Puttu

Puttu is the traditional Kerala breakfast item. But in our house we almost always make it for dinner. This is a perennial favorite of my husband. You can either have this with just ripe bananas only, or make it into a heavy meal by taking it with kadala(black chickpeas/Bengal gram) curry and pappadam. Traditionally these used to be made in molds made out of seasoned bamboo or coconut shells, giving it the unique shape - cylindrical or hemispherical.

To serve 3

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Roasted rice powder (you can get Puttu powder from south Indian shops)
2. 1/4 cup water
3. 3/4 cup grated coconut
4. Salt 1/4 tsp or to taste

Method:

Add salt to the water and mix it with the rice powder. The mix should be not too wet, nor too dry. If you take a little of the mix and press it between your fingers it should hold its shape without being sticky. In case it is too dry, add more water little by little, mixing thoroughly. Put the powder in the mixer or a food processor and whip it for 3 seconds (not more, as otherwise the powder will turn to a dough like form), till the powder is in a bread-crumb form.
Now, mix half of the grated coconut with this powder with a fork. If you are using a puttu maker, line it with a spoon of grated coconut and fill the remaining potion with the prepared powder. If you don't have a puttu maker, you can use a steamer instead. Just line it with the remaining coconut and spread the rice powder over it and steam it for about 4 minutes.