Pitha is an essential part of the Assamese Culinary culture. And Tekeli Pitha is one of the oldest and easiest to cook pitha recipes. Team Discover East brings to you the details of tekeli pitha and some of its modern versions.
Tekeli is a traditional storing vessel of Assam, similar to a matki used in other parts of the country. Apart from just storing, it can also be used to heat water or cooking food.
Recipe for Tekeli Pitha
For a basic tekeli pitha all you need is rice flour and sugar as ingredients. Additional ingredients used can be jaggery and grated coconut.
Simply mix all the ingredients and tie a handful to a lid with a piece of cotton cloth. Since the mixture will cook in steam, there is no need of adding water to it before wrapping.
And for the equipment, you need a tekeli and low and continuous heat to keep it running. Boiling water in it will serve as the source of steam to cook the pitha.
Modern Versions of this Pitha
Finding a tekeli of proper material and consistency is by itself a big problem in the modern day. But the bigger problem is to give it a continuous low intensity heat once the water starts boiling. So here are some innovations to cook the same pitha, but with easier methods.
- Using a Kettle : Replace the Tekeli with a kettle and we have a viable replacement. All you have to do is to seal the spout of the kettle with some dough or wet cotton cloth. Keep the flame on shimmer and your pitha cooks way faster than the original version.
- Using a Pressure Cooker : Put the dry mixture in small paper tea cup and make a hole at the base. Also cover the cup tightly with a piece of cotton cloth. Remove the whistle or pressure regulating weight from the pressure cooker lid and insert the pressure vent into the hole at the base of the cup. This is the fastest way of cooking the pitha.
- Using an Idli Stand : The idli stand is one of the most versatile accessories for any Indian. Wrap a handful of the mix in small pieces of cotton cloth and load them on the stands. Keep the water level low and heat slowly.
Serve it Warm !!
And your version of this pitha is ready to serve in few minutes. Due to its almost neutral taste, tekeli pitha can be garnished with almost anything. Grated coconut, fresh cream, molten jaggery, warm milk or even chocolate syrup goes well with a steaming hot pitha. And its best served with a cup of freshly brewed Assam Tea.
Team Discover East brings to you hidden and traditional recipes from Northeast India. You too can contribute your ethnic preparations by mailing them discovereastin@gmail.com and get it featured here.
(Feature image source: @das.mayuri on Instagram)
