Puttu and kadala curry

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted puttu rice flour (red or white)
• About ¾ cup water with ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup grated coconut
• For the curry: 1 cup black chickpeas (kala chana), soaked overnight
• 1 cup grated coconut and 1 tsp fennel seeds, for roasting
• 1 onion, sliced; 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste; 2 green chillies
• 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, curry leaves

Method

1. Sprinkle the salted water over the rice flour a little at a time and rub with your fingers until it is like damp breadcrumbs that hold together when pressed. Rest 10 minutes.
2. In a puttu maker, layer a spoon of coconut, then flour, then coconut again until the tube is full. Steam for 6–8 minutes until steam comes out of the top.
3. Pressure-cook the chickpeas with salt until soft.
4. Dry-roast the coconut and fennel until dark brown and grind to a smooth paste with a little water.
5. Heat the oil, splutter mustard and curry leaves, then fry the onion, ginger-garlic and chillies. Add the powdered spices and cook for a minute.
6. Add the chickpeas with their water and the coconut paste and simmer for 10 minutes. Push the puttu out of the tube and serve with the curry.