Ingredients
Rice
- 400 grice flour, preferably freshly ground
- about 150 ml water
- ½ tspsalt
Filling
- 200 gkhejur gur, date palm jaggery, chopped or grated
- 150 gfreshly grated coconut
Equipment
- small bowls for moulding
- thin muslin cloth
- a steamer or a pot with a perforated lid
To serve
- hot, in winter, with the jaggery still molten
Directions
- Add water to the rice flour a very little at a time, rubbing it through with your fingertips. Never pour the water in, and add it in sprinkles rather than a stream.
- Rub it constantly as you add water, breaking up any lumps that form.
- Squeeze a handful in your fist: it should hold its shape and then crumble apart cleanly when you poke it. If it stays in a solid lump it is too wet, and if it will not hold at all it is too dry.
- Fill a bowl about a third with the crumb, pressing it very lightly against the sides.
- Cover it with more crumb to fill the bowl and level the top. Do not press or pack the mixture down at all. Fill it loosely and level it with the side of your hand.
- Lay a piece of damp thin muslin over the top of the bowl. The cloth holds the loose crumb together while it steams and stops it collapsing.
- Steam over vigorously boiling water for eight to twelve minutes. It is done when the surface looks set and slightly translucent rather than powdery white. Lift the cloth away carefully and serve immediately.
Technique
- Date palm jaggery is tapped only in the cold months, which makes this a winter dish.
- The squeeze test decides the moisture, and no measurement replaces it.
- Fill the mould loosely, since packing it stops the steam passing through.
Substitutions
- Cane jaggery in place of khejur gur, though the flavour differs.
- Desiccated coconut, moistened first.
Variations
- Made with a milk soak afterwards, as dudh pitha.
- With chopped nuts in the filling.
- Bhapa doi, an unrelated steamed yoghurt of the same name.
History
Made when date-palm sap is tapped in the cool months and sold from steamers on Dhaka streets.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bhapa Pitha?
Bhapa Pitha is a dessert from Bangladesh: steamed rice-flour cake filled with date-palm jaggery and grated coconut. Made when date-palm sap is tapped in the cool months and sold from steamers on Dhaka streets.
How long does Bhapa Pitha take to make?
Bhapa Pitha takes 30 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 10 cakes. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Bhapa Pitha?
Yes, within limits. Cane jaggery in place of khejur gur, though the flavour differs. Desiccated coconut, moistened first.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bhapa Pitha?
Add water to the rice flour a very little at a time, rubbing it through with your fingertips. Never pour the water in, and add it in sprinkles rather than a stream.
