Rice is the most widely consumed grain in India. While plain, steamed rice is delicious by itself, there are a wide variety of other ways in which it is prepared. One such dish is puttu, the famous breakfast food of Kerala. Puttu is also popular in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

Made from rice flour and fresh grated coconut, puttu is traditionally steamed in a bamboo puttu maker. The bamboo log gives it the shape and also adds a unique aroma and flavour of its own. These days, however, steel vessels are more commonly used. Puttu can also be made from red rice, ragi, wheat and rava.

While typically served with kadala curry or black chickpeas curry, puttu goes well with fish curry and meat dishes as well. It can also be eaten plain, with a little bit of sugar sprinkled on top.

Getting the consistency of the puttu recipe right is slightly tricky. It is important to get the right amount of moisture; dry, dense puttu is difficult to eat comfortably and very moist puttu will not hold its shape. However, you needn’t worry! Follow the steps of this puttu recipe, and you can make the softest, tastiest puttu ever!

Note: This puttu recipe serves 4-5 people.

List Of Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for your puttu recipe –

• 2 and 1/2 cups slightly coarse organic rice flour
• 1 and 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
• 1 and 1/2 cup hot boiled water
• Salt according to taste.
• Puttu kudam or puttu maker.

If you do not have a puttu maker, you can use an idli steamer vessel. While it will not give you the required shape, the taste will be the same.

Another way of cooking it is by using a pot of boiling water covered by a perforated rack as steamer. You can put the puttu mixture in an inverted bowl and keep it on top of the rack to steam and cook.

How To Make Puttu Mixture

1. Take the rice flour in a large bowl. Do not sift or sieve the flour as very fine rice flour will not give the right consistency of puttu.
2. Boil the required amount of water and slowly pour into the bowl containing rice flour. Mix with a spoon as you pour to ensure that the rice absorbs all the water.
3. Add salt according to taste.
4. Add the grated coconut. Don’t add the whole of the above-mentioned quantity; keep a little aside to be added later while steaming the puttu.
5. Mix well with a spoon first, then use your fingers. There should be no lumps. The mixture needs to be moist enough that if you make little balls of it, they hold their shape. However, it should also be crumbly and break into its powdery form if pressed, just as easily.

How To Cook Puttu

1. Set water to boil in the puttu maker. The pot-like vessel at the bottom is what needs to be filled with water. If using an idli steamer or DIY steamer, fill water in vessel required for steaming.
2. Assemble the cylindrical part of the puttu maker with the perforated steel disc at the very bottom.
3. Sprinkle some of the leftover grated coconuts over the perforated disc. Don’t add too much. If using an idli steamer, sprinkle the coconut on the mould for the idli.
4. Add puttu mixture into the cylindrical part of the vessel right up to the top. Don’t pack the mixture too tight, it’ll make the puttu very dense. Add in small batches to ensure airflow. Sprinkle some more coconut at the very top. Follow the same method if you’re using a different type of steamer, adjusted for volume of the vessel being used.
5. Next, the cylinder needs to be securely fixed on top of the vessel of boiling water. Close with lid.
6. If using a puttu maker, steam for 5 minutes. For other steamers, timing will have to be adjusted accordingly.
7. Once cooked, the cylinder must be taken off of the vessel with water. Open the lid. Using a pick or chopstick or spoon, push the metal disc such that the cooked puttu comes out of the vessel in perfect cylindrical shape. (Measurements of ingredients in this puttu recipe are for four batches of puttu).
8. Serve hot and enjoy!

Conclusion:

Puttu is a very nutritious and filling breakfast dish. It is extremely versatile and can be enjoyed with many different dishes. Kadala curry and fish and meat curries are the most popular, but you can try puttu with egg curry, sambar and Kerala-style potato stew as well. Also, opting for organic compounds when making your puttu dish is the healthier way to go about it due to the absence of harmful chemical compounds.

This puttu recipe is sure to give you the softest and tastiest puttu that can even be eaten with just some sugar and a banana! Try 24 Mantra Organics’s Rice flour and try tasty softest rice flour puttu and enjoy a traditional Kerala breakfast!

References:

1. https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/puttu-recipe/
2. https://recipesaresimple.com/puttu-recipe-how-to-make-the-best-softest-rice-flour-puttu/
3. https://www.cookingandme.com/2013/08/20/puttu-recipe-puttu-kerala-breakfast-recipe/
4. https://vaya.in/recipes/details/rice-puttu/