Ingredients
Base
- 500 gfine rice flour
- 1 tspsalt
- about 200 ml warm water
To layer
- 200 gfresh grated coconut
- 100 gsugar, or grated jaggery
Optional
- ½ tspground cardamom
- a pinch of salt in the coconut
To serve
- warm, in a paper cone
- with a banana
- or with a curry
Equipment
- a puttu maker, a bamboo tube, or a cloth-lined steamer
Directions
- Tip the toasted flour out and let it cool completely.
- Mix the salt evenly through the cooled flour. Now sprinkle warm water over the flour a very little at a time, rubbing it in with your fingertips.
- Sprinkle, never pour.
- Keep rubbing between your palms so the moisture spreads evenly. It should hold its shape when squeezed and then crumble apart cleanly when you poke it.
- Mix the grated coconut with the sugar and cardamom. Layer it loosely and never press it down. Do not compact it.
- Steam it over boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes. It is ready when steam rises freely from the top of the tube and the surface looks dry and set.
- Serve it warm, in a paper cone, sprinkled with more coconut and sugar.
Technique
- Fresh grated coconut is far better than desiccated, which is dry and mean.
- A bamboo tube gives a faint aroma that a metal puttu maker does not.
- Ready-made puttu podi, the prepared flour, is sold in Indian shops.
Substitutions
- Desiccated coconut soaked briefly in warm water.
- A cloth-lined steamer or a cone of muslin in place of a puttu maker.
Variations
- Made with jaggery instead of sugar.
- Savoury, served with chickpea curry.
- Made with red rice flour, which is the Kerala style.
History
A Tamil steamed cake, puttu, brought from South India; Mauritian vendors steam it in cloth over a pot and sell it warm.
Frequently asked questions
What is Poutou?
Poutou is a dessert from Mauritius: steamed rice-flour and coconut cake, faintly sweet, sold in a cone. A Tamil steamed cake, puttu, brought from South India; Mauritian vendors steam it in cloth over a pot and sell it warm.
How long does Poutou take to make?
Poutou takes 20 min plus 2 hr resting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Poutou?
Yes, within limits. Desiccated coconut soaked briefly in warm water. A cloth-lined steamer or a cone of muslin in place of a puttu maker.
What is the most important thing to get right in Poutou?
Mix the grated coconut with the sugar and cardamom. Layer it loosely and never press it down. Do not compact it.
