Ashke Pithe facts for kids
Chitui Pithe
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| Alternative names | Ashke Pitha |
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| Type | evaporated |
| Place of origin | Bangladesh, India |
| Region or state | South Asia |
| Main ingredients | half boiled rice powder, water, salt and some amount of mustered oil |
| Variations | Dhaka Pithe, Chikui Pithe and Sora Pithe |
Ashke Pithe (Bengali: আস্কে পিঠে or আস্কে পিঠে) is a very popular rice cake from Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. It's also called Dhaka Pithe, Chikui Pithe, or Sora Pithe. This special cake looks a bit like the South Indian Idli. People often make Ashke Pithe during a festival called Paush Sankranti.
You can enjoy Ashke Pithe with Molasses, which is a sweet syrup. But it's also tasty with other foods. People eat it with lentils, peas, fish curry (like Koi fish curry), and even meat curry. A historian named Tapan Roychoudhury once compared Ashke Pithe to a Beefsteak because it's so filling and satisfying!
Contents
History of Ashke Pithe
The tradition of making this rice cake has a long history. Bengali families have been making Ashke Pithe for many religious festivals since the Middle Ages. This shows how important this dish is to their culture.
How to Make Ashke Pithe
Making Ashke Pithe is quite interesting! Here are the main steps:
Ingredients for Ashke Pithe
The most important ingredient for Ashke Pithe is half-boiled rice powder. You also need water, salt, and a little bit of cooking oil.
Special Cooking Tools
Traditionally, people use a special soil lid to cook Ashke Pithe. They also use a slightly smaller soil lid to cover it. Today, some people use brass lids or the bottom parts of aluminum pots instead.
Step-by-Step Preparation
- First, mix the rice powder with warm water.
- Add a little salt to this mixture.
- Next, put some oil on the surface of the first lid.
- Pour the rice mixture onto this lid. The mixture should fill about half the size of the second lid.
- Then, cover the mixture with the second lid.
- Place both lids on a cooker.
- Cook for about two to two and a half minutes.
- While it's cooking, a little water is sometimes sprinkled from above.
- Because oil is used on the lid, the Ashke Pithe can be easily removed with a knife.
- Only one Ashke Pithe is made at a time using this method.
Ways to Enjoy Ashke Pithe
Ashke Pithe tastes great with molasses. You can also enjoy it by soaking it in milk and molasses after it's cooked. This makes it soft and sweet!
