“Puttu” is basically some rice flour along with fresh grated coconut, traditionally steamed in bamboo logs and this gives the Puttu a lovely aroma. Nowadays “Puttu” is prepared in Puttu-kudam or Charta-Puttu.
Charta-Puttu:
Another alternate of Bamboo logs is Charta-Puttu, Charta means empty coconut shell. Traditionally the rice flour was steamed in an empty coconut shell and this gave a distinct nutty flavour and thus known as Charta-Puttu. Nowadays we get these Charta shaped steel bowls to steam the “Puttu’s”. Make sure to begin the stuffing with coconut and end with coconut. Place the filled bowl on a pressure cooker whistle area and allow it to steam.
Puttu-kudam:
Puttu-kudam consists of two parts. The base part is a pot for heating water. The top cylinder shape part is for steaming the rice flour (Puttu) a modern kitchen equipment that has replaced the traditional bamboo log.
Alternate kitchen equipment:
If you do not have Charta-Puttu mold or Puttu-Kudam, you can still prepare “Puttu” easily in an Idli steamer.
“Puttu” is best to be eaten when it is steaming hot and fresh. After a few hours, the “Puttu” starts to dry out, unless it is stored in a hotpot.
What to eat with Puttu?
The best combination of “Puttu” is Kadala curry (black chickpeas curry) or Egg curry or Payyer curry (green lentil curry). Puttu is a heavy breakfast and keeps one full for quite some time. I was not a “Puttu” lover, but my husband Mr. B loves to have “Puttu” with Kadla curry and occasionally buys from restaurants.
Here are few of my favorite Kerala recipes, do check out these refreshing recipes:-
1. VARTHA-ARACHA KADLA CURRY / CHICKPEA IN ROASTED COCONUT PASTE
2. VELLULLI CHORU / GARLIC RICE / VELLULLI KARAM RICE
3. IDICHAKKA THORAN / TENDER JACKFRUIT STIR
5. MADAKSAN / COCONUT FILLED CREPES
Check out the VIDEO 👇👇👇
Once I knew the benefits of having steamed breakfast, oil-free breakfast, I too started to love “Puttu”, and my favourite combination is “Puttu” and ripe Bananas. Mash the ripe Bananas into the steaming “Puttu” and just relish it. If you are a sweet tooth person, then you may add some sugar while mixing the banana. This is a desert cum breakfast. As a kid, I remember my mom used to serve me “Puttu” with Banana and those days I just hated it.
So I experimented with another combination and that was pouring the hot tea on the “Puttu” and having it as porridge. Well well… all said and done, ultimately I started to like “Puttu”.
Packed “Puttu” powders are now easily available in all shops and supermarkets. Basically it is nothing but coarse ground raw rice and then roasted. Back home in Kerala, my mother would make their own “Puttu” powder and never buy packed powders. During one of my vacations I asked my Mom, why take so much strain to make these “Puttu” powders at home, while it is so easily available at the shops. My Mom just responded, you try this homemade “Puttu” powder and you will notice the difference. Truly I am so convinced with the home made “Puttu” texture, freshness and overall quality of the home made “Puttu” powder. Every effort taken to make the homemade “Puttu” powder was worth it, so I asked my mom to prepare 2 kg of “Puttu” powder for me to take.
Stay tuned for my next recipe blog, as I will be sharing the detailed method of making “Puttupodi” “Puttu powder” at home.
Please scroll through my blog
If you'd like more delicious recipes delivered straight to your Inbox, click on
Let’s quickly head to making “Puttu”. This whole preparation and cooking process just takes 18 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 2 cup Puttu flour or roasted rice flour
- 1 cup Coconut (grated)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Water (as required)
Procedure:
Making of Puttu mixture:
In a large bowl take 2 cup Puttu flour or roasted rice flour, add in a teaspoon of salt and mix well.
Sprinkle ¼ cup water all over the flour and begin to mix with your fingertips to crumble the flour. Sprinkle water in small batches and crumble well. The amount of water required will depend on the quality of rice flour. So you can add accordingly, but do not overwater it.
To get soft “Puttu”, the amount of rice flour to water ratio is important. To check the Puttu flour, gently press a small portion of the flour between your palms. It should form a lump. When you press this flour lump more, then it breaks and crumbles. This should be the perfect texture of the flour. Break all the lumps with your fingers.
For beginners, the easiest method is to take a blender, add in the flour, salt, little water at a time and pulse a couple of times, until it forms soft moist crumbs. Do this process is 2 batches.
Allow the Puttu flour to rest for 8-10 minutes while this happens, boil water in Puttu Kudam or pressure cooker (without lid) or get your idli steamer ready.
Also grate the coconuts.
Steaming of Puttu:
Take the Puttu mold (cylindrical tube) and first place the perforated disc inside the cylindrical vessel. Thereafter start to layer the rice flour and coconut. 1st layer is to add in 2 tbsp. of fresh grated coconut, followed by 4 tbsp. of Puttu flour, again layer with 2 tbsp. of coconut, followed by 4 tbsp. of Puttu flour and finally finish with 2 tbsp coconut and level it up. Place the cylindrical portion on top of the base vessel in which the water must have come to a boil.
If you are using the Charta mould (bowl shape) then repeat a similar process. 1st layer is to add in 2 tbsp. of fresh grated coconut, followed by 4 – 5 tbsp. of Puttu flour and finally finish with 2 tbsp. coconut and level it up. Fill water in pressure cooker, close the pressure cooker without the cooker whistle and fix the Charta mould on the pressure cooker whistle area.
If you are using an Idli steamer, then in the Idli mould spread 1st layer of coconut, then top it up with a few spoons of rice flour and finally finish it with some more fresh coconut. Place the Idli mould into the steamer.
Steam for 6 minutes until the steam escapes from top holes of puttu kutty (cylindrical tube) or the charta-puttu or steamer.
Once the steam comes out, reduce the flame and carefully remove the moulds, and push the “Puttu” using a wooden ladle from the back onto a serving plate.
If using the charta-puttu mould or the idli mould, open the mould lid and just tap onto a serving plate.
Serve “Puttu” hot or warm with Kadala curry, egg curry or serve it in the traditional humble way with Banana and Papadam.
Do try this recipe and don’t forget to let me know if you like it through comments. Be kind to like my page and share with your friends using the buttons on the side, that would really encourage me. God Bless!
Comments
Post a Comment