Sweet Rice Puttu

Today being friday, I decided to offer the Goddess, one of her favourite - the sweet puttu.

Puttu is a traditional dish made of pounded rice, which is steamed and consumed. Puttu means 'portioned' in Tamizh Language and the dish is prevalent in Tamil-speaking areas in South India and Sri Lanka.

Two varieities of puttu are there. One sweet and the other Salt. The salt version prevails both in the state of Tamizh Nadu and Kerala as a breakfast item, which is savoured with various accompaniments like Kadala Curry, Peas Curry, Coconut milk, Banana, Sugar and Fried Papad.

I have already shared the recipe for Salt Puttu with you long back. Here I am with the Sweet version of the steamed dish (puttu)

Sweet puttu is considered a favourite of the Devi and is prepared specailly during the Navratri Celebration.

You may use boiled rice or raw rice or a special rise available in southindian shop called as 'puttu arisi' (Rice used for puttu making).

You may need a clean muslin cloth (you may also use the cloth used for packing parcels like I did) and a idli steamer. If you don't have a steamer, you may use your pressure cooker (without weight) or a big vessel with lid.

Video of this recipe is published in Mira's Askhaya Patram. Link :- https://youtu.be/-kpU5M19hXI

  

Ingredients :-

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Jaggery - 1 cup (shredded)
3. Turmeric Powder - a pinch
4. Green Cardamom - 2 Nos.
5. Salt a pinch
6. Water
7. Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
8. Ghee - 2 tbsp
9. Cashew nut - 4 nos.

 Procedure :-

• Wash Rice, drain. Let it rest for 10 minutes, covered.

• Heat a kadai (wok), roast the rice till it turns golden in color. Transfer to a plate or paper & let it come to room temperature. 

• Dry Grind it to little coarse texture and transfer to a mixing bowl.

•  Add a pinch of salt and turmeric to it. Mix well.

• Sprinkle water little by little while mixing it. Rice will keep absorbing water. So when it becomes little dry, keep adding tbsp of water till you feel it becomes moist, soft and like a finely grated coconut. The volume of the flour will double.

• When you get the crumbling texture (take a fistful of the flour. try crumbling it), close it and keep it aside for sometime (half hour for raw rice. One hour for boiled rice)

• As the rice flour stands for sometime, melt the shredded jaggery and filter it to remove any sediments / impurities. 

• Chop / break the cashewnut into small pieces, heat ghee in a small wok and fry them till golden brown. keep aside. 

• Powder the green cardamom. (I use a mortar and pestle)

• Now let us get back to the rice flour. Transfer the moist flour to the cloth.

• Heat a steamer and steam it for 10 minutes.

• Carefully lift the cloth (use a glove as it will be too hot) and open it.

• On a wok, heat the filtered jaggery water to a thick syrup. Keep a small bowl with water for checking the jaggery syrup ready.

• When the syrups becomes bubbly, thick, drop a little into the water kept. Take it with your fingers. If you are able to shape it into a ball, that is the right consistency for this dish.

• Now switch off the flame. Add grated coconut, ground cardamom powder, fried cashewnuts along with the ghee to it.

• Add the steamed rice flour. Mix well

• Let it stand for 20 - 30 minutes. 

• Delicious flavourful sweet puttu is ready!