Erachi Puttu

Ingredients (Serves 3 – 4)

1. Puttu podi – 1.5 cups

2. Beef – 1/2 lb (250 gm), cut into small pieces

3. Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp

4. Onion – 3/4 cup, finely chopped

Ginger – 1.5 tsp, finely choppped

Garlic – 3 medium, finely chopped

Curry leaves – A few, torn

5. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 – 3/4 tsp

6. Salt – To taste

Method

1. Heat coconut oil in a pressure cooker / cheena chatti at medium-high heat. Add onion, little salt, ginger, garlic and curry leaves.Saute until onion turns light brown. Bring down the heat to low. Add the spice powders numbered 5. Saute for about 15 – 30 seconds until their raw smell leaves. Add beef pieces and salt, to taste. Mix well. Add 2 – 3 tbsp water. Mix well. Pressure cook for 3 – 4 whistles OR cook covered for 30 – 40 minutes stirring occasionally until the beef pieces are completely cooked (add hot water if needed, while cooking). Open the lid and cook until moisture completely evaporates. Switch off. Set aside to cool. Pulse or coarsely grind in 2 – 3 batches in the small jar of a blender.

2. For the puttu  – Mix around 1 cup water with enough salt. Sprinkle the water on the puttu podi and mix well with your fingers without forming any lumps, until the puttu podi becomes moist. Be careful while mixing, it should not turn into a dough. (If there are a lot of lumps in the mixture, pulse it once or twice in a  blender). The final mixture should be in a powdered form, but wet enough for steaming. To check the consistency, grab a handful of the wet rice flour and press it. If it holds shape, but crumbles when pressed again, then the consistency should be right. When the rice flour is dampened, set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile fill a pressure cooker with one-half water. Close with its lid and bring to a boil.

4. Put the small steel plate with holes (puttu chillu), inside the regular puttu kutti / chiratta puttu maker mould. Fill the puttu maker/mould with 1.5 tbsp grated coconut and 2 – 3 tbsp beef mixture. Now add the puttu podi ( just loosely fill it with rice flour, do not press). Top with some more grated coconut, if you wish. Cover with the lid. Place it on top of the pressure cooker when steam starts coming out of the pressure cooker lid. Steam cook for about 4 – 5 minutes or until steam comes profusely through the small holes on top of the chiratta puttu maker lid. Take out the mould and invert it into a serving bowl / casserole. Serve erachi puttu with pappadam and  a hot cup of tea.