Puttu with Payar

Name: Puttu with Payar
Prep time: 495 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 520 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Kerala)
Ingredients: 1 cup (200 g) whole green mung beans (cherupayar), soaked overnight; 8 shallots (60 g), sliced; 2 green chillies, slit; 1 sprig curry leaves; 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) turmeric; 1 tsp (5 g) salt; 2 tbsp (30 ml) coconut oil; 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) mustard seeds; Do not over-cook mung beans into a mushy mass — they should be tender and intact.; The tempering is simple for this dish — resist the urge to add more spices; the simplicity is the point.; A squeeze of lime over the mung beans brightens them considerably.

🌱 Vegan🌾 Gluten-free📊 Easy

Puttu served with freshly cooked whole mung beans (cherupayar) seasoned simply with coconut oil, shallots, and curry leaves — a lighter, more everyday combination than puttu-kadala. The mung beans are cooked until just tender and barely seasoned, allowing the natural earthiness to come through. This combination is the most nutritious of the common puttu pairings.

⏱️495 minPrep

🔥25 minCook

🕒520 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Puttu with Payar

Pressure cook soaked mung beans with turmeric and salt for 2 whistles.
Natural release.
Beans should be tender but whole.
Heat coconut oil.
Add mustard seeds (pop), curry leaves, green chillies, and shallots.
Fry over medium heat 3–4 minutes until shallots are golden.
Add to cooked mung.
Toss to combine.
Adjust salt.
Serve alongside freshly steamed puttu (Recipe 3).

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 380 kcal | 13 g | 58 g | 12 g | 9 g | Puttu-payar is the most nutrition-complete of the puttu combinations, providing complete protein from the rice-lentil combination in the same meal. This combination is favoured for growing children and working-age adults. It is considered a "sattvic" (pure, peaceful) breakfast by Kerala's Hindu communities and is commonly prepared on fasting days when meat is avoided. ---

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