Arisa Pitha (ଆରିସା ପିଠା)

Arisa Pitha (Odia: ଆରିସା ପିଠା) is a classic deep-fried confection or rice cake from Odisha, India. Arisha Pitha has a crisp exterior layer and a soft inside. Since this is made from ghee, some people also call this Ghi Pitha (ଘି ପିଠା)

History of Arisa Pitha:

It is believed that the Arisa pitha has been popular by the fifth century BC. When Siddhartha Gautam attained Buddhism, it is written in the Buddhist scriptures that he ate the Arisa cake from two merchants, Tapasu and Bahlika, from Kalinga.

Arisa is a Pali word. In Pali, rice was then called arisa. So Arisa cake means rice cake. Even today in Tamil, the word arisa (arise) is used in the sense of rice, so some people argue that the word arisa is a Tamil word; This could be completely misleading.

Arisa Pitha's ingredients include:

1. 1 kg of rice flour
2. Half kg of Jaggery or you can use sugar
3. 1 tsp of Cinnamon powder
4. 200 gm of Vegetable Oil or Ghee
5. Salt as per the taste
6. Sesame seeds (for better texture)

Making Process:

1. In a wide-mouth pan, bring 2 liters of water to a boil.
2. Then add 1 tbsp. ghee, sugar, salt, and cinnamon powder.
3. Slowly pour in the rice flour and whisk constantly.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan.
5. Cook until all of the water has been absorbed.
6. Allow it to cool before kneading it into a smooth dough.
7. Heat a pan, add the coconut and sugar, and cook until golden brown.
8. Make little semolina dough balls, roll them up, and load them with fried coconut and sesame seeds.
9. Fry until golden brown in a deep fryer.

More Blogs:

• Alu Bhindi Recipe
• Dhania Patra Chutney
• Besan Ladoo Recipe
• Chakuli Pitha

Note: This blog is written by Sangram Keshari Senapati and the photos are taken by Manas Muduli.