Semolina Dough with Stuffed Coconut Recipe

Cooking Odiya Food: Suji Manda Pitha

I am an odiya girl as I am from Odissa, India. Well, did I say odiya and Odissa? Yes, I don’t like to be popular as an oriyan and from Orissa as these naming conventions are not created by people of Odissa. Odiya foods or popularly know as oriya food is famous in all over the world. Generally odiya people make lots of dishes in festivals. This is one of the popular recipes cooked using semolina and coconut, don’t misunderstand it to be a semolina cake. Hope you will enjoy it.

Ingredients for Cooking Semolina Pitha (Suji Manda Pitha):

• Semolina (200 grams)
• Sugar (150grams)
• Cardamom (1-2)
• Water or milk (1 and ½ cup)
• Coconut (1/2 )
• Oil or ghee (250 grams)

Steps to Make Fried Semolina Dough

• Take a pan add water, when water starts boiling add sugar and cardamom.
• Add semolina slowly to the water and stir it continuously at the same time.
• Stir the semolina till it becomes dry, it will look like semolina cake after you are done with the stirring. Keep it aside.

• Cut the coconut into small pieces and blend it without water.
• Take another pan add 2tbsp ghee, when ghee starts melting add blended coconut and fry it for about 5 minutes.
• Add cardamom and 7-8tbsp sugar, fry it for about 5-10 minutes in medium heat and keep it aside.
• When semolina paste becomes cool mix it well with hand and make some soft doughs.
• Make them round dough, if it sticks to your hand then take ghee on your palm and give it a round shape.
• Then press the middle part of the dough and stuff it with coconut, now seal the open part.
• In the meantime take a pan and add 200 grams ghee or oil, fry the semolina doughs in medium flame.
• When it turns into golden brown take them out.

Your suji manda pitha is ready to be served. This is the famous oriya food which is made invarious festivals. You can also try at your home during festival time and can serve your guest. Hope they will like it. Now don’t miss to write here your experience in making semolina pithas.