Sticky rice flour layered with sesame and jaggery, steamed into a dense sweet cake — a traditional festival sweet of Tripura made for harvest celebrations and community gatherings.
Ingredients
1 cup glutinous rice flour (sticky rice flour — available at Asian stores; regular rice flour can substitute but texture differs)
1/2 cup sesame seeds — dry-roasted
1/3 cup jaggery — dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
A pinch of salt
2 to 3 tbsp water to adjust dough consistency
Oil for greasing
Method
Dissolve jaggery in 1/4 cup warm water. Cool slightly.
Dry-roast sesame seeds in a pan stirring constantly for 3 minutes until golden and popping. Cool.
Mix glutinous rice flour with a pinch of salt.
Add the cooled jaggery water gradually, mixing with hands. Add plain water 1 tbsp at a time until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Add cardamom powder. Mix.
Grease a flat steaming tray or plate (20 cm diameter) with oil.
Divide the dough into two equal portions.
Press the first portion evenly across the bottom of the greased tray — about 1 cm thick.
Spread the roasted sesame seeds evenly over this first layer, pressing them gently into the dough.
Press the second portion of dough over the sesame layer. Smooth the top surface.
Set up a steamer with boiling water. Steam the cake for 20 to 25 minutes until completely cooked through and set.
Test by inserting a skewer — it should come out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares or diamond shapes.