Manda Pitha

A soft, steamed traditional sweet stuffed with coconut, paneer, and sugar.**

Ingredients

1. 1 cup rice flour
2. 1 teaspoon corn flour
3. 1/2 cup water
4. 1/2 cup milk
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1 tablespoon cardamom powder
7. 1/2 cup fresh coconut
8. 4 tbsp paneer
9. 3/4 cup sugar

Instructions

1. Boil the liquid mixture

   • Boil water and milk together.
   • Add cardamom powder and salt.

2. Prepare the dough

   • Add rice flour and corn flour part by part while stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
   • Stir on low heat until all liquid is absorbed and the mixture forms a dough ball.
   • Turn off the heat and cover the dough.

3. Make the sweet filling

   • Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan.
   • Add coconut, paneer, and sugar.
   • Mix well and cook on low heat for 7–8 minutes.

4. Knead the dough

   • Apply little oil to palms.
   • Knead the warm dough into a smooth, soft texture (not too hot).

5. Shape the pitha

   • Take a tennis-ball sized portion of dough.
   • Make a dent in the center.
   • Add 1 tablespoon of filling.
   • Close and smoothen to form a ball without gaps.

6. Steam the pitha

   • Prepare 8–10 dough balls.
   • Steam them in a steamer for 10 minutes.