Assamese Til Pitha – for Beginners

Here’s the recipe for Til Pitha which is an Assamese dish with a @beextravegant twist. This dish can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. Til Pitha or Tilor Pitha is traditionally prepared during special occasions and major festivals, like Bihu. It tastes great with some Assam chai or Masala Chai. Til Pitha is made from coarsely ground, soaked rice spread over a hot pan and stuffed with jaggery and sesame mixture in the middle. They look like a spring roll, lightly toasted to get a crispy texture.

The main ingredients are rice, jaggery and til (sesame). Although the preparation looks simple and easy, it takes a lot of practice to master this dish. I tried multiple ways to prepare this dish and would fail every time. Nevertheless, I have revamped the recipe for beginners to easily roll the pithas but I suggest you try making them in the traditional way to get those perfect and crispy Pithas. Let’s enjoy my version of Til Pitha, now!

How to make Til Pitha?

Crispy rice wrapper

The Til Pitha recipe is divided into two parts – rice wrapper and sesame jaggery filling. The filling recipe is quite easy to prepare. Of course, the trickiest part is preparing the rice wrapper in which the filling is rolled. To make crispy pithas, the rice used has to be glutinous and sticky. The traditional recipe asks for Bora Saul rice, which is pounded into a dry powder with a mortar and pestle (called Ural or Dheki in Assamese). Although, I couldn’t find a large enough mortar and pestle so I stuck by my electric grinder. To make the rice wrapper, soak the glutinous rice for 6-7 hours and drain the excess water. Do not dry all the water off (definitely don’t leave the rice to dry in the sun). Grind the rice into a fine powder and set it aside.

Tips:

• While grinding the rice, make sure it does not become too hot, else the rice will lose its stickiness and the pithas will fall apart on the pan.

• So, some suggest that after grinding the soaked rice into a fine powder, pour it into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap until use. But since we believe in saying no to plastic, you can substitute it with a damp muslin cloth.
• Leave it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours or overnight. I recommended you to not make it immediately.
• Another tip is to not wait until you have ground all the rice. Try grinding the rice in batches and layer them into the bowl as you go. So grind one batch, and pour it into the bowl. Move to grind another batch, pour it over the previous batch and so on.

Steps to follow:

1. In a large bowl, soak the rice in around 6 cups of water for at least 6-7 hours. Drain the water with a colander or sieve and let it drain for about 30 minutes.

2. Place it in a cool and dry area. Grind the rice into a fine powder and set it aside.

Til Pitha: Til (sesame) and Jaggery filling

To make the til and jaggery filling, dry roast the sesame seeds and pound them into a coarse powder in a mortar and pestle. Then mix the sesame seeds powder with jaggery by rubbing it between your fingers. You should get a coarse mix.

Tip: If you have jaggery granules or blocks, then you can blitz them a little in the blender or just finely chop them. I suggest you use jaggery that can easily crumble upon pressing between fingers.

Steps to make Sesame and Jaggery filling

1. First, dry roast the sesame seeds on medium heat in a pan/wok/kadhai for about 5 minutes until the sesame seeds are aromatic.

2. Secondly, pound it in a mortar and pestle or blend it in a blender or food processor until you get a rough powder.

3. Chop up jaggery into small pieces or turn it into a coarse powder.

4. Start by mixing the sesame seeds and jaggery by rubbing it between your fingers. Try to get the jaggery and sesame powder well mixed.

Creating crispy, Til Pithas

It is essential to use the right kind of griddle to make the pitha. Look for a cast iron Tawa if possible. The thicker the Tawa, the better the pitha. Thick griddles allow equal heat all over and won’t leave the pithas brown and burnt. Heat the pan sufficiently and use a sieve or a ladle to add the rice powder to the Tawa and shape it like a circular crepe. If you are feeling adventurous, use your fingers to gently pat them into shape. Keep the heat low.

Meanwhile, slowly roast the pithas until they start to look like crispy pancakes. Pour the til and jaggery stuffing over the pithas. Fold the pita from its side and roll it into a cylinder. If it seems difficult for you to work with dry rice powder, then mix a little bit of water to make a batter and use this to make the pithas. Take it away from the flame before the jaggery melts. You can now demolish the Til Pithas.

Storage: You can store til pithas for 3-4 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Steps to make Til Pitha

1. If you’re making traditional Til Pitha, then here’s how you make it. Heat the pan sufficiently and use a sieve or a ladle to add the rice powder to the Tawa and shape it like a circular crepe.

2. Roast the pithas over low heat until they begin to resemble crispy pancakes. Over the pithas, spread the til and jaggery filling. The pitha should be rolled into a cylinder by folding it from the side.

3. As you can see, I went wrong somewhere. So, here’s how I did some damage control by mixing water in the rice powder and creating a smooth batter.

4. Once the rice batter is spread, place a long line of the sesame, cardamom powder and jaggery filling in the centre of the crepe. Be careful to put more in the middle and less at the ends. Roll the Pithas into cylindrical shapes.

5. Remove the Til Pithas from the skillet and place them on a dish after remaining there for about 20 seconds to firm up. Serve it with some piping hot Masala Tea.

So, here it is. My version of Til Pitha is inspired by Assamese cuisine. If you have tips on how to make traditional Til Pitha or any kind of secret, please do let me know in the comments. I will try it out and keep you posted.

Meanwhile, you can check my other breakfast recipes:

1. Paniyaram recipe (Kuzhi/KuliPaniyaram/Paddu)
2. Vegetable Upma recipe
3. Tofu Masala Sandwich