Puttu and Kadala curry

Ingredients:

For Puttu :

1 cup puttu flour

1/3 cup water or add as required

1/2 cup grated coconut

Salt to taste

For Kadala curry :

2 cups boiled brown chana

1 chopped onion

1 chopped tomato

1 Tablespoon chopped ginger

1 green chilly, slit

3/4 cup grated coconut

1 Tablespoon coriander powder

1 Tablespoon kashmiri red chilly powder 

few curry leaves

few black peppercorns, crushed

Coconut oil

1 Teaspoon garam masala powder

2 Cloves

2 green cardamom

1 inch cinnamon stick

Salt to taste

Method :

To make puttu :

In a mixing bowl, take puttu flour and add to it salt, grated coconut and sprinkle water all over. Mix the flour with your fingertips. Keep adding water little by little  and gently mix the flour. To get soft puttu, the quantity of flour to water ratio is very important. There is no fixed ratio. To check, gently press a small portion of the flour between your palms. the flour should form a lump and should crumble when you put it back  into the mixing bowl. This should be the texture of the flour.

Pour water in the base vessel of the puttu maker and keep the flame on low heat. Place the perforated disc inside the cylindrical vessel . Add a tablespoon of grated coconut and then goes in 4 tablespoons of prepared puttu flour. Repeat it by adding grated coconut and the puttu flour again till you fill up the rim of the cylindrical vessel. Again add a tablespoon of grated coconut and close the lid. Place the cylindrical vessel above the base vessel in which the water would be boiling by now and  steam it for 10 minutes on medium flame.

To make kadala curry:

Soak brown chana overnight or at least for 5 to 6 hours. In the morning, pressure cook for 3 whistles or until soft with  enough water and salt. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the coconut till they get a golden brown color. Keep it aside. Heat the same pan, add in little oil, the whole garam masalas and fry them for few seconds. Add in the chopped onion and saute it till they become translucent. Put the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, curry leaves, salt, red chilly powder and the coriander powder. Mix it well, cover and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes on low flame. Add some water if required and cook until the mixture becomes mushy. Let it cool and grind it to a fine paste along with the fried coconut. 

Heat the same kadai once again, pour the ground paste and the boiled chana and let it boil well. Adjust the seasoning and add the crushed black pepper powder. Switch off the flame and garnish with curry leaves and coconut pieces. Serve hot with puttu.