Kolpatot Bonua Pitha literally translates to Pitha made in Banana Leaf Wrappers. Pitha forms an essential part of Assamese Cuisine and palate and kolpatot bonua pitha holds a special position on that list.
Cooking and serving on leaves of banana plants has been in the Assamese Culture since a very long time. It makes an essential part of all traditional religious and social events as well. And Discover East brings to you a recipe for making pitha in banana leaves.
Ingredients for Making Kolpatot Bonua Pitha
- Fruit Pulp (Banana or Jackfruit or Mango).
- Rice Flour.
- Sugar as per taste.
- Banana Leaves.
Method of Making Kolpatot Bonua Pitha
Kolpatot Bonua Pitha is one of the easiest to make of all the Assamese Pithas. You can make it in two ways, one is by dry heating on a flat pan and the other by steaming.
- Firstly mash the fruit you want to use into a pulp. So its is always good to use fully ripe ones. For best results and consistency, mash with your hand.
- If the fruit contains fibers, for example jackfruit, make sure to use only the juice and not the roughage. Use a sieve or piece of cotton cloth to separate both.
- Add the pulp or juice to the rice flour to make a very thick batter. If its runny, the batter will leak out of the leaves.
- You can add sugar to the batter if you want.
- Put 1-2 tablespoons of the batter in neatly cut pieces of banana leaves and fold it.
- The packing is ready if you want to cook it on a flat pan , but if want to steam it, the package needs to be tied up properly with a piece of string. You can even make single use rope like thing from the mid section of a banana leaf.
- Cooking takes around minutes on a shimmering flame. The batter turns harder as it gets cooked into a pitha or rice cake. Let it cool down for few minutes before removing the wrapper.
The Kolpatot Bonua Pitha is now ready to be served to your friends and family. You can garnish it with grated coconut, molten jaggery or honey and it goes best with Assam Tea.
You too can contribute your recipes and get them published in Discover East by mailing them to discovereastin@gmail.com.
(Feature image source: Anku Saikia)
