HOME        |        ABOUT        |        COPYRIGHT        |        CONTACT        |         RECIPE INDEX        |         INDIAN THAALIS        |         MILLET RECIPES        |        EVENTS' ROUNDUP        

Friday, September 11, 2015

Savory Poda Pithe ~ Breakfast From Odisha / Orissa


Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Indian States
My choice: Odisha

I came across poda pithe from Odisha region while searching for  pancakes made across India.  Poda pithe is not a savory breakfast pancake but instead is a sweet dish that is prepared on Raja Parba or Mithuna Sankranthi festival there. A batter of rice and black gram is prepared and fermented overnight. Shredded fresh coconut, jaggery/ sugar and cardamom are added to the batter just before preparing the pithe. The ground batter is poured into a thick bottomed vessel like a pressure cooker and cooked for almost an hour or so until it is set. Poda means burnt/charred in Odiya and the reference is probably towards the browned crust of the pithe. 
 
As I was more interested in a savory version than the festive sweet, I chose to go with this version, which fit my plan. However this dish seem to be exactly on the lines of Andhra's dhibba rotte. Not a surprise considering the proximity of the two regions. If you ever have tried and liked dhibba rotte, then you are going to love the spicy version of it. They are not made thinner like the other dosa versions. They are kept on a thicker side and take a considerable amount of time to cook each pithe since they are cooked on low flame.They are soft from inside with a crispy exterior. While dhibba rotte is kept on the simple lines, these pithe are spicier and taste yummy with a chutney on the side.

Ingredients for the batter:
1 cup urad dal / black gram
2 cups idli rava or 2 cups idli rice
Salt to taste
 
 Preparation:
* Soak urad dal and rava / idli rice separately for at least 3 hours.
* If using idli rice, grind urad dal and idli rice together until very smooth, adding only as much water as needed. The batter should be very thick like idli batter. If using rava, then grind urad dal adding little water very finely. Drain all the water from the rava and add it to the urad dal and run the grinder / blender for a couple of minutes to mix them together.
* Remove the batter, add salt and let it ferment overnight in a warm place.

Ingredients for the poda pithe:
2 cups batter prepared from the above step / idli batter
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 -2 green chillies, finely chopped (adjust the quantity according to the taste)
2 tbsp. fresh shredded coconut
10 curry leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. oil

Method:
* Add cumin seeds, ginger, chillies, coconut and curry leaves to the fermented batter. Mix well to combine.

* Heat 1 - 2 Tbsp of oil in a kadai (or any concave shaped pan) or any thick bottomed deep vessel and pour about 2 cups of the batter into it. I think non-stick kadai works awesome for this recipe, especially for novice cooks.

* Cover and cook on low flame until the bottom side turns golden brown. 
 
* Flip it and cook for a few minutes more until the other side cooks too. 
 
(I was busy with something else in the kitchen and so went with  the lowest heat setting possible on my gas stove and it took me around 50 - 60 minutes to cook for this quantity batter.)
* Remove, slice into wedges and serve with chutney.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

Comments

16 comments:

cookingwithsapana said...

Wow that is very unique pithe .It looks so soft and delicious.

Priya Suresh said...

Almost like dibba roti na, how crispy and beautiful they are..

vaishali sabnani said...

Suma the minute i eyed the first picture i knew this is something that I would love . I had loved the dibba rotte and have made it a couple of times, every one loves it and cant wait to be served hence never been able to click ! Awesome recipes .

Usha said...

Beautifully made poda pithe. I totally loving your dos theme for this week.

Harini R said...

We love dibba rottes and the spicy version is tempting me to make it for dinner to night :)[I have the batter ready :)]

Srivalli said...

Wow this one surely looks like Dibba roti suma, thanks for finding it for us..:)

Unknown said...

Love the dibba roti and this one is looking awesome took.. Nice clicks

Sandhiya said...

Wow.. Very unique dish..It looks so spongy and delicious Suma.

Srividhya said...

yummy.. looks so soft and this reminds me of our kal dosa

Kalyani said...

So similar na- with neighbouring states serving similar recipes .. Great clicks

Pavani said...

Love this spicy variation of dibba rotte. Will have to try this one out some time.

Archana said...

Wow Suma I love this poda pita I always assumed that its sweet nad never tried it. This savoury version will be welcome at home.

Gayathri Kumar said...

This looks so delicious. I have to try it today..

The Pumpkin Farm said...

besides the dibba roti it also looks similar to handva...i loved the last pic

Chef Mireille said...

I made a sweet pitha from Orisha a while back but with semolina. This savory version sounds like a delicious alternative

Suchitra said...

Nice Post, thank you.Visit Our Website.
Odia Book Jeje Malapare
Order Odia Books
Odia Books Online