Coconut Pitha

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Coconut Pitha

Coconut Pitha is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe from the 1860s for a classic dessert or sweet snack of rice flour pastry filled with sweetened coconut milk that are steamed to cook. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Anglo-Indian version of: Coconut Pitha.

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

50 minutes

Total Time:

60 minutes

Makes:

8–10

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian Recipes Dessert Recipes Fusion Recipes British Recipes

This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe redacted from the volume THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK: A Practical Handbook to The Kitchen in India (author unknown), published by: WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET CALCUTTA circa 1869. The recipe comes at the end of the section on PORTUGUESE CURRY (VINDALOO OR BINDALOO), so this is a Vindaloo curry paste or a curry paste from Goa.

Original Recipe

227.—Cocoanut Pittas.

Scrape finely a cocoanut, brown it with some jagree and a few grains of the black cardamom seed,
and set it aside; then prepare a pastry of finely-sifted rice-flour (it must be kneaded with boiling-hot
water, and will not roll out); take as much as the size of a duck's egg, and press it out flat in the palm
of your hand to the size of a large saucer; put a tbspful of the fried cocoanut into it, and close
it up in a half-moon shape, with the help of a little water. Have a wide-mouthed large earthen pot of
boiling water; stretch and tie over its mouth a napkin, and steam the pittas or cakes over them; they
will be ready in half an hour, and may be eaten hot or cold.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

For Dough
250ml (1 cup) water
1 tsp ghee
160g (1 cup) rice flour
pinch of salt

For the Filling:
Meat from 1 coconut, grated
2 tbsp grated jaggery
1/2 tsp black cardamom seeds

Method:

Begin with the filling: Place a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the coconut meat and brown gently then stir in the jaggery and cardamom seeds. Stir everything together then turn into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Boil some water, add 250ml (1 cup) to a pan and stir in the salt and ghee. Bring the mixture back to a boil and, whilst stirring constantly, add the rice flour as a slow, steady, stream.

Don't worry if the mixture is lumpy, that's normal. Cover the plan with a lid, turn off the heat and allow to steam for 1 minute.

Scrape the mixture onto a work surface and knead when just cool enough to be handled (don't let it cool down). Knead well ensuring there are no lumps.

Divide the dough into 8-10 equal portions. Form these into smooth rounds and roll out into flat and thin discs.

Add a tsp of the coconut mixture in the centre, fold the pastry over to form half moons then crimp the edges sealed.

Bring a pan of water to a boil, add a steamer basket and line with greaseproof (waxed) paper (originally a banana leaf would be used) transfer the pithas inside. Cover and steam for8-12 minutes.

Serve hot.

Find more Victorian Recipes Here and more Curry Recipes Here. For the original version of The Indian Cookery book see my The Indian Cookery Book main page.