Ashke Pithe () or Chitoi Pitha () is one of the most popular rice cakes in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is also known as Dhaka Pithe, Chikui Pithe and Sora Pithe. Perhaps, the current spelling for 'Axse', has come in the form of ashke or aske because of local use. It is a somewhat looked like the south Indian

Idli Idli, iddena, iddali or idly (; plural: idlis) is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from South India, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-h ...

. At the time of Paush Sankranti, the Ashke pithe is prepared. The Ashke pithe is usually eaten with

Molasses Molasses () is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction, and the age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usuall ...

, but it is eaten with lentils, peas, fish curry of

Koi fish , or more specifically , are colored varieties of carp (''Cyprinus'' sp.) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens. Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of carp kept for ornamental purposes. The ...

and even meat curry. Historian Tapan Roychoudhury compared the Ashke pithe to the

Beefsteak A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from . Beef steaks are usually grilled, pa ...

History

The customs of making this rice-cake in the house of

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

in various religious festivals has come from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Preparation

The main ingredient for the Ashke pithe is half seasoned rice powder. Other ingredients are water, salt, and some amounts of corn oil. In the preparation for Ashke Pitha, it is usually used a special type of

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

lid A lid or cover is part of a container, and serves as the closure (container), closure or Seal (mechanical), seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as Tub (container), tubs as well as large ...

and to cover it from the upper side, a slightly smaller soil lid also used. At present days, the use of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

lid, and lower parts of the

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

pot Pot may refer to: Containers * Flowerpot, a container in which plants are cultivated * Pottery, ceramic containers made from clay * Cooking pot, a type of cookware * Pot, a beer glass Places * Ken Jones Aerodrome, IATA airport code POT * ...

has begun to be used. At first the rice powder is mixed with slightly hot water. A little salt is given in the mixture. Then the mixture of rice powder and water mixture is poured in the first lid using oil on its surface. The mixture is half of diameter of the second lid. After that, the second lid is covered with a mixture and the two lids are placed on the cooker. The lids are removed from the cooker after two and half minutes to two minutes later. At the time of making the Pitha, water is spread from the above. As oil is used below the lids, it can easily be removed with a knife. In this way, only one Ashke Pithe is prepared at a time. It is tasted fine to eat Ashke Pithe with molasses, or can be eaten after boiling by keeping it in the milk molasses.

Gallery

File:Dim Citoi pitha.webm, Making of Egg Chitoi pitha File:Chitoi pitha is being made in a Bangladeshi road side shop.jpg, Chitoi pitha is being made in a Bangladeshi road side shop File:Egg Chitoi Pitha from Bangladesh.jpg, Egg Chitoi Pitha served with different spices in Bangladesh

References

{{Bangladeshi dishes Bangladeshi cuisine Bengali cuisine Steamed foods Rice flour dishes

History

Preparation

Gallery

See also

References