Ghila Pitha Recipe (Fried Assamese Rice and Jaggery Cakes for Bihu)

Quick answer: Ghila pitha is a small, flat, deep-fried cake of sticky rice flour sweetened with jaggery. Its name comes from ghila, the Assamese word for the kneecap, after its shape. It is one of the standard pithas of Magh Bihu and Bohag Bihu and an everyday tea-time snack in Assam. The dough rests for 30 minutes; frying a batch takes about 25 minutes.

Kitchen note: This recipe is not yet kitchen-tested by a HinduTone cook. The quantities and timings follow common home methods; judge doneness by look and texture, and adjust for your stove and ingredients.

What is ghila pitha and why is it made for Bihu?

Pitha is the Assamese word for a rice cake or sweet. Ghila pitha is made from bora saul, Assam's glutinous (sticky) rice, and jaggery, and it is fried rather than cooked on a dry pan like til pitha. The Assam Tribune lists it among the "usual" pithas of Bihu, with til, sunga and tekeli pitha. EastMojo notes that salt can replace the jaggery for a savoury ghila pitha. The Sentinel describes another style, close to a malpua, in which the fried pitha is dipped in sugar syrup.

Magh Bihu, also called Bhogali Bihu (the Bihu of feasting), is Assam's mid-January harvest festival. Pithas, laru and jolpan (a breakfast of flattened or puffed rice with curd and jaggery) are prepared before Uruka, the feast night on the eve of the festival, and shared with family and visitors over the following days. See our Magh Bihu in Assam guide for the full festival.

Ingredients

Home-ground flour: soak 300 g (1 1/2 cups) bora rice or other glutinous rice for 3 to 4 hours, drain, dry on a cloth for 30 minutes and grind to a fine, slightly damp flour. It will need less water than dry shop flour.

Mustard oil is the usual frying oil in Assamese kitchens. If you use it, heat it until it just begins to smoke and then lower the heat before frying, as many Indian cooks do to mellow its pungency. Any neutral oil works too.

How to make ghila pitha

Make the jaggery dough

1. Put the jaggery and water in a small pan on low heat and stir until the jaggery dissolves. You need only a melted, runny syrup, not a thread or ball stage. Strain it to remove any grit and let it cool until warm.
2. Put the rice flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the warm jaggery syrup a little at a time and mix with your hand.
3. Knead into a soft, smooth dough that does not stick to your palm, like soft playdough. Add a teaspoon of water if it cracks, or a spoon of flour if it is sticky.
4. Cover and rest for 30 minutes so the flour absorbs the liquid.

Shape and fry

1. Divide the dough into about 16 portions, each the size of a small lime. Roll each into a ball, then press it between oiled palms (or on an oiled sheet of plastic) into a round about 6 cm (2 1/2 inches) across and 5 to 7 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Some cooks make a slight dip in the centre, which helps it cook through.
2. Heat the oil in a kadai or deep pan on medium heat. Test with a small pinch of dough: it should sink, then rise steadily with small bubbles. If it rises at once and darkens, the oil is too hot.
3. Slide in 3 or 4 pithas at a time. Fry on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once or twice, until they are deep golden brown and puffed slightly.
4. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. They are soft and chewy when warm and firm up as they cool.

Syrup-dipped style: for the malpua-like version, make a light syrup of 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar and 120 ml (1/2 cup) water, simmered for 5 minutes, and dip the hot pithas in it briefly.

Frying safety

• Use a deep, heavy pan filled no more than one-third with oil, on a back burner, with the handle turned in.
• Keep children and pets away from the stove while you fry.
• Pat the pithas dry and slide them in close to the oil, away from you. Jaggery dough can spit if it has wet spots.
• Never leave hot oil unattended. If oil catches fire, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid; never use water.
• Let the oil cool completely before you move or strain it.

