A Puttu Plot Twist No One Saw Coming
The beauty of puttu lies in its simplicity. It is made with two ingredients abundant in the fertile land of Kerala — rice and coconuts. Shinu Ramachandran attempts to tweak this beloved Kerala classic, and finds that tradition doesn’t have to be static, but can transform, nourish, and still remain relevant — and delicious!
As I spoke to my Amma on our daily phone conversation — which always starts with food — I hesitantly admitted that I tried my hand at jowar puttu, and actually liked it more than the traditional rice puttu. The guilt pressed down on my chest like a stone as the words left my mouth — as if, in that moment, I had betrayed not just a recipe, but generations of memory and devotion. Amma simply reminded me that in the culinary world, it’s called evolving and adapting.
Like most Malayali families who have migrated to other states, we cling to our traditional foods as a connection to our roots and identity. Puttu was a Sunday breakfast favourite growing up. As a child, I loved eating it with milk and sugar, then as I grew older, I ate it with mashed ripe bananas, and as an adult, with kadala curry (chickpea curry), which is the classic Kerala combination.
The first time I made rice puttu was when Amma brought over a chiratta puttu maker for me from Kerala. Unlike the traditional tall cylindrical one, this was a smaller version that resembled the shape of chiratta (coconut shell). On my first attempt, the puttu fell apart, and lay crumbled and disappointed on the plate. It tasted dry and uncooked. I tried again, adding a little more water to the mixture, but this time it turned out sticky and lumpy.
Amma then shared a trick with me to assess for moisture correctly — if you squeeze tight a fistful of the flour mix, it should hold but, it should also easily crumble when you break it up. it. On my next attempt, I followed her trick, and it held together confidently like a steamed rice cake. And, it tasted right, just the way it tasted in my childhood.
The beauty of puttu lies in its simplicity. It is made with two ingredients abundant in the fertile land of Kerala — rice and coconuts — showing off the ingenuity of our ancestors. Its origins, however, remain shrouded in debate.
According to Tanya Abraham, in her book Eating with History, the Portuguese are believed to have introduced the puttu, which was an easy staple for their travels by ship. Another theory states that puttu was always a part of South Indian cuisine, with mentions going back to ancient Tamil literature. Whatever the origin, it is the favourite breakfast dish in most Malayali households. Variations of this steamed delicacy are found around the world too — like pittu in Sri Lanka, served with coconut milk and spicy curries; kue putu in Indonesia made with glutinous rice flour, stuffed with palm sugar and served as a popular street food; and puto bumbong in the Philippines made with purple rice and traditionally served during Christmas.
After having mastered rice puttu, Amma encouraged me to try making it with millets. I first tried making the ragi puttu. Ragi is quite bland, so when I tried it with kadala curry, it simply didn’t make the cut for me.
I then tried jowar puttu. When I flipped it onto the plate, it looked perfectly rich, its pale wheatish colour against the pristine white of coconut. I crumbled a bit off, and tasted it — the rustic aroma of the jowar against the creamy sweetness of coconut offered a deeply gratifying feeling of comfort. It was a reminder to me that tradition doesn’t have to be static, but it can transform, nourish, and still remain relevant.
A puttu maker.
Jowar puttu with kadala curry.
RECIPE FOR JOWAR PUTTU
Ingredients
1 cup of jowar flour (this quantity will vary as per the puttu maker that you have)
1/4th cup grated coconut
1/4th cup water
Salt as per your taste
Method
Dry roast the jowar flour in a pan over low heat for about two minutes, keep stirring continuously. Once done, keep it aside and let it cool for a few minutes.
In a wide plate, add the roasted jowar flour and sprinkle some salt, and mix well.
Gradually sprinkle water into the flour, little by little. Keep mixing with your fingers to create a crumbly, moist texture. Be careful not to add too much water, the flour should feel moist enough but not sticky.
To check if the moisture consistency is correct, take a fistful of flour and press it tightly. When you open your fist, the flour should hold together but should crumble easily when touched again.
In case it becomes a bit lumpy, then put it in the small mixer jar and give it one twirl.
Take the puttu maker, start by adding a layer of grated coconut at the bottom. Then add the flour mixture almost to the top, then again layer it with grated coconut.
If you are using the cylindrical puttu maker, you can add more layers of coconut in between.
Attach the puttu maker to the steam outlet of a pressure cooker or a separate steamer. Steam for about 8-10 minutes.
Remove the puttu maker from the steamer and carefully flip it onto a plate if you have a puttu maker like mine. If you have a cylindrical one, then gently push it out from one side using a spoon.
You can serve with a side of ripe banana or kadala curry.
Shinu Ramachandran is a freelance writer with a passion for food, travel, and culture. She enjoys reading by the window, sipping coffee, and watching sunsets from different parts of the world. You can explore more of her writing at 5feetnothing.
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