Sunday 22 February 2009

Bhapa Pithe / Coconut Stuffed Sweet Idlis


I remember the first time I made this, my ex-neighbour loved it so much she practically announced it to everybody she came across or knew.

I make this coconut mixture very frequently ... and use this to make laddoos or to stuff any kind of pithe ( cooked sweetmeat made of lentils & rice) .

So once while making idlis I thought of stuffing them with this filling .... a new sweet for my hubby. And the juicy, sweet filling was such a good foil to the usual bland idlis ... I have been making these regularly ever since .... whenever am making idlis .... sweet idlis are made too.
I have used jaggery for the filling ..... if you want you can use sugar too.

There is a Bengali pithe called the Bhapa ( steamed ) pithe that is made this way.

I don't know why the colour did not turn too dark ... the snaps would have looked even better. But the sweetness was perfect .... too much jaggery may have turned it slightly bitter.



Need :
For the idlis : Idli batter, a little cooking oil.
For the filling : Grated coconut, crushed elaichi / cardamom, jaggery.

How to : Heat a non stick kadhai/vessel. Put in the grated coconut with the jaggery and elaichi and cook well. Add a little water if you feel the need to melt the jaggery.
Take an idli stand. Apply a little cooking oil to the moulds.

Pour in a little batter. Place a spoonful of the filling on it. Now cover it with another spoonful of batter.


Steam like regular idlis.
Done ! :-)


Enjoy folks! And have a great Sunday! :-)


22 comments:

  1. Innovative twist! Poornam inside idlis sounds a great idea from the regular routine. No wonder your neighbour sang praises!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ummmm....this is an innovative one Sharmila :) Congrats for sharing it with us !!! Reminds me of those 'pithe' days :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such an innovative idea, Sharmila...nischoi pither mato khete habe...ekhuni try karte ichcha karche

    ReplyDelete
  4. We do it in Orissa, it is incrediblly delicious. I love the stuffing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Sunshinemom, L ! :-)

    Hain Indrani ... steamed pithe e bolte paro. :-)

    And I thought I was the one who came up with the idea Shibani! Is it a pitha? Coz am from Orissa too but never had anything like this. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome Sharmila!! darun idea!! eta to ekrokom steamed pithey i hoye gelo!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Abar idli....tumi to ekebare idli pro dekhchi.
    Khub bhalo lagche and very novel

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow! That sounds so interesting and unusual!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I never tried making sweet idlis, though make vegetables stuffed idlis frequently! Nice idea. Thanks for the tip!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow..I would've never thought of a sweet idli. It sounds yummy, and pretty easy too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thik Soma. Thanks. :-)

    Thanks Sandeepa! Batter ar pur dutoi chilo .. tai bhablam post korei feli. :-)

    Thanks Ranjani, Joyeeta, AnuSriram, bharti! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. oh this a great idea..will try with my hubby:)first time here.Lovely looking blog.Do drop in my blog at ur free time:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. this looks interestin will give this try,..:-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thats really a great one..I remember my mom trying it sometime...i know it must taste great...

    and a request..can you have your site url in your my website details..I always go a round way to land here..hheheh

    ReplyDelete
  15. very innovative sharmi... sure will give a try...hm.. delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is such a creative and innovative idea Sharmila, looks very inviting too !

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very innovative and it turns a normal and everyday dish into something exotic and exciting. Its a must try recipe

    ReplyDelete
  18. Very nice .. but I dont agree on it being innovative. Coz just go to Goa during 15th Aug and all villagers will be making these idlis... with coconut toddy mind you. And let me tell you those idles are absolutely heavenly. My mum knows how much I adore them and even though she is very old now, she still insists on doing those for us on Aug 15, coz we are there for our summer holidays. God Bless Moms! But since I dont get toddy, I am surely going to try your recipe here to relive my memories. Thank you. Maria

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks Chitra, Priyanka, Valli, Adlak, Usha, Sukanya ... for liking this. :-)

    Anon ... thanks for the info.
    I did not know it and am sure my friends do not know about it too ... so called this innovative. :-)
    The things we come up with in our kitchens that we think are new must be common in at least one part of the world ... but not necessarily is known to most people ... hence the excitement on creating or finding something new.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Sharmila di,
    Came across your website while looking for borboti alu bhaja. Had this sudden craving for it and its too early to ring my mum to ask so thought I'll google :)
    I'm a Bangladeshi living in Brisbane..the sweet idlis are quite similiar to "Bhappa pitha" that is commonly made during winter back home. Its winter here and I've been trying to explain to my South Indian husband about bhappa pitha to which I have been unsuccessful for the last few years.You have made my day and now I wont have to struggle and get him to make the idli batter while I follow your recipe to include the narikel. Thanks soo much :). Its called killing two birds in one stone :D hahahaha
    btw..I'm adding your website to my favourites...Alizeh

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Alizeh!
    Thanks for the kind words. Am glad you found what you were looking for here. Enjoy the sweet idlis too! :-)

    ReplyDelete


Please do not spam.