Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kerala · Breakfast

Chemba Puttu

Traditional 70. Chemba Puttu recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• 200g chemba (red rice / matta rice) puttu flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 60-70ml warm water (added gradually)
• 120g fresh grated coconut (divided into portions for layering)

👩‍🍳 How to make Chemba Puttu

1. Prepare flour mixture (8 mins): Combine chemba puttu flour and salt in a wide bowl. Sprinkle warm water over the flour 1 tbsp at a time, rubbing and crumbling the flour between your fingertips after each addition. The goal is a moist, crumbly flour — not a dough. Test: press a handful firmly in your fist; it should hold its shape for 2-3 seconds then break apart cleanly when you open your hand. Red rice flour absorbs more water than white — it may need a little more water than a standard puttu.
2. Rest the flour (10 mins): Cover the moistened flour with a damp cloth and rest for 10 mins — this allows even moisture absorption and prevents lumps.
3. Fill puttu mould (3 mins): Bring water to a boil in the puttu steamer base. Layer the cylindrical puttu mould: 2 tbsp grated coconut → 3 tbsp red rice flour → 2 tbsp coconut → 3 tbsp flour → 2 tbsp coconut → remaining flour → finish with 2 tbsp coconut on top. Close the mould firmly.
4. Steam (10 mins, high steam): Attach the filled mould to the boiling steamer base. Steam on high for 8-10 mins until a steady column of steam escapes from the top holes of the mould. The red rice gives a nutty, earthy aroma — the puttu is done when this aroma intensifies.
5. Unmould and serve: Use a wooden spoon to push the puttu out from the bottom of the mould onto a plate. The puttu should come out in a intact cylinder, dark reddish-brown with white coconut layers visible. Serve immediately with ripe banana and palm jaggery crumbled over, or with hot kadala curry for dipping.

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