About Poda Pitha
Poda Pitha, is a traditional ‘pitha’ recipe from Odisha. It is said to be the most favorite pancake of Lord Jagannath of Puri. It is one of the oldest sweet of Odisha.
Poda pitha is generally made of rice, jaggery, coconut and lentils. There are a lot of variations of Poda pitha. Most temples poda pitha is made of rice flour and it is baked .
Mausi Maa Poda Pitha(Rath Yatra special)
About Mausi Maa special Poda Pitha
Today I am sharing Rath yatra special poda pitha which is made in Mausi Maa temple.This poda pitha is totally different from other poda pitha.
It is a tradition for Lord Jagannath to stop at the Mausi Maa temple during bahuda yatra on its way back from Gundicha temple to the Shree Mandir and have a bite of poda pitha before returning to his abode.
This Poda Pitha is considered the favourite prasad of Lord Jagannath. The poda pitha preparations begin on Hera Panchami and continue till the bahuda yatra eve. It is a tradition for Lord Jagannath to stop at the Mausi Maa temple during bahuda yatra (return journey) and have a bite of poda pitha before returning to his holy abode.
According to priests at the Mausi Maa temple, they prepare the dough for Podapitha by churning wheat flour, chena, jaggery, cloves, black pepper and black cardamoms. The dough is processed by placing it on hot steam for seven to eight hours.
The steam boiled dough is cut into small pieces. The sliced pieces are fried in pure ghee to prepare Podapitha. The deities are offered the cake on their respective chariots once they reach the Mausi Maa temple. The offered cake is distributed among devotees.
Note
Here I want to share that I am not an Odiya and I got knowledge from various Google sources and from my Odiya friends. So apologies for any mistake of my information.
Here I am sharing the recipe of Mausi Maa special poda pitha. It is recommended to make this pitha in earthen pot.
Recipe details
- Preparation time: 15 min
- Baking time: 2 & 1/2 hour
- Serves: 6-8 medium pieces
Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Flour – 1/2 cup
- Jaggery – 1/4 cup
- Chena(homemade) — 1/4 cup
- Grated fresh Coconut–1/4 cup
- Khowa/Mawa– 1 tablespoon
- Raisin+Almonds(chopped)– 2 tablespoon
- Black Cardamom — 1 no.
- Black pepper – 5-6 no.
- Cloves- 2 no
- Some chopped fresh Coconut pieces for topping (optional)
- Ghee 1 tablespoon + more for greasing and deep frying
- Water – Little more than 1/4 cup or as required to make soft dough
Method
Take the seeds of black cardamom and grind with black pepper and cloves in a mortal and pestle. Set aside.
Take a mixing bowl and place wheat flour, grated jaggery, grated coconut, chena, khowa, mix dry fruits and prepared spice mix. Mix well with your finger tips.
Add water gradually to make a soft dough. Note that the dough should be soft like very thick batter. Also add in 1 tablespoon ghee and mix.
Grease an earthen pot (adjust the size according to the amount of batter/dough) with ghee.
Transfer the batter to the greased pot. The layer should be thick like cake.
Sprinke some chopped coconut pieces if you have. I have coarsely grated coconut, so used them.
Cover the pot or seal the pot with banana leaf. If you don’t have banana leaf, seal with aluminium foil.
Heat sufficient water to a steamer and place the sealed pot in top container of the steamer.
Steam in medium low heat for about 2&1/2 hours. Yes, you have to steam it for 5 to 6 hours( for bigger portion) to get the original taste. If you have fire wood stove, then use that for steaming. As I am making in small portion, I steamed for 2 & 1/2 hour. In between check the quantity of water and add in more hot water in the steamer if needed.
Insert a toothpick to check if the pitha is cooked well. If the toothpick comes out clean then the pitha is ready & if it is moist then let it cook a little longer.
Allow the pitha to cool down completely . Take it out from the mould and leave it to cool for 1/2 an hour.
Flip the pitha to a serving plate and cut the pitha into desired shape.
See the texture of poda pitha. They resembles plum cake.
Heat sufficient ghee to a yok and deep fry the pitha in low to medium heat until the pithas are crisp from outside. Be careful while frying, you have to fry them slowly and evenly. Place the pitha in medium heat ghee to avoid burning.
These are the final product of famous poda pitha.
My whole kitchen fills with such aromatic flavour from the fried pitha. They are simply divine to taste.
I strongly recommend you to make this simple yet delicious pitha in this festive season .
Barak Kitchen 