Assamese Til Pithaa Recipe with A2 Ghee (Bihu Sweet)
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By the Faimly Farm Team · Prep 20 min · Cook 25 min · Makes about 12 · An Assamese classic
Pithaa is the heart of Assamese festive food, especially during Bihu — rice-flour treats filled or flavoured with coconut, jaggery, and sesame. Here is a til (sesame) and coconut pithaa, lightly cooked with pure ghee, bringing the Northeast into India's ghee-sweet tradition. Here is how.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rice flour (ideally bora/glutinous rice flour if available)
- 3/4 cup grated coconut
- 1/2 cup jaggery, grated
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds (til), toasted
- 2-3 tbsp A2 ghee
- A pinch of salt
- Warm water, as needed
Method
1. Make the filling: cook the grated coconut, jaggery, and toasted sesame together on low until thick and sticky; cool. (This is the til-narikol filling.)
2. Make the dough: mix the rice flour with a pinch of salt and a spoon of ghee, then bring it together with warm water into a soft, pliable dough.
3. Shape: take small portions, flatten, place a little coconut-sesame filling inside, and seal into small logs or half-moons.
4. Cook in ghee: warm A2 ghee on a tawa and gently cook the pithaa, turning, until set and lightly golden — or steam them and finish with a brush of ghee.
5. Serve: warm, with an extra drizzle of ghee.
Where Ghee Comes In
Traditionally pithaa is cooked on a griddle or steamed; finishing with pure ghee adds richness, a gentle crisp, and an aroma that complements the sesame and jaggery. The ghee brings these rustic rice treats a festive richness.
The Faimly Farm Tip
Cook or finish your pithaa with pure A2 ghee. Ours is made from indigenous-cow milk by the traditional bilona method, in small lab-tested batches under our FSSAI licence. Explore our A2 Bilona Cow Ghee or the full A2 Ghee collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pithaa?
Pithaa is a traditional Assamese rice-flour treat, often filled with coconut, jaggery, and sesame, made especially during the Bihu festival.
What rice flour is best?
Bora (glutinous) rice flour is traditional and gives a chewy texture, but ordinary rice flour works for a firmer pithaa.
Is pithaa steamed or fried?
Different pithaa are steamed, griddled, or pan-cooked; finishing with ghee adds richness whichever method you use.
Why use ghee?
Pure ghee adds richness, a gentle crisp, and aroma that complements the sesame-coconut-jaggery flavours.
Which ghee is best?
Pure A2 cow ghee, ideally bilona-made, gives the best aroma.
Conclusion
Assamese Pithaa brings the Northeast into the family of Indian ghee sweets — rice flour, coconut, jaggery, and sesame, enriched with pure ghee. Make a sticky til-coconut filling, shape and cook gently, and finish with A2 ghee for a taste of Bihu wherever you are.
Make festive Assamese pithaa. Explore our A2 Ghee collection, try A2 Bilona Cow Ghee, and see our complete guide to cooking with A2 ghee. New customers can use code FIRST10 for 10% off their first order.
Faimly Farm: indigenous A2 milk, traditional bilona batches, lab-tested purity under our FSSAI licence. Learn more about Faimly Farm or contact us.
