CHERATTA PUTTU - HOW TO MAKE PUTTU IN A COCONUT SHELL

     Puttu is a traditional Kerala dish made from rice flour.  A common breakfast dish served in Kerala.  The preparation of this so-called Puttu is an easy process if you readily have the Rice Flour/Puttu Flour.  I have already posted a detailed recipe on 'How to make Puttu' from scratch.  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/Puttu Bambu.  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.
     Normally a Puttu Kutti, a long cylindrical tube is used to steam cook the Puttu. Puttu Maker is a utensil readily available in the market. The utensil can be placed over a Puttu Pot which comes along with the Puttu Kutti(Tube) or even there are some types of Puttu Makers, which comprises just the Puttu Kutti(Tube) which can be directly placed over the Pressure cooker vent pipe and steam cooked.
     When you do not have the utensil to cook Puttu, the Rice Flour and Coconut Mixture can simply be spread over a steamer plate and steam cooked.  The only issue in this method is that the Puttu would not have any shape, but any way you are always going to break and powder it before eating.  Another simple way is to cook Puttu using a Cheratta/Coconut Shell.
     Cheratta Puttu is nothing but the same Puttu prepared in a Coconut Shell colloquially called Cheratta in Malayalam.  If you do not have a Puttu Kutti, the vessel used to prepared Puttu, this Coconut shell comes out to be handy for you.  And needless to say, this cup-shaped Puttu looks different and also takes less than 10 minutes to steam the Puttu.  You may need two Coconut Shells for the purpose, one comparatively bigger than the other.  The idea is to place the other piece as a cover for the Coconut Shell, you can even use any suitable steel lid/bowl to cover the Coconut Shell or simply use a clean muslin cloth to cover the Coconut Shell.
    Take a medium-sized Coconut shell, the one with the hole beneath. One portion of the Shell has three holes, among which one hole is soft and can be easily holed out.  Use a sharp object to make the hole in the Coconut Shell. Scrape it clean from inside and scrap out the husk from outside. Clean & wash the Coconut Shell thoroughly.  You can re-use the coconut shell as many times as possible.  Make sure to clean and dry the Coconut shells after use.  Even Coconut Shell shaped Puttu Makers are available in the market these days.
     Mix the Puttu Flour along with grated Coconut and a little bit of water to make a crumbly flour mix, then fill up the lower portion of the Coconut Shell (the one with the hole) with a layer of Grated Coconut followed by the Rice Flour Mix and finally top it up with some grated Coconut, cover the Coconut shell with a clean Muslin cloth/lid/another Coconut Shell.  Place the Coconut shell over the Vent Pipe of a Pressure Cooker and steam cook the Cheratta Puttu.


For a detailed Recipe on HOW TO MAKE PUTTU, Click here...


Cuisine - Kerala
Course - Main Course
Difficulty - Medium
Yields - 6-8 Small Sized Cheratta Puttus
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 15-20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 20-30 Minutes

CHERATTA PUTTU - HOW TO MAKE PUTTU IN A COCONUT SHELL

CHERATTA PUTTU - HOW TO MAKE PUTTU IN A COCONUT SHELL

INGREDIENTS :

Puttu Flour - 2 Cups
Water - as Required
Salt  - To Taste
Grated Coconut  - 1/2–3/4 Cup

METHOD:

• Take Puttu Flour in a large bowl, add salt to taste and mix well.
• Sprinkle water on the flour, a little at a time, and mix the flour with your hands.
• Once mixed, the flour should look like bread crumbs.
• Care should be taken, that there are no lumps in the flour mix.
• Boil enough water (for about 2–3 cups) in a Pressure Cooker.
• Place the empty Coconut shell with the hole over the Pressure Cooker Vent Pipe and allow it to boil.
• Cover it with a lid or another Coconut shell.
• Once the pressure starts to build, remove it from the Pressure Cooker Vent Pipe.
• Add grated Coconut at the bottom layer of the Cheratta/Coconut Shell, carefully add Puttu Flour Mix (around 1/2 cup of flour) over the grated coconut layer.
• Again, top it up with grated Coconut over the Flour Mix.
• Carefully insert the Cheratta/Coconut Shell filled with the Puttu Flour Mix and grated Coconut into the Pressure Cooker Vent Pipe.
• Cover the Coconut Shell with another smaller Cheratta/Coconut Shell/simply cover it with a tightly fixing lid/tie it out with a clean muslin cloth.
• Steam cook the Puttu for about 8–10 minutes until the steam releases.
• Switch off the flame and leave the Cheratta Puttu aside for a few minutes.
• Once slightly cooled down, open the lid and remove the Puttus from the Cheratta/Coconut Shell.
• Simply invert the Coconut Shell/Cheratta over a plate.
• Cheratta Puttu would cleanly slide off from the Coconut Shell.
• Serve Cheratta Puttu hot with Kadala Curry(Chickpeas curry), Green Moong Bean Curry, Raw/Steam Cooked Nendhra Bananas/Fried Nendra Banana(Pazham Pori) and Pappadams.
• Cheratta Puttu can be accompanied by Lamb/Chicken/Beef curries too.

For more recipes from GODS OWN COUNTRY - KERALA,  click here...

 NOTES:

• Perfectly ground and roasted flour and the right amount of Water play a major role in the texture of the Puttus.
• Do not add more water to the flour or knead it into a dough.
• Just sprinkle water, a little at a time, to mix the flour so that they look like bread crumbs.
• Can also add 1/2 Cup of Coconuts into the Flour and mix it well.
• Adding more Coconuts adds flavour and taste to the dish, but it is totally optional.
• If you do not have Puttu Vessel, can steam the flour along with grated coconut in an Idli Plate, or just spread them out on a platter and steam cook the Puttu flour for 8–10 minutes.