Submitted by Sneha Reddy and Naxma Akhtar
This popular traditional and ornamental Bangladeshi appetizer is a crowd pleaser. Often served at festivals or while entertaining guests in villages, these fried rice cakes make for the perfect savoury or sweet, crispy and flakey (and beautiful) treat. It’s also fun to make with kids!
Ingredients
• 1 ½ cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup rice flour
• ½ tsp cardamom (finely crushed)
• ½ tsp anise (finely crushed)
• ½ L cooking oil
• 1 large toothpick (or thorns of a palm tree) for crafting a design
Alternative: A Sweet Dessert
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tsp honey
• 3 pods cardamom
1. Bring salted water to a boil. Mix flour and spices. Slowly add dry mix to boiled water to make a dough, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and mix out the lumps using a wooden spoon. Knead well. When thickened into a smooth dough, remove from heat, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
2. Using damp hands, divide the dough into 6 even portions. Roll into balls. On a lightly floured or non-stick surface, press into ½ inch thick flattened cakes.
3. With your finger, lightly spread a few drops of oil around the top of the cake. Using a toothpick or other slender tool, draw a design into the dough cake. Traditional designs mimic flowers or leaves, repeating lines and curves in tight patterns. Contemporary designs use cookie-cutters. Cover with a tea towel and let the dough cakes rest to dry for 1-2 hours.
4. Heat cooking oil. If using a deep fryer, heat to 350F. If frying on the stove, heat oil until bubbles form around a dry wooden spoon when submerged in the hot oil. Fry cakes in the oil until golden brown. Remove and dry using paper towels.
5. Serve hot. Makes 10-12.
Alternative: A Sweet Dessert
5b. Make a syrup by dissolving sugar into water, then add honey to avoid crystallization. Add cardamom pods for flavour and simmer on low for 2 minutes. Dip nokshi pithas and coat evenly on both sides.
