Buddha Chakuli

Ingredients:

Urad dal ( dehusked, 1 cup)

Broken basmati rice ( 1 cup)

Ripe banana (1)

Freshly grated coconut (1 cup)

Chenna or ricotta cheese (1 cup)

Sugar (6 tsp)

Cardamon (3-4)

Peppercorn (6-7)

Salt

Baking powder (1 pinch, not required if given 3-4 hours to ferment)

Raisins (1/3 cup)

Ghee

Preparation:

Soak the urad dal for 4-5 hours

Wash and soak the broken rice for 10 mins.

Drain all the water and ground into a fine paste.
Ground the urad dal with the rice flour, banana, 2 cardamoms & the peppercorns to get a smooth paste.

Add salt to taste and 1 tsp sugar, mix well and keep aside.

Add the baking powder if you do not have time to ferment the batter.
Mash the chenna with 2 tsp sugar and cardamon powder.

Cooking:

Heat 1 tsp ghee in a pan.

Add the raisins and fry till they swell up.

Add 3 tsp sugar & coconut.

Fry for 5 min and sprinkle some cardamom powder.

Remove from the pan.
Heat 1/2 of ghee on the pan.

Spread a layer of batter.

Sprinkle the mashed chenna all over the pitha.

Spread another layer of batter over it.

Sprinkle the fried coconut over the batter.

Top it with a final layer of batter.

Cover with a lid and cook on a low flame.

Turn it over to the other side when one side is done and cook it on both sides to a reddish color.

Take out of pan cut into pie shapes and serve hot.