Kerala Style Puttu with Kadala Curry
A classic South Indian breakfast, fluffy rice cakes with a rich chickpea curry.
⏱️ 65 min🍽️ Serves 1
🔥 450 kcal💪 18g protein🍚 60g carbs🥑 15g fat🌾 12g fibreper serving
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servings
Ingredients
- 🫘1 cup chickpeas, dried
- 🍚2 cups puttu powder (roasted rice flour)
- 🥥1 cup grated coconut, divided
- 🧅1 onion, chopped
- 🍅2 tomatoes, chopped
- 🧄2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 🌰1 tsp mustard seeds
- 🌿10 curry leaves
- 🌶️1 tsp chilli powder
- 🍂1 ½ tsp coriander powder
- 💛½ tsp turmeric powder
- 🔥½ tsp garam masala
- 🥛¾ cup coconut milk, thick
- 🥥2 tbsp coconut oil
- 🧂 salt, to taste
Pro tips
- For the fluffiest puttu, ensure the rice flour mixture is crumbly and not wet. A good test is to press a small amount, and it should hold shape but crumble easily.
- Adjust the spice levels in the Kadala Curry to your preference by varying the amount of chilli powder.
- Soaking chickpeas overnight is crucial for reducing cooking time and achieving a tender texture.
- If you don't have a puttu maker, you can use a small steel tumbler and steam it in a normal steamer, though the shape will differ.
Method
- 1Soak dried chickpeas overnight. Drain and pressure cook until tender (about 3-4 whistles). Set aside.
- 2For Kadala Curry: Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once spluttering, add chopped onion and sauté until golden.
- 3Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Stir in chopped tomatoes and cook until soft and pulpy.
- 4Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala. Sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- 5Add the cooked chickpeas, salt, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, allowing flavors to meld.
- 6Pour in the thick coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat. Do not boil vigorously after adding coconut milk. Your Kadala Curry is ready.
- 7For Puttu: In a bowl, mix puttu powder with salt and sprinkle water little by little, mixing with your fingers until the mixture is moist and crumbly, resembling breadcrumbs. Don't make it a dough.
- 8Fill the puttu maker: First a layer of grated coconut, then a layer of the prepared puttu mix, alternating until the cylinder is full, ending with coconut. Ensure the mixture is lightly packed.
- 9Place the puttu maker on top of a pressure cooker or steamer with boiling water. Steam for 8-10 minutes until steam escapes continuously from the top vent.
- 10Gently push out the steamed puttu and serve immediately with Kadala Curry.