Puttu, Pazham and Pappadam – Steamed Rice Flour Cake with Coconut

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Margaret Christo

Puttu, Pazham and Pappadam – I can almost hear you say, “What an unlikely combination!” But ask any Malayalee and they will tell you that it’s a breakfast made in heaven. I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom and the lovely Kerala specialties she made for us. A nice way for me to pay tribute to my mom and her cooking is to share these recipes with my family and friends. It also brings back beautiful memories of helping my mom in the kitchen.

Puttu is a nutritious, simple breakfast made with steamed rice flour and grated coconut. It is often eaten with a chickpea curry (kadala or black chickpeas), green gram curry (cherupayar), and with small yellow bananas (pazham), and pappadam. I remember my grandma had a puttu-maker (puttu kudam/puttukutti in Malayalam) made of bamboo. The taste of the puttu was permeated with the sweet essence that came from steaming it in the bamboo.

For this recipe I’ve used Chemba rice flour which you can find at your local Indian grocery store. Chemba rice comes already washed, dried, ground, and roasted. The puttu was made in a puttu-maker that was also purchased from a local Indian grocery store. Preparing this dish takes about 15 minutes. I served it with small yellow bananas, pappadam, and sugar. Enjoy!

Puttu
Equipment: Puttu kudam/Puttukutti (puttu-maker)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Serves: 4

2 cups Chemba rice flour
1¼ cups fresh or frozen grated coconut
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water

Add salt to the water and stir until the salt dissolves. Put the rice flour into a large mixing bowl. Add one tablespoon of water, at a time, over the rice flour and mix gently with the tips of your fingers. The flour should be powdery and moist. Break any lumps that form. When you take a fistful of flour and gently squeeze it, it should hold its shape for a second, and then crumble. This test indicates that there is enough moisture in the rice flour and it is ready for steaming. Cover with cling wrap until ready to use.

Fill the puttu kudam with water up to two thirds of the way. Put the lid and let the water come to a boil.

Now fill the cylindrical tube part of the puttukutti. First put the flat disc with the holes in the bottom. This helps to keep the coconut and flour in the tube. Put two tablespoons of grated coconut, two small fistfuls of flour, two tablespoons of coconut, two fistfuls of flour and end with two tablespoons of coconut. Put the lid and place it on the puttu kudam.

Steam for eight minutes. Steam should come out of the small holes in the lid. Remove the tube from the puttu kudam, open the lid and using the handle of a thin, long wooden spoon or dowel, slowly push the puttu on to a plate. Do the same with the rest of the rice flour and coconut. Serve puttu with bananas, pappadam, and a little sugar. It’s that easy.

Chole Aur Bhature – Spicy Chickpeas with deep fried Indian Bread

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Margaret Christo

Chole and bhature are made for each other. Both of them are classic dishes from Punjab, North India, and they are eaten together for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack at tea time. Chole is made with chickpeas/garbanzo. It is called Kabuli channa in Hindi. Bhature is a deep fried, leavened bread made with all purpose flour.

The recipe for chole calls for a spice mix that is unique to North Indian cuisine. If you don’t normally use these spices, this is a great opportunity to learn and develop a taste for them. Many cooks use tea bags while cooking chickpeas to darken the color of this dish. I’ve used cocoa instead. To save time, you can use canned chickpeas. Drain them well and run cold water over them. Make the spice mix and then proceed to make chole.

I’ve been on a quest for the perfect bhature, using different ingredients like yeast, boiled potato, sago, yoghurt etc. to give it lightness, great taste, and texture. But this time, the compliment from my son ended my search for the perfect bhature. He said, “These bhatures are pillowy and I can’t stop eating them.” So try this recipe and your search might end too!

I made a large batch of chole and bhature that could feed six to eight people, but you can easily half the recipe. Make this with a side of cucumber salad and you have a complete meal.

Chole Aur Bhature
Soak the dry chickpeas: Overnight
Rest the dough for bhature: 1 hour
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 20 minutes for both recipes
Serves: 6-8

If using dry chickpeas/garbanzo/Kabuli channa 
3 cups dry chickpeas soaked overnight in hot water
¼ teaspoon baking soda (optional)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)

Soak the dry chickpeas overnight. Wash them in several changes of water. Put the chickpeas, cocoa and soda in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them. Pressure cook for 20 minutes. Check on the cooking time for your particular pressure cooker. The soda is added to make the chickpeas soft, but don’t add too much.

For the spice mix
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 black cardamoms, peel and use seeds
5 cloves
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
1 bay leaf, (tejpatta)
4 whole dry red chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, (anardana)

In a heavy bottomed pan, over low heat, roast the above mentioned ingredients until they smell fragrant and turn a very dark brown. Cool completely and then grind to a powder in a coffee grinder. Set aside.

