Steam Cake Maker With Coconut Shell

Puttu is a traditional breakfast dish popular in the South Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as in Sri Lanka. It is a steamed rice cake that is cylindrical in shape and is made from rice flour, grated coconut, and water. The ingredients are layered in a puttu kutti (a special cylindrical steamer) and then steamed until cooked.

Puttu is typically served with side dishes such as kadala curry (black chickpea curry), banana, papadum, or even small bananas and sugar. It is known for being a healthy and filling breakfast option, as it is low in fat and high in carbohydrates. The texture of puttu is crumbly and slightly moist, and the flavor is mild, which allows it to pair well with a variety of accompaniments.

Here I am making a different type of puttu called chiratta puttu. The difference is in it's shape and the steamer used to cook the puttu. I will be making the steamer using coconut shell, in Malayalam (a south indian language) coconut shell is called chiratta so puttu made with coconut shell steamer is called chiratta puttu.

Coconut Shells(Two big and One small shells are enough)

Super Glue

Dremel Tool

Sand Paper

Hacksaw

First step to make a chiratta puttu maker is to find suitable sized coconut shells.A big symmetric coconut shell for the main body and the lid,Then a small one for the base part and handle.For me It was very easy to find the coconut shell since we use coconut in almost all our dishes, so there was a pile of coconut shelles to select from. If you dont have any coconut shell's you can buy whole coconut from super market. Take one big and one small coconut. Cut both of them from the center using a hacksaw.Remove the flesh inside using a coconut scraper or knife.Choose shells with a symmetric shape.

Once the shells are collected it time to polish them. Use 80 or 100 grit sandpaper to remove the outer part of the shell. Once this is polished the shell will have a dark and solid texture to it.

To make a small lip around the main shell of the body cut a ring of 5mm width from the same piece and its then glued to the edge as in photo. A small piece will also be needed to complete the lip.There will be some gapes between the body and the ring,its filled with coconut shell powder collected while sanding and then super glue is applied on it to make it solid. Once dried its sanded to flat level. For sanding use 100 grit sand paper.Glue a sheet of sand paper on a flat wood piece and sand the coconut shell edge to a flat level its important to make it flat without any bumps or gapes,so that when the lid is placed on top no steam will escape through the gapes.

Next step is to make a base piece for the puttu maker. This base will sit on top of the pressure cooker while cooking so that all the steam will go through the puttu maker. A small shell is needed to make this base. Cut and polish a shell and then sand the bottom and top side flat. Sand the bottom side to a more flat level as shown in the photo do this on both base and main body this way it will be easy to glue both shells together. Before gluing drill a hole in the same bottom side on both piece here I used an 18 mm bit to make the hole this hole will let the steam inside and the base piece will act as a chamber for the steam.

Glue both pieces with super glue and if there is any visible gapes put some sanded powder and super glue it again. Rougher sides are polished once again for a smoother finish

A lid is required to make the puttu,here I am using a coconut shell with same diameter of the main body. Since every coconut is differently shaped its almost impossible to get a perfect fit but the ring around the main body will give some space for adjustment. Shell for the lid is also sanded and polished after that Make the bottom side flat using sand paper on a flat surface, tgis way when the lid is closed there won't be any gap between the shells. A small coconut piece is glued on the top of the lid for handling it when the lid is hot and three small holes are drilled on the lid to let the steam out while cooking

A handle is also needed for the main body or else it would be too hot to touch after cooking cut a small piece from a small coconut shell as shown in the photo. Sand the sharp edges and polish it using sand paper. The handle is then glued on to the main body with some super glue. Fill the gapes with some sanded powder and add some super glue over it. This will be strong enough to hold the handle in place.

Next step is to make a circular slide( called chillu in Malayalam )which is used to cover the hole in the bottom side of the main body while cooking. This to prevent the rice powder from going through the big hole, and it also let the steam pass through the rice more evenly.To make this a circular pieces of 5cm diameter is cut from another coconut shell. Make the edges smooth with sand paper and drill some holes as in the photo.

After all this step polish the steamer using 220 grit sand paper and clean the inside with sand paper. Remover all the glue and any leftover coconut flesh, then polish the steamer using coconut oil.rub some coconut oil all over the steamer using a piece of cloth. Once it's dried rub coconut oil one more time, this will bring out the color of the coconut shell

Here we used super glue for the gluing. Once dried super glue is inert, so no need to worry about the glue, also glue is mostly outside of the steamer so it never come in contact with the food.

Ingredients

Rice Flour - 2 cups (use finely ground puttu flour or homemade rice flour).

Grated Coconut - 1 cup (fresh or frozen).

Salt - To taste.

Water - As needed (to moisten the flour)

Step 1: Prepare the Rice Flour

If using store-bought puttu flour, skip this step. If using regular rice flour:

1. Dry roast the rice flour in a pan on low heat for 5-7 minutes until it becomes aromatic. Let it cool.
2. Sieve the flour to remove lumps.

Step 2: Moisten the Flour

Take the rice flour in a large bowl.

Sprinkle water little by little and mix with your fingers. The goal is to moisten the flour so that it holds its shape when pressed but remains crumbly.

The flour should look like wet sand. Avoid making it too wet or too dry.

Step 3: Prepare the Coconut Shells

Clean the coconut shell steamer thoroughly and smear some coconut oil inside

place the slide inside

Step 4: Layer the Puttu

Take the main coconut shell and add some grated coconut at the bottom until it cover the slide

Add previously moistened rice flour on top of the coconut, fill it to almost to the top

Add another layer of grated coconut on the top

Step 5: Steam the Puttu

fill half of a pressure cooker with water and boil it remove the whistle from the lid and close the pressure cooker

Place the filled coconut shell steamer on top of the pressure cooker and place the lid on top of the steamer

Steam the puttu for 8 to12 minutes until the rice flour is cooked and the aroma fills the air.

Step 6: Serve

place the coconut shell steamer upside down on a plate, the puttu will easily come out of the shell if cooked properly

Serve with ripe banana and sugar or jaggery for a sweet taste

Serve with curry or vegetable stew for a spicy taste

extra recipe

my favorite way of making chiratta puttu is to make a masala puttu to make this you need

1. Oil - 2 tablespoons(coconut oil0.
2. Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon.
3. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon.
4. Curry Leaves - 1 sprig.
5. Green Chilies - 2-3
6. Ginger - 1 small piece
7. Onion - 1 medium
8. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon.
9. Red Chili Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Coriander Powder - 1/2 teaspoon.
11. boiled Egg-One(cut in half)

Prepare the Masala

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
3. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chilies, and ginger. cook it for a minute.
4. Add chopped onions and cook until they turn translucent.
5. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and let the masala cool slightly.

While cooking the puttu add the first layer of grated coconut and fill half of the steamer with the moistened rice then add a layer of this masala and on top of it place half of the boiled egg, then fill the steamer with rice ,and for the top layer same masala is used.

this masala puttu has more flavor to it and you don't have to make a curry also