Chitoi Pitha

Chitoi Pitha a traditional Bengali treat originated in rural Bengal. It's made in winter months with freshly harvested rice. It can be eaten with a drizzle of ghee or honey also with duck or any meat bhuna, shutki-vortha or any other vagi-vortha. You can say it's like Crumpets but it's not quite the same, Crumpets are made of flour, yeast, milk, butter and sugar, Chitoi has none of those.

Equipment: You must have a Gas Cooker and a round-bottomed Karhai. I didn't have a gas cooker so I bought a portable gas cooker used for camping or picnic, they are inexpensive.

Ingredients: (to make 20-25)

Rice (I use Basmati)  2 cups
Baking powder: 1 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Salt: 2tsp
Water 2.5 cups

Process:

• Soak the rice in 2.5 cups of hot water and leave for 6 hours, overnight is better.
• In an electric blender add the soaked rice including the water and rest of the ingredients and blend thoroughly until you get a creamy consistency. 
• Heat up the karhai to medium heat (400c)
• Smear the bottom carefully with an oil soaked kitchen towel, you will have to do it every time, smearing and cleaning at the same time otherwise you will get burnt crumbs on the bottom of the next one, not good! Also remember to stir the mix each time. 
• Pour a ladle full (little less than 1/4 cup) of the mix in the middle of the karhai. 
• Cover with a lid and wait for 45 sec to 1 minute (its only a guide, once you make a few you will know the correct timing right for you. It should be slightly brown on the bottom and slightly crispy around the edge and fluffy)
• Lift it up with a rubber spatula or a suitable flat spoon
• Wipe the bottom of the karhai and go for the next one. 

Note: you can search chitoi pitha in YouTube and watch the making process, it's all same but the problem with those videos are that most of them leave out vital information. In the case of Chitoi Pitha they don't tell you about the overnight soaking of the rice, which is vital, without that you will definitely fail.