Ingredients (For 2 chiratta puttu)

1. Jackfruit pieces / chakka chula – 7 – 8, chopped

Grated coconut – 1/4 cup

2. Puttu podi – 3/4 – 1 cup

Water – As required

Salt – To taste

Method

1. Fill a pressure cooker with one-half water. Close with its lid and bring to a boil.

2. Mix around 1 cup water with enough salt. Sprinkle the water on the puttu podi and mix well with your fingers without forming any lumps, until the puttu podi becomes moist. Be careful while mixing, it should not turn into a dough. The final mixture should be in a powdered form, but wet enough for steaming. To check the consistency, grab a handful of the wet rice flour and press it. If it holds shape, but crumbles when pressed again, then the consistency should be right. When the rice flour is dampened, set aside for 5 – 10 minutes.

2. I used a chiratta puttu maker. Put the small steel plate with holes, inside the chiratta puttu maker mould. Fill the puttu maker/mould with 1 tbsp grated coconut and 1 – 1.5 tbsp chopped jackfruit. Now add the puttu podi ( just loosely fill it with rice flour, do not press). Top with some more grated coconut and chopped jackfruit pieces. The top layer should be that of chopped jackfruit pieces. Cover with the lid. Place it on top of the pressure cooker when steam starts coming out of the pressure cooker lid. Steam cook for about 4 – 5 minutes or until steam comes profusely through the small holes on top of the chiratta puttu maker lid. Take out the mould and invert it into a serving bowl / casserole. Serve warm.

Ingredients

1. Prawns – 250 gm

Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt – To taste

Kudam puli / cocums – 1 – 2 or as required to taste (Soak it in little water for 15 mts and tear into small pieces)

2. Sliced coconut/ thenga kothu – 2 – 3 tbsp

Pearl onions – 20 – 22

Onion – 1 small, chopped

Ginger – 1 inch, chopped

Garlic – 4, chopped

Green chilies – 4, slit

3. Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Chilly powder – 1 – 2 tsp (Adjust according to your spice tolerance)

Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp

Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp

Pepper corns – 4 – 5

4. Coconut oil – 1.5 – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1/4 – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 – 2 sprigs

Method

1. Fry the grated coconut till light brown. Switch off and add the chilly powder, coriander powder, fennel seeds and pepper corns. Mix well. Cool down and grind to a powder.

2. Cook the prawns in an earthen pot / chatti adding salt, little water, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp chilly powder and kudam puli. Cook covered until done.

3. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and fry curry leaves. Saute the sliced coconut, chopped pearl onions, onions, green chilies, ginger and garlic for a few minutes. Add the cooked prawns and the ground roasted coconut masala. Mix well and stir until dry. Serve with rice and any gravy.

Recipe Courtesy – Mini Sukesh

Ingredients

Rice flour -  1.5 cups ( I used store—bought nirapara puttu podi)

Grated coconut – 1/2 – 3/4 cup

Salt – To taste

Water – As required (Around 3/4 cup)

Method

1. Fill a pressure cooker or puttu kudam with one-half water. Close with its lid and bring to a boil.

2. Mix around 1 cup water with enough salt. Sprinkle the water on the puttu podi and mix well with your fingers without forming any lumps, until the puttu podi becomes moist. Be careful while mixing, it should not turn into a dough. The final mixture should be in a powdered form, but wet enough for steaming. To check the consistency, grab a handful of the wet rice flour and press it. If it holds shape, but crumbles when pressed again, then the consistency should be right. When the rice flour is dampened, set aside for 5 – 10 minutes.

2. Put the small steel plate with holes inside the puttu maker mould. Fill the puttu maker/mould with 1 – 2 tbsp grated coconut. Now add the puttu podi  ( just loosely fill it with rice flour, do not press). Top with some more grated coconut and repeat until the mould is filled. The top layer should be that of grated coconut. Cover with the lid. Place it on top of the pressure cooker / puttu kudam when steam starts coming out. Steam cook for about 7 – 9 minutes or until steam comes profusely through the small holes on top of the puttu maker lid. Take out the mould and invert it into a serving bowl / casserole. You can use a spoon / pappada kambi to push the puttu out of the puttu maker. It tastes best with kadala curry, spicy egg curry, cherupayar/ muthira curry, cherupayar and pappadam, pazham, ghee and pappadam, ethakka varattiyathu, sugar etc.

Tips

1. If there are a lot of lumps while mixing the rice flour with water, pulse it in a mixer before filling the mould.

2. In some parts of Kerala, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeerakam) and 3 – 4 sliced pearl onions is added while preparing the puttu mix, to give an extra taste and aroma to puttu.

3. If the puttu becomes dry over time, sprinkle some water and microwave it.

4. If you are making this in a chiratta puttu maker, you need to steam it only for about 4 – 5 minutes.

Ingredients (Makes 12)

Recipe Source – How To Be A Domestic Goddess – By Nigella Lawson

1. All purpose flour – 1 1/3 cup

Baking soda – 1/2 tsp

Baking powder – 2 tsp

Sugar – 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp

Salt – 1 pinch

2. Butter – 6 tbsp, melted

Buttermilk – 3/4 cup + 2tbsp (or 1/2 cup yoghurt + 7 tbsp milk)

Egg – 1 large

3. Blue berries, fresh/frozen – 3/4 cup, make sure the blue berries are completely dry. You can toss them in a tsp of flour if you want.)

Method

1. Melt the butter, set aside to cool for a little.

2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine all the dry ingredients numbered 1 in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, buttermilk (or yoghurt and milk) and melted  butter. Using a wooden spoon, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently. Do not worry about lumps, the important thing is that the mixture isn’t over-worked. Fold in blueberries gently, again keep mixing to a minimum. You could also add orange zest at this point if you want. Spoon into muffin cups until 3/4th full. Bake for 20 minutes by which time muffins should be risen and golden and firm on top. Eat warm or cooled with a glass of milk or with unsalted butter and blueberry jam.

Ingredients

1. Baby taro / cheru chembu / arbi / colocasia – Around 25 – 30, peeled

2. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

3. Water -  As required to cook

4. Salt – to taste

5. Chilly powder –  2 – 2.5 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 3/4 tsp

6. Coconut oil -  Around 3 tbsp or as required

Method

1. Cook the baby taros until soft adding salt, turmeric powder and enough water. Do not over-cook them.

2. Heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a wide pan / cheena chatti and add the cooked taros. Mix well at low heat, adding the masala powders one by one. Cook at low heat until well-roasted and brown, turning sides in between and adding more oil as required.  It takes about 20 – 30 mts. Switch off when it is well-roasted. Serve with rice and any gravy.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous Vishu!!!

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Snacks

Pickles

Side-dishes

Ozhichu Curry

Desserts