Steamed Rice-Cake with Black Garbanzo Beans Curry — Puttu with Kadala

The weather was gorgeous the past few days. In the midst of rising mercury, we were back to spring with the drizzling rain. Oh yeah. Drizzling rain, balmy breeze and peals of thunder. Aha. The tinkling wind chimes and sweet fragrance of flowers from my garden evoked a sense of déjà vu—blissful memories of times past. I wish the weather would stay like this for a while. Calm, beautiful and soothing. Before summer truly envelops us.

Sorry for the momentary absence from behind the screen. I was delighting in the April drizzle and simply could not summon up enough energy to jot down recipes or drop in for a chat. Besides, I was a bit preoccupied with certain details going on in my end, leaving me exhausted most times to even pop in to say hello. 

So, among all the pictures and recipes I’d planned to share with you, today, I’m going to talk about puttu and kadala, a traditional breakfast from the lush green state of south India.

In the west, Indian cuisine has come to represent a variety of classic dishes like biryani, naan, samoosa, butter chicken, chapatti, dhal curries and poori. In truth, India being geographically so diverse, each region has its own unique cuisine in response to its history, climate, religion and local ingredients. For example, rice is cultivated mostly in the south and wheat in the north. Ergo, wheat-based breads (rotis) like the wholesome chappati, the glorious tandoori-baked naan, the soft flaky parathas and the sinfully oily and puffed golden poori are staple foods in the north. Whereas, in the south, rice and rice-based dishes are the main staples.

The regional rice staples of Kerala, little-know to the world outside, are puttu (steamed rice cakes), idiappam (string hoppers), appam (lacey rice pancakes), idli/doas (fermented rice pancakes) and pathiri (unleavened rice pancakes)—mostly featured in the menu for breakfast or dinner in almost every household. With such choice of scrumptious traditional dishes, not to mention healthy, who would want to eat a continental breakfast in Kerala? It is little wonder that breakfast in Kerala was rated as one of the best in the world by the National Geographic Traveler magazine.

The steamed rice cake or puttu as we call it in Malalayam, Kerala’s native language, isn’t really a cake in its literal sense, but an indulgent dish made out of slightly coarse rice flour and grated coconut. These two ingredients are steamed in unique perforated moulds available in (check out specialist Indian stores) two different aesthetic shapes:  coconut shell shaped chiratta-puttu, or cylindrical shaped puttu-kutti. Puttu can also be made with powdered finger millet or wheat, instead of rice. What’s more, it pairs beautifully with anything from crispy bits of Kerala pappadam (crisp legume wafers), small sweet bananas, mudira curry (horse gram curry), cherupayaru curry (green gram curry) to non-vegetarian curries like fish or beef.  

Still, puttu with kadala is the classic combination.

We all know the importance of that first meal in the morning—breakfast equals brainpower. With a wee bit of planning and prep the day before, you can easily whip up and enjoy this wholesome meal on the go. Simple, easy, tasty, not to mention, filling. A hearty breakfast to start the day.

Steamed Rice-Cake  — Puttu

Ingredients

2 cups rice flour (use any ready-made puttu powder like Nirapara, Nellara, etc.)

1 cup fresh coconut, grated

Water, approximately ¾ - 1 cup, plus more for pressure-cooking

Salt to taste, approximately ½ teaspoon

Chiratta-puttu mold

Directions

Tip flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Pour in water a bit at a time, rubbing the mixture with your fingertips as you go. Repeat, until the whole mixture is crumbly and quite moist—not to worry if there are any lumps at this stage but check for the right texture—the crumble should be moist enough to form a ball, but not sticky. The key is to add the right amount of water—too little will yield a dry and uncooked dish whereas too much will yield a lumpy mess. Cover and leave to stand for a minimum of 30 minutes, and then grind or pulse the mixture for a few seconds until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Meanwhile, pour 2-3 cups water into a pressure cooker, remove vent weight from the lid and place cooker on high heat.  

To make the puttu, spread 2 teaspoons of coconut to the base of the mold and loosely fill the rest with the crumbled flour. Top off with a generous sprinkle of coconut, if you like, and cover with the lid.

When steam escapes steadily from the cooker vent tube, place the puttu mold on top. Reduce heat to medium and cook until steam comes out freely and forcefully from the perforated cap of the mold. Remove from cooker and carefully turn out onto a plate. Repeat, finishing with the last of the flour. Serve hot with kadala curry. 

Black Garbanzo Beans Curry — Kadala Curry

There are numerous ways to cook the inexpensive and nutritious garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Here’s a quick recipe using black beans. Very simple. And, very tasty with puttu.

The black bean know as the desi-type has even greater quantities of antioxidants compared to the kabuli channa or white chickpeas. Don’t shied away from eating the thick seed coat because that’s where you get the extra nutrients. See my white channa recipe for more benefits of including chickpeas in your diet.

This is a spicy preparation; feel free to adjust the quantity of chili to suit your taste.

Black Garbanzo Beans Curry — Kadala Curry

Ingredients

1 ½ cups black garbanzo beans (chickpeas), soaked in water overnight

2 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste

2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, or to taste

Handful curry leaves

2 tablespoon oil (use coconut oil for authentic taste)

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

¾ cup coconut milk (first extraction, I used tin milk)

1 cup water, plus more for pressure cooking

Salt, to taste

Directions

Like most legumes, check for any small stones or debris before rinsing the beans in a strainer under running water. Presoaking is recommended to shorten the cooking time—soak in 6 cups of water, enough to hold the expanded beans, for a minimum of 5 hours, or preferably overnight. Drain the beans and rinse again in cold water before cooking.

Pressure cook beans in 4 cups of water, adding salt to taste. Cook for about 12-14 minutes or until done, on medium heat, at full pressure. Bear in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on the age of the legumes and type of pressure cooker used. Watch cooking time closely —the beans will turn mushy if cooked too long.

Meanwhile, heat 1½ tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add mustard seeds and cook until seeds crackle, about 30 seconds, and then add chili flakes and cook for 5 seconds. Stir in onions and curry leaves, and gently fry for 4 minutes or until onions are tender. Tip in chili powder and sauté for 30 seconds. Now, stir in the cooked beans with the stock, if any, and pour in water and coconut milk. Taste and season as needed. Simmer everything together for 4 minutes or until cooked to your desired consistency. Drizzle the remaining oil over the top. Take off heat and serve hot with puttu.

Outside, it’s beginning to rain again. Ha!