Haldi Patra Pitha – Awesome Odian Traditional Dish

 Hello guys! Presenting before you an Odia dish today. This dish’s origin is from the state that I belong to- Odisha. And honestly, I haven’t eaten this anywhere outside of Odisha. This traditional dish is called “Haldi Patra Pitha” (Odia name). Let us understand why it is named such- Haldi means turmeric, Patra means leaves, and Pitha? Basically, it has no exact translation but comes in a category of cake. So let us call it Pitha for a desi touch.

 So if you are a foodie and love to explore traditional foods, keeping an exquisite taste, then you are just reading the right thing. This dish is brought to you from rural areas of Odisha, and it is cooked in a healthy way using turmeric leaves. The Haldi Patra Pitha has a soft outer covering and you get a sweet-spicy combo when you bite it.

Without further delay let’s jump into the making process so that you can have it anytime you crave for.

Ingredients Required for Haldi Patra Pitha                 

1. Rice (raw)- 1/2 kg
2. Urad dal (Split black gram)- 200g
3. Coconut- 1/2 or 1 portion
4. Black pepper- 20 pcs
5. Edible soda- 1/2 tsp
6. Haldi (turmeric) leaves- 5 pcs
7. Sugar- 200 g
8. Cardamom -6 pcs
9. Salt-1 tsp                

How to make Haldi Patra Pitha

Soak rice and Black gram in water for 1 hour.

Grind them in a mixer adding little water ensuring the batter to be thick. You can grind them both together and then keep for about 2 hours. Resting the batter makes the final dish softer and smoother.

Meanwhile, grate the coconut. Grind it in the mixer along with cardamom and black pepper without adding water.

Put the Kadhai on stove (can use a frying pan too) and let it heat. Put the grated coconut in Kadhai with sugar, black pepper and cardamom.

Fry them for sometime till it appears little brownish in low flame.

After it is cooked, put the Kadhai aside and let it cool down.

Now use a flat bottom cooking pot and fill it with water up to half level.  Tie a piece of clean and wet cloth above the utensil and tie it with a string to keep the cloth intact. Let the water boil in high flame for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix edible soda 1/2 tsp and salt 1 tsp with batter. Take one turmeric leaf (wash it before use), spread it in your palm, spread the batter on the leaf. Above this add little grated coconut mixture prepared. Roll the leaf and keep the folding side facing the cloth. Arrange as many of this as it fits on the cloth as shown in the image below.

Do not over-crowd because it needs space for steam to pass to get cooked. You can fit 5-6 rolls at a time.

Then cover them with a lid. Leave them for about 10-12 mins in medium flame. Switch off the stove and allow 5 minutes before removing the lid.

Remove the lid and take the Haldi Patra Pitha out with spoon while it is hot.

Take them out into a plate and it is ready to be served!! This is the simplest Odia recipe, yet it is great to taste.

Relish this Odia dish with fresh ghee. It is salty, sweet, and soft. As it is steam cooked, it is healthy too. People of all ages can eat this as it is easily digestible. Though it is similar to Bengali Patishapta, the turmeric leaves give this a unique touch.

It is generally consumed without any side dish but if you prefer you can relish it with sauce or chutney of your choice.

My next experiment will be – Poda Pitha Recipe, another Odia sweet dish. Please stay tuned!