For the Chloe
3 tablespoons oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped green chillies, (optional)
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
3 cups water
salt to taste

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium-high heat, add oil. When the oil begins to shimmer add the onions. When they turn translucent add the ginger and fry for a minute. Add the green chillies and tomatoes. Keep stirring until the tomatoes are well cooked and the oil begins to separate. Add the ground spice mix, Kashmiri chilli powder, and salt.

Then add the cooked chickpeas and any water left in the pressure cooker. I like gravy in my chole so I added three cups of water. If you like the Chloe a little thick then add less water. Bring to a simmer and cook for an additional 30 minutes, so the flavors can meld. Stir occasionally to make sure that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped green chillies, tomatoes, red onion and lemon wedges. Serve with piping hot bhature.

Bhature – Makes 20
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons semolina, (sooji)
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
¼ cup canola oil
3 teaspoons turbinado sugar
Oil for deep frying

In a large bowl sift flour, salt, soda, and semolina. In another small bowl whisk buttermilk, oil, and sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Make a well in the flour and add one cup of the buttermilk, oil and sugar mix. Stir to bring the flour and buttermilk together. Add the 1/3 cup of buttermilk mix, one tablespoon at a time, while you knead. Use only the amount of buttermilk you need to make a soft, smooth and pliable dough. I used the entire amount, but if you feel the dough is getting too sticky, don’t use the entire amount. Knead well for at least seven minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for one hour.

Roll the dough into a long log on a lightly floured surface. With a knife cut the log into 20 equal sized portions and roll them in the palm of your hands into smooth balls. On a lightly floured board roll the balls into an oval shape, about ¼-inch in thickness.

Heat oil for deep frying in a wok. Gently slide, one bhature at a time, from the edge of the wok, into the hot oil. When it puffs up, turn and fry the other side until you see specks of gold on the surface. Drain on a paper-towel lined tray. Serve bhature with Chole.

Sambar – Spicy Lentils with Drumstick

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Margaret Christo

I have a large collection of sambar recipes, but I am sharing the one that I make most often. I like this recipe because it uses freshly roasted and ground sambar powder. You will find that making the sambar powder takes just a few minutes but the flavor it adds is well worth the effort.

The vegetables that I’ve added are drumstick, potatoes, and shallots. I use frozen drumstick from the Indian grocery store as fresh drumstick is hard to come by in the U.S. I find that the frozen drumstick takes longer to cook so I microwave them for three minutes before I add them to the rest of the vegetables. If you can get fresh drumstick, that is much better and you will not have to microwave them. Other vegetables that are commonly used are eggplant, radish, french beans, pumpkin, okra, and carrots. This recipe is hard to beat so give it a try and let me know if you agree.

Sambar – Spicy Lentils with Drumstick
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

For the Sambar Powder
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
6 dry red chillies, (depending on heat and your preference)
½ teaspoon whole black pepper
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

In a small pan, over low heat, add coriander seeds. Stir constantly while you roast them until the color changes to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and roast for another two minutes. Remove and let the spices cool completely. Put the spices in a coffee grinder and powder. I have a coffee grinder that is used only to powder spices.

For the Dal
1 cup toor dal/arhar dal, (split, yellow pigeon peas)
2 cups water
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coconut/canola oil

Wash the dal in several changes of water and cook in a pressure cooker with two cups of water, garlic, turmeric, and oil. I used my old Hawkins pressure cooker and the dal was done after three whistles. About five minutes. The time will vary depending on your pressure cooker.

For the vegetables
12 pieces of frozen drumsticks, (microwave with 3 teaspoons of water for three minutes)
1 large shallot, cut into eight pieces
1 large potato, cut into twelve pieces
2 green chillies, slit down the middle, (optional)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons tamarind, (soaked in 1 cup warm water)
3½ teaspoons salt

Soak the tamarind in one cup of warm water for about 10 minutes. Extract the tamarind juice, strain and set aside.

In a large pot, over medium-high heat, add the partially cooked drumstick, shallot, potato, green chillie, two cups of water and one cup of tamarind juice. Cook until the vegetables are done. Add the fresh sambar powder, the cooked and mashed dal, and salt. Stir gently. If the sambar is thick add one cup of water, bring to a boil, and simmer for five minutes.

For tempering
1 tablespoon coconut/canola oil
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder, hing
1 sprig curry leaves
1 shallot, sliced

Add coconut or canola oil in a small pan and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Be careful because they will pop and splutter. Then add asafoetida, the curry leaves and sliced shallot. Fry until the sliced shallot turns golden brown. Add this seasoning to the sambar and stir. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with steaming hot rice and papadam.You can also have sambar with South Indian dishes like dosa and idli.