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Til Pitha

Thin bora saul crepes rolled around roasted black sesame and jaggery, made on a dry tawa — the most loved pitha of Bihu.

Ingredients

• 500 g bora saul (sticky rice)
• 1 cup black sesame seeds
• 1 cup jaggery (gur), grated
• pinch of salt

Method

1. Soak the bora saul overnight, or at least 6 hours, then drain in a sieve for 30 minutes till just damp.
2. Pound in a dheki or grind in short pulses to a fine, slightly moist flour. Sieve it, mix in a pinch of salt and keep covered so it does not dry out.
3. Dry-roast the sesame on low heat for 5 minutes till it crackles and smells nutty. Cool and crush coarsely.
4. Mix the crushed sesame with the grated jaggery to make the filling.
5. Heat a heavy tawa on low-medium heat; do not grease it.
6. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour in a thin even circle about 5 inches wide and press lightly so it sets into a sheet.
7. When the edges firm up, in about 1 minute, spread 1 tablespoon of filling down the middle.
8. Roll it from one side using a flat spatula and lift off before it browns. Repeat with the rest.
9. Cool fully before storing in an airtight tin.

Tip: The flour must stay damp — if it dries out the pitha will not bind. Keep it covered with a damp cloth while you work.