Traditional burnt pancake made with bottle gourd (ଲାଉ ପୋଡ ପିଠା) 

Bottle gourd is one of the healthiest vegetables, full of water and minerals, that keeps your heart healthy and treats a number of ailments. It is a common vegetable in allI Indian kitchens.  Here we share a sweet dish 'Lau poda pitha', a traditional  burnt pankake made up of bottle gourd and rice. This is a special festival dish made in the state of Odisha during a festival celebrating the first monsoon rain. The festival is call 'Raja'  and is celebrated  for three days in the month of June. 

http://conscioushealth.net/10-health-benefits-of-bottle-gourd-or-lauki-conscious-health-nahid-ameen/

Ingredients:

You need  1cup of rice flour,  I cup of bottle gourd (cut into small pieces and boiled), half a  cup jaggery or sugar, bay leaf,  grated coconut and small pieces of coconut,  cashew ( fried), half an inch of ginger (cut into small pieces,  few coarsely ground cardamom and black pepper. 

Preparation:

In a pan add water, bay leaf, cardamom powder and the bottle gourd. cook for a bit and  then  add the rice flour, jaggery and cashew. Cook until it becomes a thick paste.Add the coconuts, ginger and a  pinch of salt. Take it off the pan. Grease a tray with ghee, put the thick cooked dough and bake for about 400 mins in the oven.

Lau Poda pitha and  Chunchi patra pitha

Cut into pieces and serve. Great as a breakfast item on a festive day...