Rava Puttu

Puttu is a breakfast dish prepared in most Kerala and Mangalore households. It is basically powdered rice or rava/semolina steamed in a special mold. You can have it sweet with mashed plantains and sugar or savory with kadala curry. I'm sharing my recipe of wheat rava or semolina puttu with you.

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:
fine Rava/ Semolina - 1 cup
Coconut - 1/4th grated
Water - 1 cup ( add 1/2 tsp salt)

Method of Preparation:
1. Keep a pan or kadai(wok) on medium heat. Roast rava in the pan untill the raw smell goes.(10-15 mins).
Spread the roasted rava on butter paper to cool.
(Ideally its better to do this process on the night before you intend to make puttu.)
Before proceeding to the next step the rava MUST be thoroughly cool.
2. Put the cool rava into a large bowl. Take a tablespoon of water and pour it over the rava. Mix fast and thoroughly to get a lump-free dough.
Repeat 5-6 times. Each time you add water, mix the rava thoroughly untill it is dry (rava has the abilitly to saok up water fast). Your dough is ready when your mixture is moist enough to hold shape when pressed gently in your hands. When pressed it should crumble easily into a powder.

3. Add 1 tbsp of grated coconut and mix again.
4. If you have a puttu vessel pour water into the bottom portion of the vessel and bring it to a boil. If using a pressure cooker pour water into the cooker and close lid without the weight. Keep on high heat untill you see steam releasing from the pressure vent. Lower heat to medium.
5. Meanwhile take your puttu cone and put a heaped tablespoon of grated coconut on the perforated base plate. Spread it evenly to cover the base. Carefully put 1/5 th of the rava mixture into the cone. Over this add another tablespoon of grated coconut and spread evenly. Repeat untill the cone is full. Top with grated coconut. Close the lid of the puttu cone and place over puttu vessel or over the pressure cooker vent if using a pressure cooker.

6. Steam for 15- 20 mins. (see to it that the steam does not escape from the base of the puttu cone. If it does cover it with a thick cloth to prevent the escape of steam).
7. Push a stick through the base plate of the puttu cone to release the puttu onto a plate.
8. Serve topped with sugar and plantain.

Tomato Rasam

Serves 8

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 2 nos. (chopped)
Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup
Green chilli - 1 nos.(slit)
Corriander leaves - 1 stem
Tamarind - 1 1/2 marble size (soaked in 1/4 cup of water)
Jaggery -1/2 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp
Rasam pwd. - 1 heaped tbsp.
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste.
Seasoning:
Oil - 1tsp.
Long Red Chilli - 1 no.(broken into 3 pieces)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5 nos.

Method of Preparation:
1. Boil Tuvar dal in 2 cups of water along with oil and turmeric pwd. in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles.
(When well cooked you will not see the individual pieces of dal, it will be well dissolved with the water.)
2. Once the dal is cooked add tomatoes, green chillies, hing and salt. Boil till the tomatoes are cooked.
3. Add strained tamarind juice, jaggery and four cups of water. Boil for 3-4 mins.
4. Add Rasam Pwd.(recipe given in another post) and corriander leaves. Boil of 1 mins and remove from heat.
5. Seasoning: Heat oil in a small vessel. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Put off heat. Now add the red chillies and curry leaves. turn the vessel around to coat the chillies and curry leaves with oil. Pour over rasam.

Serve Hot !

Rasam Powder

Ingredients:
Kashmiri Long Red Chillies - 20 nos.(remove stem)
Corriander seeds - 3 tsp.
Jeera seeds - 1 tsp.
Methi seeds -1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves - 10 nos.
Vegetable oil - 1tsp.

Method of Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Roast all the ingredients in oil over low heat, untill you get the aroma of the spices.
( The curry leaves will turn crisp. Do not let the red chillies brown. This process should not take you more than 5 mins.) Leave to cool.
3. When cool Put it into a dry mixer and powder it fine.
4. Store in an airtight bottle.

P.S. This powder can also be used for a variety of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian recipes.

Neer Dosa

Neer Dosa is a type of rice pancake made in Mangalore. Neer in Tulu (a local dialect of Mangalore) means water and it is literally a dosa made out of a very watery paste of rice and coconut. These dosa's are so soft and thin that they are usually folded into quarters and served. You can serve them with any spicy curry, chutneys or sambhar.

