Puttu

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

It is Navaratri Friday, special for thaayaar. Traditionally, many ladies make puttu and offer to golu. The thought of making puttu may seem very arduous. Not any more, here's my mother's simple recipe for making puttu. 

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 3 cups

Water - about a cup

Jaggery - around 1-1.25 cups, exact measurement based on the cooking measure

Ghee - 2-3 tbsp

Cashews/almonds - to season

Dry coconut - 1-2 tbsp, optional, to season

Method:

1. Take a thick bottom pan, add the rice flour and dry roast it very well until it is fully roasted. It turns a tinge of red/brown. Dont let it burn. 

2. Transfer this to another bowl, let it cool slightly and start adding the water a few tbsp at a time and mix thoroughly. Repeat this until you are able to grasp a fistful of flour and make a ball, but when you crumble this ball, it should completely become powdery again. In tamil, 'பிடிச்சா பிடிக்கணும், உதிர்த்தா உதிரணும்'

3. At this stage, cover the bowl and steam the wet rice flour for about 12 minutes in a pressure cooker (no need to add whistle) or other steaming methods. 

4. Turn off the stove, get the bowl out, transfer it to another plate or bowl to let it cool down. When you can handle the flour, gently rub the flour between your fingers to crumble the flour to a fine powder. Use a ladle/spatula or your hands to fluff it. You can also grind lightly in a mixie to crumble/fluff it. If there are any lumps, rub between the index finger and thumb to crumble it. 

5. Now, measure this cooked rice flour. 

6. For every 3 cups of the cooked rice flour, take 1 cup of grated jaggery in a sauce pan, add some water to melt it. Once fully melted, strain to remove dirt. 

7. Add the filtered jaggery syrup to a thick bottom pan on the stove and start stirring until it reaches 'kallu paagu/ கல்லு பாகு' consistency. To check for this consistency, take a few tbsps of water in a small cup. When the jaggery srrup thickens and firms up, add a few droplets to the water. The jaggery droplets should stay firm, and you should be able to gather it with your fingers, roll into a small ball and when you drop the ball on the counter top, it should be firm like a small pellet. 

8. At this stage, turn off the stove, and gently mix the fluffed rice flour into the jaggery syrup. Continue until the rice flour is fully incorporated into the jaggery syrup.

9. Season with cashews/almonds/raisins/coconut etc fried in ghee and add to the mixture.

10. Your puttu is ready. Offer to Krishna and your golu. 

Tavala Adai

Sri:

Tavala Adai is a traditional iyengar dish that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is made in a thick bottom bronze pot (vengala paanai or uruli). It can also be made in an iron kadai instead.

Ingredients:
Parboiled Rice (Idli Rice) - 2 cups
Channa Dal - 1 cup

Toor Dal - 3/4 cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
Cumin - 2 tbsp
Black pepper - 2 tbsp
Red (or green chillies) - 2-3 (depending on heat/spice tolerance, optional)
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Sesame / Gingelly oil, as needed.

Soak the rice, dals, cumin, pepper and chillies for two hours. Grind in a wet grinder to a coarse and thick consistency. Transfer the batter to a bowl, add salt and coconut and mix well. Set it aside for atleast two hours.

In a bronze pot, add about a 2-3 tbsp of oil and preheat in a low flame. Once preheated, add about 2-3 ladels of the thick, coarse batter. If possible, make a hole in the center. The oil should cover the sides of the batter. Reduce to a low flame and cover the pot with a lid. After about 3-4 mins or once the bottom has crisped up, open the lid and gently flip the cooked adai. Cook the other side for another 2-3 mins, uncovered.

When both sides are cooked and crisped up, remove from the pot.
Repeat process to make additional tavala adai.

Offer to Krishna and serve hot. Goes best with molagai podi, tomato thokku or other hot 'n' sour chutneys.