Jowar Puttu

South Indian sorghum and coconut steamed cylinders: crumbly, fragrant, and gently sweet, served with kadala curry or ripe banana and jaggery in the Kerala and Karnataka morning tradition

Origin: Kerala and coastal Karnataka, South India

From the journey of Sorghum.

Puttu is the defining breakfast of Kerala and coastal Karnataka: cylinders of coarsely milled grain flour layered with freshly grated coconut, steamed upright in a cylindrical mould called a puttukutti until the grain absorbs the coconut's moisture and fat and the whole column emerges from the mould in a single crumbly, fragrant piece. The conventional puttu is made from red or white rice flour (rice puttu), but jowar (sorghum) puttu is an older preparation, prominent in the interior Karnataka Deccan villages and among the tribal farming communities of the Nilgiri Hills, where jowar and ragi (finger millet) were the grain staples long before rice cultivation was widespread. The technique of puttu is deceptively simple: the dry flour is moistened just enough to hold together when squeezed but not so much that it becomes a paste; coconut is layered alternately with the flour in the cylindrical mould; the mould is placed over the steam emerging from the puttu pot (a narrow-necked pot with a perforated disc on top) and steamed for 3–5 minutes until the grain is cooked through. The finished cylinder is pushed out from the mould onto the plate intact and served immediately, as the crumbly texture is best whilst the puttu is still hot. The traditional savoury accompaniment is kadala curry (black chickpea curry in a coconut and spice gravy), and the traditional sweet accompaniment is a ripe banana and shards of dark jaggery: both are placed alongside the puttu, not mixed into it, so that each bite can combine the crumbly grain cylinder with as much or as little sweet or savoury as the diner wishes. The use of jowar flour, rather than rice flour, produces a puttu with a deeper, slightly nutty flavour and a more robust, less delicate texture, better suited to the assertive flavours of Kerala spicing.

Ingredients

Puttu

300 g jowar (sorghum) flour, coarsely milled
120 ml cold water (to moisten the flour; added in stages)
0.5 tsp fine salt
100 g fresh coconut, finely grated (or desiccated coconut, moistened with 2 tbsp water)

Kadala curry

400 g tinned or dried black chickpeas (kadala), cooked until tender
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp Kerala curry powder (or a blend of coriander, cumin, black pepper, and turmeric)
200 ml coconut milk
2 whole sprigs curry leaves

To serve

2 ripe bananas (to serve, optional)
50 g dark jaggery, shaved or crumbled (to serve, optional)

Method

Place the jowar flour and salt in a large bowl. Add cold water in very small amounts (a tablespoon at a time), rubbing the flour between your palms after each addition. The flour should feel slightly damp and hold together when a handful is pressed firmly, but should not be sticky or form a paste. This is the correct consistency.
Set a puttu steamer over boiling water, or improvise using a narrow-mouthed pot with steam escaping from the top, covered by a cylinder made from a rolled piece of baking parchment secured with foil.
Layer the puttu mould as follows: a small handful of grated coconut at the bottom, then a 3cm layer of moistened jowar flour, pressed gently, then another thin layer of coconut, then flour, finishing with a layer of coconut at the top. The mould should be filled loosely, not compacted.
Place the filled mould over the steamer and steam for 4–5 minutes until steam rises visibly from the top of the mould. Remove from the heat and push the cooked puttu cylinder out onto a plate with a skewer or the back of a spoon.
For the kadala curry: heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the curry leaves and sliced onion and fry until the onion is dark golden, about 10 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir for 1 minute. Add the cooked black chickpeas, coconut milk, and 100ml water. Simmer for 10 minutes until the gravy thickens and the chickpeas are thoroughly coated.
Serve the hot puttu cylinders with the kadala curry alongside. Accompany with sliced ripe banana and shards of jaggery for the sweet element, if desired.

Notes

A puttukutti (traditional puttu mould) produces the classic cylindrical shape and is inexpensive at Indian grocery stores. Improvised moulds (a perforated tin can, a steel cylinder) work equally well. The proportions of coconut and jowar flour can be adjusted to taste; more coconut produces a richer, sweeter cylinder. Jowar puttu is also excellent with ripe plantain mashed into the pieces at the table. Leftover puttu can be pan-fried with a little coconut oil for a crispy, textured breakfast the next morning.

The Gastrographer

Name: Jowar Puttu
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: South India
Ingredients: 300 g jowar (sorghum) flour, coarsely milled; 120 ml cold water (to moisten the flour; added in stages); 0.5 tsp fine salt; 100 g fresh coconut, finely grated (or desiccated coconut, moistened with 2 tbsp water); 400 g tinned or dried black chickpeas (kadala), cooked until tender; 1 medium onion, finely sliced; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 2 tsp Kerala curry powder (or a blend of coriander, cumin, black pepper, and turmeric); 200 ml coconut milk; 2 whole sprigs curry leaves; 2 ripe bananas (to serve, optional); 50 g dark jaggery, shaved or crumbled (to serve, optional)

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control