Thursday, January 21, 2010

Puttum Kadalayum/Steamed Rice cake and Black Channa curry

Black chickpea in a delicious onion and coconut milk based gravy paired with steamed rice flour is the dish of the day. It is one of the most popular breakfast combos in Kerala. We are a rice people, as you might have guessed, so much so that we have some version of it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Incidentally, things have changed. Roti's and partha's (Indian breads) have taken it's place either for breakfast or dinner in most families.

These age old dishes are a hearty fare reminiscent of holidays and good times spent with grandparents and cousins for holidays. The steaming puttu (steamed rice flour) spreads it aroma at home transforming me to the cool early mornings in my home town. Bustle of activity outside where the yard is being swept clean and distant music of 'naama jabam' and whistle of boiling milk in our neighbours home. In short, some of these dishes are synonymous with life in kerala.

Some other combinations for the steam rice is boiled green gram and grated coconut with sugar or papad, ghee, sugar and boiled eggs. Some also eat it with spicy fish curry. Needless to say, make your own combinations as you go and make an entree of this steamed rice flour with a soupy side dish of your choice.

This recipe has been lying in my draft for a long time and I think thursday is a good time to share it with you. Make this treat at home over the weekend and help your children experience the aroma and taste of a Kerala home while you revoke some memories of old that bring a smile to your face.

puttu

FOR PUTTU:

Ingredients:

Rice flour (dry roasted)- 1 cup
Water- ~1/2 cup
Salt- 1/4 tspn
Grated coconut- 8-10 Tbsp

and
A puttu maker(if you don't have one, don't worry, you can make this in a steamer too. But you do not get the shape,though the taste is the same.Read more on this in the notes!)

Method:

1.Making the flour ready , is the most trickiest part in this simple preparation.
2.Take the rice flour in a wide mixing bowl , add salt.
3.Slwly start adding water, mixing the flour with your hand and breaking the small dough balls with your finger tips.
4.You could stop adding water when you hold a fistful of dough, it stays together, making a lump with the shape of your fist.
5.The longer the time you take to reach this, the better and softer will be the puttu :-)
6.Keep the dough covered for at least 15 minutes.
7.Boil water in a puttu maker, or the pressure cooker, if you are using one that can be fixed on the top of it.
8.When the steam starts coming , take the puttu maker(puttukutti) and spoon in a tablespoon of grated coconut, followed by 2-3 tablespoon of prepared dough.Repeat with coconut and rice dough(flour!) till you reach the top, finishing it with a tablespoon of coconut.
9.Keep this on the pot/ pressure cooker and let the staem come through the top.
10.Reduce the heat and cook till it is done. This takes 5-6 minutes.
11. Serve warm with black channa curry, plantain , moond daal and paappad or chicken curry.

Puttum kadalayum

FOR BLACK CHAANNA/Kadala curry

Ingredients:

Black channa/Kabuli chickpeas- 1/2 cup
Onion- 1/2 of a small one
Coconut oil/cooking oil- 1 Tbsp
Coconut Milk- 1/4 cup
Turmeric Powder- 1/4 Tsp
salt
Coriander powder- 1 Tbsp
Red chilli powder- 1 1/2 Tsp
Garam Masala (optional)- 1/4 Tsp

For seasoning:

Mustard- 1/2 Tsp
Curry leaves- 1 Sprig
Red chillies- 2
Shallots- 2-3
Coconut oil- 2 Tsp

Method:

1.Soak the channa overnight or for 8 hours.
2.Pressure cook the soaked channa with enough water, salt and turmeric powder.
3.Meanwhile saute the onion till it turns translucent and start turning golden brown color.
4.To this mix in the criander, chilli powders and garam masala and saute till the raw smell leaves. Switch off the heat.
5.When the channa is cooked , take a ladle full and grind it well.
6.Add this to the channa with the onion mixture.
7.Boil the mixture well.Cook it covered on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
8.Add coconut milk and heat it.Switch off the heat.
9.Do the normal seasoning and mix in to the curry.Enjoy :-)

black channa /kadala curry

Notes:

1.If you do not have a puttu maker you could use a steamer. But the dough should have more water content and you must mix in the grated coconut also into this. Have to add more coconut compared to this method.
2.For channa curry, you could use coconut paste instead of coconut milk.
3.You could use either the white rice flour or red rice flour for making puttu.I have used the red variety here.

Contributors :Sunitha and Namitha

54 comments:

  1. Both recipes look and sound really delicious.

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  2. A filling meal,the red rice sounds interesting :D

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  3. I have tasted this in one of my Friend's house. Like the combo of rice and channa. Love your idea of using red rice.. makes it more nutritious...

