Recipe for Puttu

This morning I made puttu after what seemed like an eternity. Puttu is a traditional malayalee breaky. It's very healthy as there is no oil. Plus, it's steamed.
Take a small or large cup of Nirapara's Chemba puttu podi. Puttu podi can actually be made at home. However, it saves time if you have the ready - made variety. Nirapara's Chemba puttu podi is available all over South India , I guess. Possibly in Maharashtra and some other places where Hindi is spoken. Coz I did see instructions in Hindi, English and Tamil ( I think).
Mix the podi with water, a little at a time. The podi is brown and not exactly soft like flour. Work with yr fingers, till the water is absorbed evenly and feels "piri- piri", if u know what I mean.
Scrape some coconut or take ready- made, if you live in a place where that is popular. Now you need to take the puttu kutti. The puttu kutti is a traditional utensil in which puutu is made. For the past 40 - 50 years ( I'm guessing again), the puutu kutti also acquired another purpose. Steam inhalation. Yes it's very easy to use it for that since it is narrow at the top. More of that later.
Now you need to fill the cylindrical part of the kutti with alternating layers of coconut and the prepared puttu podi. Remember to close the bottom with the circular piece of aluminium. Now cover the top with the lid. Pour water in the lower portion of the utensil and fix the cylindrical part onto it. Steam for 15- 20 mts. Switch off. Use a rod to push the cooked puttu out- push it gently out from the bottom. It should hold a cylindrical shape. Done.

Puutu tastes great with chicken curry, kadala curry, beef( yum) etc. However for breakfast, one of the best combinations is with bananas.

A Beef Dish you can make Anywhere in the World

This is an easy- to- make and tasty dish . That's why I like it. Assuming you already have cooked , minced beef ie.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked and minced beef. No harm done if it's a lil less or a lil more. I just took what was there and it definitely looked like 2 cups to me. Big cups. Or rather mugs.
• One big onion. Cut horizontally and vertically so they are squarish.
• 2 tomatoes. Dice.
• 1 inch ginger stick. Slice finely and then gently mash.
• Green chillies. One or two depending on tolerance levels. Slice.
• Oil- 3 tablespoons or so.
• Worcestishire sauce. This is optional, but I feel it adds to the taste. I used it in one of those moments of inspiration which left me pleased later on.
• Salt
• Powdered black pepper

The Making:

Take a big wok. I used the traditional "cheenachatti". It's one of those heavy iron utensils ( the word "utensil" must have come into existence after someone came into contact with one of these) . Particulary useful when u want to leave something on the fire for a long time. By the way "cheena" means Chinese in malayalam and "chatti" means pot. So it was something borrowed from the Chinese. I have never seen a real wok...so maybe the "cheenachatti" has a lot in common with the wok after all.

Heat the pot or chatti. Pour the oil. Once it's hot, in go the onions. Stir and when they start turning colour add the ginger and the chillies. Stir. Add the tomatoes. Keep stirring. Lower the flame. Add the beef. Whenever u cook beef in a chatti it tastes better when it has stayed on the fire for long. On low heat, mind you. So keep stirring the whole mixture so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. When the colour changs add the W sauce. Since it's heavy it falls slowly. So I made a circle with the sauce on the mound of beef n tomatoes. Stir well. Keep stirring. Add salt and the black pepper powder. Taste it occasionally until it's just right . ( Don't worry you will know when).

And yr done!!! Eat it with bread or chappathi.