PUTTU

      For the Love of Puttu and being a part of Gods Own Country, I think this post is going to be a long one.  To my best I wanted to make justice to this humble but scrumptious dish — 'THE GREAT PUTTU' or Steamed Rice Cakes. Hot Puttus served with Kadala(Chick Pea) Curry/Green Moong Bean Curry, Bananas and Pappadams treats you with a style. And all the more the accompaniments and side dishes served along with it transforms this simple dish into a scrumptious meal.
      There is a saying in Malayalam which goes like this, What kind of business could be done during Onam? Though a list of petty business ideas can pop up into every mind, they have just mentioned one and only business option i.e sell PUTTU  - 'Onathinidaikku Puttu Kachavadam.'  A Malayali can very well know why it is unanimously opted for this occasion.  Even after an elaborate Sadhya the only food we could drool over would be this humble steamy Puttus.
      Rice being the staple food of South India and South East Asian countries, we can find innumerable dishes with rice as a major ingredient.  Followed by another ingredient Coconut.  These ingredients are combined together or prepared hand in hand right from a Main Course Dish, Appetizer/Snack, Side Dish or Dessert.  The importance and availability of the above ingredients have made it as a star ingredient not only through the length and breadth of the region but also have spread its wide hands throughout South East Asia.
     Three major Breakfast/Dinner dishes prepared in these areas comprises of PUTTU, IDIYAPPAM & APPAM.  These dishes have a flamboyant past with a long story written throughout the history of Food. Even these dishes have a literary mention since Sanga Kalam in Tamil Poetries.  Their existence dates back since 300BC to 300 AD.  Puttu & Idiyappam are steam cooked which is considered as a healthy way of cooking and Appam is cooked in a clay or iron pan called 'Appa Chatti'.

KUZHAL PUTTU

      Puttu is a dish basically prepared with Rice and Coconut.  Both Sweet and Savoury variants of Puttu can be found in South India.  Traditionally Puttu was steamed in Bamboo tubes, so it also has a name 'Kuzhal Puttu'.  The bottom of the Bamboo would be pierced with small holes.  The tubes would be filled alternatively with Rice powder and grated coconuts in small equal portions and placed tightly over a wide mouthed pot filled with water.  Once the water boils the steam enters into the bamboo tubes through the small holes cooking the rice powder. Nowadays Metal (Copper, Steel/Aluminium) tubes called 'Puttu Kutti' which could be fixed into a small metal pot called 'Puttu Kudam' specially design for the purpose are available in the market. Some models of these Tubes can be fixed over the pressure cooker lids too.

Cheratta Puttu

     Even empty Coconut Shells were scraped, cleaned and used in olden days to prepare this dish.  Puttu prepared in Coconut shell was called as 'Cheratta Puttu'. The beauty is that the Coconut shell would be halved into two, then they would be cleaned and scraped so that no coconut husk remain on the outer shell.  One-half of the shell has three eyes, in which one of the eyes could be easily carved up into a hole.  This part with the hole is filled with rice coconut mix and covered with a slightly bigger coconut shell or tied up with a piece of Muslin cloth and place over a steaming pot.
     In Kerala, Puttu is traditionally served along with Kadala curry(Chick peas curry), Green Moong Bean Curry, Raw/Steam Cooked Nendhra Bananas/Fried Nendra Banana(Pazham Pori) and Pappadams. Even it can be accompanied with Lamb/Chicken/Beef curries too. It is said to be that there are more than nearly 300 varieties of Puttus prepared in the region — both traditional and innovative versions line up the list. Some prepare Puttu with Palm/Cane Sugar filled along with the rice powder and coconuts.  Savoury versions of Meat/Fish Puttu also are prevalent in the regions.  New versions of Puttus are prepared with other grains like wheat/millet/ragi/corn/oats these days.

PUTTU BAMBU

     The same Puttu can be found in Malaysia with the name 'Puttu Bamboo' and as 'Kue Puttu' in Indonesia.  These Puttus are prepared in very small bamboo tubes, the Pandan leaves infused water is added to the roasted rice flour which gives it a new flavour overall.  Puttu Bamboos are finally rolled in salt mixed grated coconuts. Another version called 'Puttu Piring' is prepared with Rice flours, coconuts and Palm Sugar(Gula Melaka) in a special steaming plate which looks like a conical funnel.  Piring in the literal sense means 'Plate' in Malay. East coast of Malaysia has its own version of Puttu called as 'Puttu Herba' which has an addition of Fenugreek seeds to Rice Flour, Palm Sugar, and Coconut.

PUTTU PANDAN

      The Thai version of Puttu is called as 'Khao Lam'.  More elaborate versions are prepared with Coconut Milk and Red Bean in Thailand.  In the Philippines, it is called as 'Puto' & 'Puto Bumbong'.  Sri Lankan versions are quite similar to Kerala version, and they are served along with 'Katta Sambol', a spicy fish/meat curry in Coconut Milk. Ethnic Chettiar groups of Tamilnadu who were settled in Rangoon brought back with them a special style of preparation called 'Rangoon Puttu' where Rice was substituted with Semolina or with locally grown Burmese Black Sticky Rice.
      Being one of the easiest recipes with very few readily available ingredients, Puttu has taken a special place in God's Own Country — Kerala.  Every morning, we can feel the smell of steaming Puttus wafting around from a Kerala kitchen to Thattukada (roadside eateries) and small restaurants to five-star hotels.
     This comfort food which has found its way into every Kerala kitchen was once banned from Brahmin/Namboothiri(High Caste order) kitchen as it was considered to be a poor man's food. The simple and easily executable dish was prepared not only to fill the stomach of a hard toiled human being but also to fill the hearts of a poor soul.  With readily available ingredients and items like Rice flour, Chick Peas and Bananas, their simple breakfast was converted into an elaborate meal to keep up their energy for a hard day.
     This easy and comforting food has found its way into innumerable hearts, picking up anecdotes from mythology and paving its referral path into literature. Even mythology has its word in Thiruvilaiyadal Puranam that Lord Shiva has carried loads of mud to build the walls of a Temple so that he can buy Puttu from an old lady,  

'PITTUKKU MANN SUMANTHA EESAN'.
All in the Name and Love for this humble dish — THE PUTTU!!!