Xutuli Pitha or Sutuli Pitha an quintessential and Assamese dessert

It has been a week since we celebrated Magh Bihu, yet I am still relishing Xutuli Pitha or Sutuli Pitha and so is my family. Last week, I posted my Magh Bihu food memory and most of my readers have never heard or knew the food I shared in my blog. Today I thought, I will share the most quintessential dessert we make during Magh Bihu or for that matter any Bihu. Pillowy, sticky, crunchy half-moon shape dessert inspired from an Assamese musical instrument. 

If you closely look into Assamese cuisine especially festive cooking Bora Saul or Sticky rice is widely used. Since Bora Saul is indigenous rice in Assam, if you live outside Assam or India you can use Japanese sweet rice or sticky rice.

 Let get to the ingredients...

Ingredients

1. 2 cups Japanese sweet rice or sticky rice
2. 1 cup sesame seeds (Teel) and save 5 tablespoons for decoration (optional)
3. 1 cup jaggery or gur
4. Oil for frying
   
   

Process 

1. Wash and soak rice for 2 to 3 hours or until when you touch the rice you feel the softness. Strain rice and spread it out on muslin cloth and let it dry for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Now wash and Soak the sesame for 1 hour and strain the water spread it out on muslin cloth or parchment paper. Let it dry. 
3. Roast the sesame seeds until it starts popping or you could feel the aroma. 
4. Now grind the rice into a fine powder and sieve well so that no grainy feel is left.
5. Now grind the Sesame seeds, leave it coarse not powdery form. It is important not to make it powdery otherwise it will end the nutty texture. 
6. Now mix the sesame with gur or jaggery.
7. In a cup take two spoons of jaggery with 4 to 5 spoons of water and start mixing.
8. In a wide bowl take the rice powder and slowly pour the jaggery mix water and make a dough. Careful to not put all the water at once otherwise it will difficult to make the dough, see if you require more water later. Make the dough soft. 
9. Take a little dough on your palm, make a ball and flatten it.
10. Spread 1 or 2 teaspoons of the Jaggery and sesame filling on the flattened dough. 
11. Fold it like a half-moon shape and seal it well so that stuff won't come out. 
12. This step is optional, we can rub the xutuli pitha shape on the extra sesame seeds that always gives an extra crunch on the outer layer. This is optional and you can always skip it.
13. Now put the gas on medium flame and place the pan and pour the oil once it gets hot. Start frying the pithas until it gets golden brown.
14. Serve hot with a cup of tea or milk or your favorite drink or you can have it on its own.