Hot bhapa pitha on a winter morning is a favourite across Bangladesh, and the steamed cake of rice flour, coconut and jaggery is simple to make. This version, from Bangla Tribune's lifestyle desk, builds two layers of coconut and jaggery inside the cake.
You need three cups of rice flour, half a teaspoon of salt, about one and a quarter cups of water (or as needed), grated coconut and jaggery. For steaming you need a thin, clean cotton cloth and a steamer with a lid.
Mix the salt into the rice flour and add the water little by little, rubbing it in by hand until the flour is crumbly. Cover with a cloth and leave for 15 minutes. Then rub it loose again and pass it through a sieve to break up lumps and make it lighter.
Spread the cloth in the steamer and lay down a layer of rice flour. Scatter coconut and jaggery over it. Add a second layer of rice flour and more coconut and jaggery, then finish with a final covering of flour.
Fold the loose ends of the cloth gently over the cake. Set the steamer on the stove, cover, and steam for about 20 minutes. Lift off the cloth carefully, take out the pitha and serve it hot.
Photo: bhapa pitha, Aditya Kabir / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Bangla Tribune
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