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  4. Wow, I love puttu and kadala curry, its been ages since I ate it :(

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  5. I have heard a lot about these 'puttu' when ever I used to visit Mangalore for summer vacation but had the fortune to relish it,Now I have ur delicious sounding looking recipes...Sure will try this with the 2 option steamer...

    Great entry..
    Thanks for sharing the recipe...

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  6. nice recipes, looks very good. I like these spici recipes!!!!

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  7. Aha! The puttu and kadalai curry r inviting me.I am coming over vey soon. keep some for me.

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  8. What a inviting recipe..looks very tempting and deliciousooo:)

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  9. My all time fav.....I love it with sugar & ghee :). Awesome clicks.

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  10. Aha! the puttu and kadala curry r inviting me. I am coming over soon.Keep some for me.

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  11. Both the recipes sounds great and look picture perfect. Especially the first recipe"Puttu". It looks really cute" I have never had it:)

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  12. yummy yum...two dose of delicious dishes !! nice pics

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  13. The steamed rice with coconut sounds intriguing!

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  14. Beautiful I made this combo for RCI Kerala last year, LOVED them. Looks good G! :)

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  15. the essential bfast of kerala..give it to me everyday. will happily eat it. well clicked.

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  16. Kidilam!! My hubby fav ethukandal control kittilla! mostly ella sunday's ethu ayerikum..:) Nice presentation!!

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  17. Such an authentic kerala dish..looks yummm!!

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  18. What a lovely recipe , looks interesting and really delicious also.Love the combination of ingredients.

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  19. I've never had black chickpeas, it's quite intriguing. Both recipes look great!

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  20. Looks too good, would love to grab that plate.

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  21. This combination sounds awesome...the chickpeas curry is a little bit different than mine...will try your version next time...nice and lovely clicks :)

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  22. Nalla combination puttum kadala curry!!..looks perfect!!

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  23. very authentic dish..i love this..thanks for the recipe:)

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  24. Very authentic dish and looks fantastic! Always love this couple.

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  25. Awesome combination this is! and such a comforting meal! In-fact I have a similar kala chana curry as the head of the queue of my drafts too.. I think I have started liking kala chana more than the chickpea counterpart of it! Nice clicks, as always.

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  26. Excellent recipes! The black chickpeas are very intriguing and the steamed rice cakes look so scrumptious!

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  27. puttu is totally new to me..thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe..looks tempting

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  28. Awesome combination dear... Puttu and kadala curry are inviting me... Looks delicious and mouthwatering..

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  29. Ithilum nalla comb vere illa....ippo ithu kazhichittu eneetathe ulloooo..Yummy yummy..

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  30. eeshoye...Adipoli...Eppo thannalum njan thayar...Kothipichu..

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  31. wow..the rice puttu looks so good..nice pink in color..love it.and the kala chana usal looks delicious..

    www.foodlyrics.com

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  32. puttu and kadala curry look so delicious and a wonderful combination too!!! it's been ages since I did puttu at home, your pictures are very tempting!!

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  33. This sounds delicious. Perfrect for any meal of the day! I love all of the different combinations you recommend.

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  34. Delicious kadala kari with soft looking puttu. The spices in kadala curry are very different. Will try it out soon.

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  35. OT

    Ciao. Mi presento: sono Andrea e mi sono appena iscritto ai tuoi lettori fissi. :)

    I miei blog sono Angolo Film e Ricette Blog, fammi sapere cosa ne pensi! ;)

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  36. Puttum kadalayum,one of the best combo in the world..nalla puttu..

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  37. Really this dish is new to me..looks awsome and look at the pics, perfact..looks delicious..sure try

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  38. I love authentic food, red rice puttu and kadale curry are made for each other.:)Very fulfilling meal:)

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  39. Kala chana is altime fav. in my house..your version is new to me but interesting...

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  40. puttu and kadala thinatha malayalees undo alle? In my hostel we used to sing a parady song starting like puttum kadalayum....dont want to sing the rest :)they used to serve puttu and kadala all the time,athu kondu undakiya pattanu :)

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  41. Puttus look so fascinating. i always wanted to eat it but these are not available in restaurants and nobody have invited me to taste these. wish you stayed nearby. lovely click...love the way captured the heat emanating from it.

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  42. wow nice recipe sunita n namitha...these luks very tempting..i had tasted thse kuttu with cheakpeas gravy once and had loved it...thnx for the recipe...nice and perfect clicks

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  43. I make this...and the dish is really very yummy..Nice click!

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  44. Looks absolutely delicious!
    And I was into your blog, I just forgot to mention...
    Thanks for visiting my blog and for your lovely comments Namitha!

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  45. Puttu with black channa sounds great, Beautiful clicks

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  46. You havent added tomato or missed the tomato in the recipe ?? since the write up says onion and tomato gravy

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