Ingredients:

• 500 g – black gram dal (urad dal).
• 500 g – rice.
• 1 – Coconut (whole).
• 500 g – guda (jaggery) / sugar.
• 2 inches (15 g) – ginger.
• 1 tsp – black pepper powder.
• 2 tsp – ghee.
• 2 tsp – salt.

Method:

1. Soak black gram dal and rice for about six hours. Wash the dal and rice, and grind it. The paste should be fine and thick.
2. Add salt and mix well. Keep paste aside for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Grate the coconut.
4. Cut ginger into very small pieces.
5. Then mix coconut, jaggery/sugar, ginger and black pepper powder and mix well.
6. Pre-heat oven for 10 mins and grease it with ghee.
7. Pour the paste into the tray and keep it in the oven.
8. Cook on high for 30 mins.
9. Reduce to medium for 30 mins.
10. A needle inserted should come out clean. When its colour is golden brown, the poda pitha is ready to eat.
11. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
12. Cut into small pieces and serve with chutney, preferably with coconut chutney.

Recipe courtesy of Lakshmi Mishra