S11 · Snacks · Bihar and Jharkhand
Dal Pitha
Steamed rice-flour dumplings from Jharkhand and Bihar, filled with coarsely ground chana and moong dal seasoned with garlic, ginger and mustard oil.
- Region
- Jharkhand (also Bihar)
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Time, as written
- Soak 3 h · Prep 30 min · Cook 25 min
- Serves
- 3 (4 pitha each)
- Difficulty
- Moderate (shaping)
- Status
- Traditional
- Good for
- Evening snack, festival food, tiffin
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per serving | 285 | 11 g | 49 g | 4 g | 0 g | 6 g | 1 g | 4.0 g |
Tier: Good source. With 100 g curd: 345 kcal, 14 g protein. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Shell
Filling
Method
Soak both dals 3 hours. Drain and grind coarsely with garlic, ginger and chillies, without water.
Heat mustard oil until it just smokes; lower the heat. Add cumin and ajwain, then the dal paste, turmeric and salt. Cook 5–6 minutes, stirring, until dry and crumbly. Stir in coriander; cool.
Bring 200 ml water and salt to a boil. Off the heat, add rice flour and stir to a rough dough. Cover 5 minutes, then knead while warm until smooth (wet your hands if it sticks).
Divide into 12 balls. Flatten each into a 7–8 cm disc, place 1 tbsp filling in the centre, fold into a half-moon and pinch the edges to seal.
Steam on a greased plate for 12–15 minutes until the shells turn slightly translucent and no longer sticky.
Serve warm with tomato-coriander chutney.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- The dal filling supplies 7.5 g per serving; rice flour 2.5 g.
- Boost
- Increase the filling to 140 g dal in total and use slightly larger pitha (+2.5 g protein, +45 kcal per serving), or serve with 100 g curd.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Bihari style — boil the pitha in salted water for 10 minutes instead of steaming, then toss in a little tempered mustard oil and chillies.
- Substitution
- Urad dal in place of moong in the filling.
- Storage
- 2 days refrigerated; re-steam to soften.
- Food safety
- Refrigerate within 2 hours.
- Meal prep
- Good — make the filling a day ahead.
Allergens
None of the major allergens (mustard oil; check hing)
Labels: Good source · Dairy-free · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · No added sugar · Lower-fat
Gluten-free* means gluten-free only when certified gluten-free hing is used; most hing contains wheat flour.