Puttu

Puttu (; ; ; ) is a dish native to the Southern Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and parts of Karnataka, as well as Sri Lanka. It is made of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with coconut shavings, sometimes with a sweet or savory filling on the inside. Puttu is usually a breakfast dish served hot with either sweet side dishes such as palm sugar or banana, or savoury with chana masala, chutney, rasam, or meat curries.

Ingredients

''Puttu'' principally consists of coarsely ground rice, grated coconut, little salt and water. It is often spiced with cumin, but may have other spices. The Sri Lankan variant is usually made with wheat flour or red rice flour without cumin, whereas the Bhatkal recipes have plain coconut or ''masala'' variant made with mutton- or shrimp-flavoured grated coconut.

In Bangladesh, the outside is made of a mixture of rice flour and ground ''moong dal'', while the filling is a mixture of coconut flakes and a type of caramelized sugar that is similar to '' dulce de leche''.

Preparation

''Puttu'' is made by slowly adding water to ground rice until the correct texture is achieved. Using hot water would improve the softness of ''puttu''. It is then spiced, formed and steamed with layers of grated coconut.

''Puttu'' is generally cooked in an aluminium ''puttu kutti'' vessel with two sections. The lower section holds water and the upper section holds the ''puttu'', where the rice mixture is inserted with layers of grated coconut. Perforated lids separate the sections to allow the steam to pass between them.

A number of alternative cooking vessels are used, such as traditional vessels where a perforated coconut shell is attached to a section of bamboo, or a ''chiratta puttu'' made of a coconut shell or of metal shaped similarly to a coconut shell.

Other types of cooking vessels include a pan similar to an '' idli'' pan with small holes in the bottom, and pressure cookers.

Serving

''Puttu'' is often served along with gravies, like fish curry, chicken curry, beef curry or ''kadala'' (chickpea) curry, and ''papadum''. Also plantain, jackfruit, mango or banana is commonly served with it. In southern Kerala people eat ''puttu'' accompanied by sweet black coffee.

In Kerala, ''puttu'' is served with banana or plantain, ''kadala'' curry, ''payar'' (green lentils) '' thoran'' with ''papad'', fish or meat curry.

In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is served with grated coconut with jaggery made of palm sugar or sugar cane, or with sweetened coconut milk.

In Sri Lanka, ''pittu'' is usually accompanied with tripe curry, fish or a meat curry, coconut milk and a '' sambol''.

There are also many improvisations and experiments done on ''puttu'' in Kerala. Wheat and maize flours are used instead of rice in certain parts. There are also ''puttu-''specialised restaurants that serve it with different fillings.

Variations

Some variations of ''puttu'' use other grains such as wheat flour, ''ragi'' (finger millet) flour, tapioca and corn flour. The layered filling of coconut can be replaced by other foods, such as egg curry or banana. ''Puttu'' prepared in a ball shape are called ''manipputtu''. ''Puttu'' can also be made using bamboo rice.

Muslims in Kerala eat a version of ''puttu'' called ''irachiputti'' in which rice is layered with spiced mincemeat.

''Puttu'' is also very common in Mauritius. It is usually sold by hawkers and is served as a snack. It is often misspelled ''poutou'', and should be spelled ''putu'' in Mauritian Creole. The ingredients are the same—rice flour, sugar and desiccated coconut, but cooked in metal cylinders.

File:Wheat puttu and banana.jpg, Wheat ''puttu'' with bananas
File:Puttu with different flours.jpg, ''puttu'' made with rice, wheat, ragi, chemba rice
File:Puttu (പുട്ട്).jpg, Puttu served in fine dining restaurants
File:Puttu with Kadala.JPG, Chiratta puttu

In Hindu mythology

In Tamil Nadu, ''puttu'' is mentioned in a common legend and related festival involving Shiva. This legend is known as the ''puttuku mann sumantha lilai'' (translated from Tamil as "the divine game of moving sand in exchange for ''puttu''"). It describes how, following a flood of the Vaigai River, King Arimarthana of the Pandya dynasty ordered his subjects to carry sand to plug breaches in the river bank. An aged woman named Vanthiammai is said to have been unable to carry out this duty, whereupon Shiva is said to have appeared in the guise of a manual laborer named Chokkan. The deity offered to move the sand in her stead, in exchange for ''puttu'', which would serve as his wage. After eating the ''puttu'', Chokkan instead fell asleep on the river bank. Seeing this, the king became enraged and struck him with a cane. It is claimed that instead of harming Chokkan, the cane blow was felt by all bystanders, including the king himself. Chokkan subsequently revealed his true form as Shiva, granted Vanthiammai moksha, and caused the floods to recede. This myth is re-enacted yearly during the ''puttu tiruvila'' portion of the Avani Mula festival at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in the Puttuthoppu region of Arappalayam, a neighborhood of Madurai. ''Puttu'' is commonly sold and distributed at the festival.

World record attempt

In 2006, students of the Oriental school of Hotel Management in Wayanad in north Kerala made a 10-foot-long ''puttu''. They cooked the giant ''puttu'' in a specially designed 12-foot-long aluminium mould, using 20 coconuts and 26 kg of powdered rice. It took about one and a half hours to cook.

Similar dishes

In Maritime Southeast Asia, there are numerous similar dessert dishes known as '' kue putu'' in Indonesian, ''putu piring'' in Singapore and '' puto bumbong'' in Tagalog. They vary by preparation and ingredients but are also steamed in bamboo tubes and are served with sugar and grated coconut.

In Indonesia, ''kue putu'' is characteristically green due to the use of ''pandan'' flavoring. It is commonly found being sold by traveling vendor carts together with '' klepon'', which is actually ball-shaped ''kue putu''.

In the Philippines, ''puto bumbong'' is deep purple in color due to the use of a unique rice variety called '' pirurutong''. They are culturally significant as a common traditional Christmas dessert. '' Puto'' in the Philippines is also a general term for traditional steamed rice cakes.

See also

* Bhapa pitha
* Cuisine of Kerala
* Idli
* Kue putu
* List of steamed foods
* Puto
* Sunga Pitha
* Tamil cuisine

References

{{Sri Lankan cuisine

Foods containing coconut
Indian cuisine
Kerala cuisine
Mauritian cuisine
Rice dishes
Sri Lankan rice dishes
Sri Lankan Tamil culture
Steamed foods
Tamil cuisine