Bits from my backpack: Millet steamed cake

RAGI PUTTU/NACHONYA PUUT

RAGI STEAM CAKE

Serves: 2

Kerala cuisine

Ingredients

Ragi powder (Finger millet or fox millet)-1 cup

Salt-1 tsp

Sugar-1 tsp

Water as needed

Coconut scrapings or grated veggies (carrots, chopped cilantro, onions etc) as needed

Idli steamer or traditional puttu steamer or pressure cooker steamer

Method

1. Take ragi flour in a mixing bowl add salt and sugar.mix the dry ingredients with your hands. Now start sprinkling water little at a time and mix the flour

Flour ready to go into a steamer

HOLE DISC

2.When you take a hand full of flour and press in between your fist it should hold the shape that is the right consistency and when you drop it it should crumble.

Note:

-too much water will make it hard

- too little water makes it to remain as powder itself and will taste raw. (be carefull while adding water)

3. Now take your pressure cooker fill half with water close the lid remove the whistle and heat it up.

4. Meanwhile we can layer the puttu in the gadget(steamer) .

- begin by keeping the hole disc into it.

- Now add coconut scrapings

PRESSURE COOKER STEAMER

-Then add 2 handful of flour

Again layer with scrapings

Followed by

-2 handful of flour &

Ending with coconut scrapings

Close the lid and steam for 15 minutes.

5. Once done switch off the flame. Wait for few minutes. Now hold the steamer tube parallel to the plate and with the help of a skewer gently and slowly push the hole disc so that the puttu will slip onto the plate.