Khira Poda Pitha

Khira Poda Pitha 

Raja,  a cultivators festival,  is a festival of food and merry making.  All ladies love this festival and made lots of dishes.  Poda Pitha is one among them.  Khira poda pitha is a version of poda pitha usually made in southern odisha. 

My best friend swarupa (pinky) is from south odisha.  She used to prepare this pitha for festive occasions.  This is my favourite pitha.  She suggested why don't you make this pitha for raja and write in your blog.  I said yes and asked for the recipe.  She obliged me with the recipe.  

This dish and article is dedicated to my best friend swarupa and southern odisha.  Here is the recipe of khira poda pitha. 

Rice- 1cup

Milk- 4cup

Sugar - 1cup

Green cardamom powder -  tsp

Chopped coconut pieces- 2tbsp

Chopped cashew nuts -  2tbsp

Salt -  1/4tsp

Ghee - 11/2tbsp

Scraped coconut - 2tbsp

Wash and soak rice in a bowl for one hour.  

After one hour in a grinder jar add soaked rice and scarped coconut and make a smooth paste. 

In the mean time heat 1/2tbsp of ghee in a frying pan and add chopped coconut and cashew nuts.  Saute up to light brown in colour. 

In a heavy bottom pan add milk and sugar.  Heat the pan and stir upto the sugar dissolves.  Then add cardamom powder, fried chopped coconut and cashew nuts and let it boil.  Then add the rice paste and stir continuously.  Slowly it will be like a thick paste and come together. 

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and pour all the rice paste in the cooker. Spread it evenly and level the top the pitha. Now remove the whistle and cover the lid.  Let it cook for one hour in a slow flame. 

After one hour one can see the pitha started leaving the sides and turned golden brown from every side.  This means the pitha is done.  Don't worry if the surface of pitha looks moist. 

Leave it to cool down completely.  After that the pitha will come out of the cooker easily.  Don't be impatient and hurry to bring out the pitha from the cooker,  or else you will end up breaking down the pitha. (I am too impatient and I always end breaking the pitha). 

Now serve.  One can pair with dalma this pitha.  But I love this pitha without any thing.