Recipe of Puttu (Steamed rice cake) and Kadala Curry



Ingredients:

For Puttu:
250 g rice flour
350 g grated coconut
Salt to taste

For Kadala Curry:
120 g kadala (black chickpeas)
2 green chilies
Salt to taste
A little oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp roasted gram
2 red chilies
A small piece of ginger
2 garlic flakes
1 small onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp coriander leaves
50 g grated coconut

For seasoning:
A little oil
2 cloves
5 g cinnamon
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ onion cut into small pieces
2 tsp coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

For the puttu, mix rice flour with about 20 g grated coconut and salt. Add water, a little at a time and mix it into thick batter.
Sprinkle the inside of the puttu maker with grated coconut first, then add a layer of the rice flour batter and then grated coconut again. Steam for 15 minutes, take out and serve hot. Puttu can also be made in an idli maker or a regular steam cooker. Take banana leaf of the size of your palm twist it into a cone shape and hold it in place using a toothpick. Pour the batter into the leaf cone and place it in the steam cooker or idli maker and steam as directed.
For the kadala curry, cook the black chickpeas with two green chilies and salt. Heat a little oil and sauté the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, roasted gram, red chilies, ginger, garlic, onion, tomato, coriander leaves and coconut. Once cool, grind the mixture to a fine paste.
For the seasoning, heat oil in a pan and season with cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and onion. Sauté till the onions turn brown. Add the ground masala paste and sauté for two minutes. Add the cooked black chickpeas and ½ cup water. Cook for four to five minutes. Add salt to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot on banana leaves.   

Garnishing Ideas: Fry Chopped coriander leaves. Red chillies and a tsp of mustard seeds in a tsp of oil for two minutes. Sprinkle over the idli or puttu. Chopped cashew nuts and julienned carrot also go well with puttu.