeYW8unHC_TjHzhw\/s117\/603004_10151448129399252_1426662189_n.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhgrN1BJ1YwxfBtfmE8taVS3jMFhaavLVFqOX00_wyR99kriZVXD0Q3iZHmdPD2znN3En9TkEyx45YBEyfzMR4xAo3w8SvERZC8eX0HIAWGbeH7-6r2Iu5iN72NO-yI0_ER0tRvtV-qv92G\/s72-c\/ghatkol.pata.bata.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});