Til Pitha Recipe (Assamese Sesame and Jaggery Rice Rolls)

Quick answer: Til pitha is a thin roll of sticky rice flour cooked on a dry pan and wrapped around roasted black sesame and jaggery. It is the best-known sweet of Magh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu), Assam's January harvest festival, and is made in the days before it. The flour takes a few hours of soaking; each pitha cooks in about two 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 til pitha and why is it made for Magh Bihu?

Pitha is the Assamese word for a rice cake or sweet, and til means sesame. Magh Bihu, also called Bhogali Bihu (the Bihu of feasting), marks the end of the harvest in the month of Magh. Homes prepare pithas, laru (sweet balls of coconut, sesame or rice) and jolpan (breakfast of flattened or puffed rice with curd and jaggery) in the days before the festival. The night before Magh Bihu is Uruka, a community feast. On Magh Bihu morning people light the meji, a bonfire tower, and in many places the first pithas and sesame are offered into the fire.

Til pitha is traditionally made from bora saul, a glutinous (sticky) rice grown in Assam. The rice is soaked, dried and pounded into a damp, coarse flour, in the past with a dheki, a foot-operated wooden pounder that several households often shared. Black sesame is more usual for the filling, though some homes use white. Many town families now buy pitha from women's groups and shops, but home-made til pitha is still the one people talk about.

See our Magh Bihu in Assam guide for the festival itself, and our Bohag Bihu guide for Assam's April Bihu.

Ingredients

If you are using shop-bought glutinous rice flour instead of whole rice, take 250 g (about 2 cups) and see the step below for dampening it.

Families vary the ratio of sesame to jaggery. Equal weights give a filling that is sweet but still nutty; add more jaggery if you like it sweeter.

How to make til pitha on the stovetop

Prepare the rice flour

1. Wash the rice well and soak it in plenty of water for 3 to 4 hours. Home methods range from about an hour to overnight; longer soaking gives softer flour.
2. Drain it in a sieve, then spread it on a clean cloth for 30 to 60 minutes until the grains feel dry on the outside but still damp inside.
3. Grind it in short bursts in a dry grinder to a fine flour. Sieve and regrind the coarse bits.
4. Add the pinch of salt. The flour should feel slightly damp and clump when you squeeze it, then crumble when you poke it. That moisture is what makes the pitha hold together.

With shop-bought glutinous rice flour: sprinkle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of water over the flour and rub it in with your fingertips, a little at a time, until it reaches the same damp, crumbly stage. Cover it and rest it for 30 minutes.

Make the filling

1. Dry-roast the sesame in a pan on low heat, stirring, until it crackles and smells toasted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Black sesame shows little colour change, so go by smell and do not let it burn.
2. Let it cool, then pound or pulse it coarsely. Leave some seeds whole.
3. Mix in the grated jaggery with your fingers until it is evenly spread. The filling stays loose.

Cook the pithas

1. Heat a heavy flat pan (a tawa or cast-iron griddle) on medium, then turn the heat to low. Do not grease it.
2. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of damp flour onto the pan and spread it lightly with your fingers or the back of a spoon into a thin oval, about 12 by 8 cm (5 by 3 inches). Gaps fill as it cooks.
3. Within a minute the flour turns translucent at the edges and fuses into a sheet. Spoon a line of filling (about 1 tablespoon) along the centre.
4. Using a thin spatula and your fingers, roll the sheet from one long side over the filling, pressing the ends lightly to seal. The jaggery melts slightly and helps it stick.
5. Lift it off and wipe the pan with a dry cloth before the next one.

Til pitha should stay white or pale, not browned. If it colours, the pan is too hot. It is soft when warm and firms up as it cools.

Pressure cooker, Instant Pot and rice cooker

Til pitha is cooked as a thin sheet on a flat pan, so there is no pressure-cooker, Instant Pot or rice-cooker version. An electric crepe maker or a non-stick frying pan on low heat works if you have no tawa.

Naivedyam and Magh Bihu customs

On Magh Bihu morning, after the meji fire is lit, many households offer pithas and sesame into the flames before the meal, and pithas are shared with family and neighbours. How you offer them depends on family custom: follow your elders or ask your priest.

Substitutions abroad

Bora saul itself is rarely sold outside India. Thai glutinous rice is the closest whole-grain match. Glutinous rice flour from the shop is very fine and dry, which is why it needs dampening first; the result is a little smoother and chewier than home-pounded flour. Do not use ordinary rice flour: it will not fuse into a sheet.

Vegan option

Til pitha is already vegan: rice, sesame and jaggery only. Check that your jaggery has nothing added.

Common mistakes

• Flour too dry: it stays as loose powder on the pan and will not join. Rub in a few drops of water.
• Flour too wet: it sticks to the pan and tears when rolled. Spread it out to dry for 10 minutes.
• Pan too hot: the pitha browns and turns brittle before you can roll it. Keep the flame low.
• Burnt sesame: black sesame scorches without changing colour much. Roast on low heat and taste a seed.
• Too much filling: the roll splits. A slim line is enough.

Storage

Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container. In cool weather til pitha keeps for several days at room temperature; in warm, humid weather, refrigerate and eat within about 3 days. Home-made damp flour spoils quickly, so cook it the same day or refrigerate it overnight.

Allergens

Contains sesame, which is a major allergen in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and the EU. Glutinous rice contains no gluten despite its name, and the recipe has no dairy or nuts. If you buy ready-made pitha, check for nuts or coconut in the filling.

Frequently asked questions

Is glutinous rice the same as bora saul?

Bora saul is an Assamese variety of glutinous rice. Glutinous rice from Thailand or other countries behaves in a similar way and is the usual substitute abroad.

Can I make til pitha with ordinary rice flour?

Not really. Ordinary rice flour lacks the sticky starch that fuses the flour into a sheet on the pan. Use glutinous rice or its flour.

Should I use black or white sesame?

Black sesame is the more traditional choice in many homes and gives a stronger, slightly bitter nuttiness. White sesame works and gives a milder taste.

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 til pitha different from ghila pitha and narikol pitha?

Ghila pitha is a fried rice-flour cake, often sweetened with jaggery. Narikol pitha uses a coconut filling in place of sesame. Til pitha is cooked dry on a pan and filled with sesame and jaggery.

Can I make til pitha ahead of Magh Bihu?

Yes. Families traditionally make it in the days before Uruka. Store it airtight and, in a warm climate, in the fridge.

Sources

• 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)
• The Assam Tribune, Nikita Hazarika, "From courtyards to counters: the evolving story of Bhogali Bihu's pitha", 11 January 2026: https://assamtribune.com/assam/from-courtyards-to-counters-the-evolving-story-of-bhogali-bihus-pitha-1604155 (accessed 12 November 2026)
• India Food Network, Gitika Saikia, "Making Til Pitha for Magh Bihu", 14 January 2016: https://www.indiafoodnetwork.in/food-stories/culture/making-til-pitha-for-magh-bihu (accessed 12 November 2026)
• US Food and Drug Administration, "Food Allergies": https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/food-allergies (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
• Harvest festivals compared: Lohri, Sankranti, Pongal, Bihu
• Rongali (Bohag) Bihu guide
• January 2027 festivals state by state