Indian flag puttu

In this blog I'm planning to share some of my experiments with my spoons and cutting board.When i started my cooking,i didn't know the ABC of cooking.In this blog I'm sharing some of the easy recipes i know to those who are facing the same situation as me when they started fighting with spoons n vessels in the kitchen.

Lets start with breakfast.When we ask a malayali about the easiest breakfast they can offer,they will tell its puttu.So lets make some different varieties of puttu(steamed rice cake) to impress our family or guests.Usually with puttu we will have either banana or whole green gram Dal and of course pappad.This flag puttu is one of my mother's recipes which she makes when some unexpected guests comes in the morning.

Ingredients

Rice flour                               -2 cup

Grated coconut                      -3/4 cup
Grated carrot                         -1/2 cup

Whole green gram dal            -1/2 cup

Green chillies                         -1

Turmeric powder                   -a pinch
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak whole green gram dal for few hours.Better to keep it soaked overnight.Cook it with some water in a pressure cooker if you soaked it in the morning only.otherwise cook it in the normal vessel with a pinch of turmeric powder ,salt and split ed green chilly.When it is almost done mix quarter cup grated coconut to it.By that time we can grate coconut and carrot and keep it aside.

Take the rice flour in a big bowl.Add some salt to a cup of warm water and sprinkle it evenly over the flour and knead it.Add 1/4 cup of grated coconut to it.The key is that only enough water to wet the flour be added, and that too slowly.This should not have the consistency of dough,but rather a damp coarse mixture.

Usually for making puttu there is a special utensil which is available in most Indian stores.This puttu maker can be used over any pressure cooker lid.Fill the pressure cooker with enough water and keep this puttu maker over the lid.If u didn't have a puttu maker ,you can use idly mould too.

Now in this puttu maker ,primarily put quarter cup of carrot grated mixed with 2 tablespoon grated coconut.Above that put the rice flour mix and last the gram dal mix .Steam it.hmm...our colourful healthy puttu is ready.We can serve it with some pappad and pickle.