Pressure cooker, Instant Pot and rice cooker

Ghila pitha is deep-fried, so there is no pressure-cooker, Instant Pot or rice-cooker version. An air fryer gives a drier, biscuit-like result rather than the soft, chewy inside of a fried pitha; brush with oil and cook at a moderate setting, checking often, if you try it.

Naivedyam and Bihu customs

On Magh Bihu morning, after the Meji bonfire is lit, many households offer the first pithas and sesame into the fire, and the feast follows the rituals. If you want to offer ghila pitha at your home shrine, keep some aside before anyone tastes them. Families differ: follow your elders or ask your priest.

Substitutions abroad

Ordinary rice flour alone gives a hard, crumbly pitha. If your glutinous rice flour is very sticky to handle, some cooks mix in a little ordinary rice flour.

Vegan option

Ghila pitha is already vegan: rice, jaggery and oil only.

Common mistakes

• Oil too hot: the outside darkens fast while the centre stays raw and doughy. Fry on medium-low.
• Pithas too thick: they stay gummy inside. Keep them about 5 to 7 mm thick.
• Dough too wet: the pithas lose shape and soak up oil. Add a spoon of flour.
• Dough too dry: the edges crack and open in the oil. Knead in a little water.
• Crowding the pan: the oil cools and the pithas turn greasy. Fry a few at a time.

Storage

Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days in cool weather. In warm, humid weather keep them in the fridge and warm them briefly in a pan or oven before eating. They turn hard when cold.

Allergens

The basic recipe contains no gluten (glutinous rice has no gluten despite its name), dairy, nuts or sesame. Mustard is a listed allergen in the UK, the EU and Canada, so tell guests if you fry in mustard oil. Shop-made pithas may be fried in shared oil with other foods.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called ghila pitha?

Ghila means kneecap in Assamese. The pitha is a small, rounded, flattish cake that recalls the shape of a kneecap.

Can I make ghila pitha with ordinary rice flour?

It is not the same. Without glutinous rice the pitha turns hard and does not have its soft, chewy inside. Use glutinous rice flour, or mix in only a little ordinary rice flour.

Is there a savoury ghila pitha?

Yes. Leave out the jaggery and knead the flour with salted water. The savoury kind goes well with tea.

When is Magh Bihu in 2027?

Magh Bihu falls on Friday 15 January 2027 per the panchang. The central restricted-holiday list marks "Makar Sankranti / Magha Bihu" on Thursday 14 January, and Assam's own 2027 list is awaited. Uruka is the eve of Magh Bihu. Confirm with your local panchang or temple priest.

How is ghila pitha different from til pitha?

Til pitha is a thin sheet of sticky rice flour cooked on a dry pan and rolled round a sesame and jaggery filling. Ghila pitha has the jaggery in the dough itself and is deep-fried.

Is ghila pitha made only for Bihu?

No. It is made for both Magh Bihu and Bohag Bihu, and many Assamese homes also make it as a snack to go with tea.

Sources

• The Assam Tribune, "In quest of pithas", 15 April 2021: https://dainikasam.assamtribune.com/in-quest-of-pithas (accessed 12 November 2026)
• EastMojo, Pritisha Borthakur, "The many kinds of pitha, laru and jolpaan to feast on this Magh Bihu", 13 January 2023: https://eastmojo.com/assam/2023/01/13/the-many-kinds-of-pitha-laru-and-jolpaan-to-feast-on-this-magh-bihu/ (accessed 12 November 2026)
• The Sentinel (Assam), Gunin Borah, "Traditional Delicacy of Magh Bihu", 15 January 2022: https://sentinelassam.com/editorial/traditional-delicacy-of-magh-bihu-573249 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• Food Standards Agency (UK), "Food allergy and intolerance advice for consumers": https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-allergy-and-intolerance-advice-for-consumers (accessed 12 November 2026)

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.

Related guides

• Makar Sankranti 2027 guide
• Magh Bihu in Assam
• Til pitha recipe
• Narikol laru recipe
• Rongali (Bohag) Bihu guide
• Sankranti recipes by state