Puttu
 Puttu | |
| Place of origin | India |
|---|---|
| Region or state | India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala), Sri Lanka |
| Main ingredients | Rice flour, Coconut |
Puttu, Pittu (Tamil: புட்டு, பிட்டு, Malayalam: പുട്ട്, pronounced [ˈputtu]), is a breakfast dish that is popular in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as in areas of Sri Lanka. It consists of firm cylinders of steamed ground rice with layers of coconut. It is served with other side dishes such as kadala curry or banana.
Origin
The origin of word Puttu is believed to be from Sanskrit word "Pishtu". It is a traditional dish of Ezhava people of Kerala. It is also called as "Kandyappam" by Nambudiri people and similar castes.
Ingredients
Puttu principally consists of coarsely ground rice, grated coconut and water. It is often spiced with cumin, but may have other spices.[1].
Preparation
Puttu is made by slowly adding water to ground rice until the correct texture is achieved. It is then spiced, formed and steamed with layers of grated coconut.
Puttu is usually cooked in a metal puttu kutti vessel with two sections. The lower section holds water and the upper section holds the puttu - where the rice mixture is inserted with layers of grated coconut. Perforated lids separate the sections to allow the steam to pass between them. In older times people in Kerala used bamboo pieces instead of the metal upper section of the vessel.
An alternative steaming vessel is the chiratta puttu made of a coconut shell or of metal shaped similarly to a coconut shell.
Some people use a pan similar to an idli pan, but with small holes on the bottom to allow steam to pass. It is also known for pressure cookers to be used for steaming.
Serving
Puttu is frequently served with various breakfast dishes. In Tamil Nadu it is served with grated coconut with either palm or sugarcane jaggery or else with sweetened coconut milk. In Kerala with papadum, yellow Kerala plantain, fish curry, jackfruit, mango, chicken curry and kadala curry.
Variations
Some variations of puttu use other grains such as wheat flour, tapioca and corn flour.
The layered filling of coconut can be replaced by other foods, such as egg curry or banana.
Puttu prepared in a ball shape are called Manipputtu.
World record attempt
In 2006 students of the Oriental school of Hotel Management in Wayanad in north Kerala made a 10 foot long puttu. They cooked the giant puttu in a specially designed 12 foot long aluminium mould, using 20 coconuts and 26 kg of powdered rice. It took about one and a half hours to cook.[2]
See also
References
- ^ "BBC Indian Food Made Easy: Recipe for puttu", BBC, retrieved 2010-08-13
- ^ "Kerala's Hotel Management Students Cook Up World Record Puttu", Indiatourism, retrieved 2010-10-22
External links
- Recipe for "Puttu and Kadala Curry" using black channa masala
- Red Puttu Recipe
- Pittu Recipe
- Pittu with Kadala recipe
- Making of Manipputtu with pictures
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