Makes 10 dosa's

Ingredients:
Rice (Dosa rice is the best, you can also use any white rice) - 1 cup
Coconut (grated) - 2 tbsp
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Sesame oil for frying
Salt to taste.

Method of Preparation:
1. Wash rice and soak it in water for 8hrs. before your preparation time. I usually soak the rice the previous night to make them the next morning.

2. Drain rice from water and put into the mixie jar. Add the grated coconut. Add 1/2 cup water and grind. Once it is smooth add the rest of the water in batches. The batter will have the consistency of milk.

3. Heat a flat cast iron griddle or non-stick pan with 1/2 tsp oil and spread it around the tava.
( the best way to do this is to cut a small onion into half and poke a fork into it. the flat side is used to spread oil evenly on the tava to make dosa's.)
When the tava is hot splash a ladle full of batter on the tava and turn the tava swiftly to spread the batter evenly. Lower heat and cook covered for a minute.
When the dosa is done peel it from one end of the tava and fold into half. Fold again into a quarter.
Serve hot for breakfast with chutney or as a meal with curries.

P.S.: Since this dosa is of a watery consistency you cannot spread it on the tava with a ladle as is done for other dosa's.
Neer dosa cooks quickly as it is very thin, so there is no need to turn it over and fry.

Kori Rotti /Mangalore Chicken curry with Rice Wafers

"Kori Rotti" - the name is nostalgia......... Thin rice wafers soaked in spicy chicken curry, warm, mouth watering and a Sunday special in most Mangalorean homes.Authentically from the Bunt community, Kori Rotti is loved and relished by all non vegetarians in Mangalore. But what makes it truly Mangalorean is the fact that the thin rice wafers called "rotti" is made only in Mangalore. Manufacturing these rotti's is a cottage industry here. They are never made at home as its easily available in the stores and the making is a laborious and skilled process. They are eaten only and only with hot spicy chicken curry and thats the recipe im sharing with you now. Although you will find small variations of this recipe from household to household, this is the recipe that is followed by many families and restaurants in Mangalore. If you cannot find the rotti's you may also serve this with another authentic Mangalorean dish "Neer Dosa", dosa or also with idli's. Always serve the curry piping hot!

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1kg, skinned, cleaned and cut into small pieces
Coconut - 1/2 grated
Coconut Milk(thin)- 4 cups
Coconut Milk (thick)- 1cup
Onion - 3nos., finely chopped
Garlic - 6 pods, peeled
Long Red Chillies( Kashmiri) - 10 nos.( remove the stalk)
Short round Red chillies - 5 nos.
Corriander seeds - 3 heaped tbsp.
Jeera - 1 tsp.
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Peppercorns - 6 nos.
Tamarind -1 tbsp
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp.
Salt to taste Ghee -4 tbsp.


Method of Preparation.
1. In a large kadai, heat 1 tbsp ghee on medium heat. When warm put in the small red chillies first. Fry for a few seconds and then add the long red chillies. Fry again for a few seconds and remove the fried chillies with a slotted spoon and place aside on a plate.
Put in the garlic and fry for a minute.
Then add the corriander seeds, methi seeds, and jeera. Fry for a minute. Remove from heat and place along with the red chillies.
(Frying of whole spices is done to remove the raw flavour. Do not fry any of the spices to brown.)
To the same kadai, add 2 tbsp ghee. Add 1 chopped onion and fry untill transparent.
Add the grated coconut and fry for about 5 mins untill the raw smell goes and is just about to brown. The mixture will look golden. Remove on to a plate to cool.

2. Put the fried whole spices and grated coconut/ onion mixture in a mixie jar. Add the turmeric powder and tamarind. Grind into a fine paste with about 1 cup water.

3. In a small frying pan, heat 1tbsp ghee. When hot, add 1 finely chopped onion and fry to a golden brown. Drain and keep aside. This is the tempering that is added to the curry at the end of cooking.

4. Take a large vessel to make the curry. Pour the ground masala paste into this vessel.
Add 1 chopped onion to this masala along with the thin coconut milk. Bring to a boil on medium heat. When the curry starts boiling add the chicken. Cover and cook untill the chicken is done. (About 25-30 mins on medium heat).
When the chicken is cooked, reduce heat to low and add the thick coconut milk. Mix well and cook on low heat for 5 mins.
Finally add the onions that have been fried to a golden brown. Put off heat and serve hot over Rice Rotti's.