Poda Pitha Bhog (पोड़ पीठा भोग)

Poda Pitha is one such delicacy which is the most favorite dish of the Bhagwan Jagannath. Poda Pitha refers to Burnt Cake, which is the combination of Rice, Lentils, Coconut with the sweetness of jaggery and little spiced with the spices like ginger, black pepper, Cardamoms. The traditional Poda Pitha was made in earthenwares on clay ovens with burnt charcoals.

Required Ingredients
Raw rice: 1.5 cup
Black gram: 1 cup
Grated coconut: ½ cup
Sliced coconut: 10 to 15 pcs
Sugar/ Jaggery: 1 cup
Black pepper(roughly crushed): 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts:6 to 7 pcs
Resins: 10 to 15 pcs
Cardamom(freshly crushed): 4 to 5 pcs
Desi Ghee: 4 tbsp
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Sendha namak (Rock Salt)

Preparation Before Making Prasad:
1. Soak the rice and black gram in two separate bowls overnight.
2. Next day first clean them and grind into a fine batter. Mix both the batter and all the ingredients mentioned above except Ghee.

Recipe:
1. Give everything a proper mix and keep it covered at least one hour for fermentation.
2. Preheat the pressure cooker for 10 minutes then grease the ghee around it.
3. Now pour the batter into the cooker and cover it without the whistle lid or you can make it in Kadai by covering with a lid.
4. Place the cooker on low flame for about 40 to 50 minutes.
5. After 50 minutes, you can check it by inserting a toothpick. If it comes clean then switch off the flame.
6. Wait the cooker to cool down completely, then carefully remove the pitha from the cooker without breaking it. Cut into your desired shapes.

Religious Importance:
It is a traditional Bhog of Bhagwan Jagannathji, during Bahuda yatra Jagannath Ji stops at the Mausi Maa temple and eats a bite of poda pitha before returning to his abode.