Bela sijha manda
Bela sukla/sijha/steamed manda pitha
Bela or wood apple is a seasonal fruit
and very good for stomach....
regular drinking of bela or bael  keeps stomach out of any stomach related diseases
normally in coastal odisha  this pitha is prepared without bael pulp  in "sudasa brata"  and is offered to maa laxmi...we call it sukla manda and in western odisha it is called phuta or ghora manda but their style of preparation is little different though the recipes is almost same.....
but here i have given little twist to our normal manda pitha......it has always been my wish to experiment  in my kitchen....i love to create some new cuisines and to extend our odia cuisines instead of repeating the international and national cuisines  .....

ingredients required for this wonderful creation=====
rice powder-2 cups or you can soak rice for 1 hour then grind and make a smooth paste......
sugar/jaggery as per your taste
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon green cardamon powder
2 cups wood apple pulp
salt to taste
first boil this pulp with salt ,jaggery when it starts to boil or
when you notice it starts to create bubble
bring your gas flame to simmer and slowly add rice powder or rice batter
continuously keep stirring as not a single lump will be formed
and till it becomes a smooth consistency like smooth dough.....
then switch off the gas....
start kneading this dough with taking very little water in your palm......
For stuffing=======
in a wok put grated coconut,jaggery/sugar,green cardamon powder
saute them in low medium flame till jaggery melts and comes out a beautiful smell out of this mixture....
make small balls out of this dough and gives shape to this each ball as something can be put into that.....
put little coconut stuffing into it and seal from each corner again back to that ball shape......
you make each ball out of dough like this...
finally steam them or you can steam in water too...