Puttu: Kerala's steamed rice and coconut cylinder, explained
Puttu looks simple: a white cylinder, a little crumbly, sitting next to a bowl of curry. It is one of the most loved dishes in Kerala, eaten for breakfast, as a light supper and, in Berlin, as a very good reason to come to lunch.
What is puttu?
Puttu is made from coarse rice flour, lightly moistened and mixed with salt, then layered with fresh grated coconut in a cylindrical mould called a puttu kutti. It is steamed from the bottom until the whole cylinder is cooked, then pushed out in one piece. The result is soft and crumbly, with a faint sweetness from the coconut and a texture that is unlike any other bread or rice dish.
It is not fermented and it has no sauce of its own. Like pathiri, puttu exists to soak up something.
What puttu is eaten with
Almost everything in Kerala's repertoire of gravies goes with puttu, but a few pairings are classics:
- Kadala curry: black chickpeas in a dark, roasted-coconut gravy. The all-time favourite, and fully vegan.
- Beef curry: rich, peppery, with coconut slices. A weekend and tea-shop favourite.
- Chicken curry: lighter and more fragrant, often with coconut milk and curry leaves.
- Egg roast or banana and sugar: a simple breakfast.
The way to eat it: break off a piece with your fingers, press it into the gravy until it soaks, and eat.
Puttu, idiyappam and appam
Kerala has a whole family of rice-based breakfast dishes. Puttu is steamed in layers. Idiyappam is rice-flour dough pressed into fine strings and steamed in little nests. Appam is a lacy pancake from fermented batter. We wrote about the family in what is Kerala food? and about the north's rice bread in pathiri, explained.
Why puttu works so well in a restaurant
Puttu has to be eaten fresh. The cylinder is at its best straight from the steamer, which is why a kitchen that cooks to order matters. At kokoland everything is cooked fresh after you order, so if you pre-order for pickup, allow about 25 to 30 minutes.
What to order
Check today's menu: puttu with kadala curry, with beef curry and with chicken curry are regular combinations, and plain puttu is often available as a side. Pair it with a tea (chai) if you want to eat like a Kerala morning.
Frequently asked questions
Is puttu vegan? Puttu itself is rice flour, coconut and salt, so yes. Check the curry too: kadala curry is vegan, meat curries are not.
Is puttu gluten-free? It is made from rice flour, but we also work with wheat in our kitchen, so we cannot promise there are no traces. Please ask us if you need to avoid gluten strictly.
Is puttu sweet? No. The coconut gives it a gentle sweetness, but it is a savoury dish. Some people eat it with banana and sugar for breakfast.
What does puttu taste like? Mild, soft and a little coconutty. The curry brings the flavour.
Visit us
Petersburger Str. 39, 10249 Berlin-Friedrichshain, Tuesday to Sunday 12:00 to 22:00. Book a table or see today's menu.
