Chemmeen Puttu/ Steamed rice Cakes layered with Prawns Masala

It’s time for MFB challenge. This time it is “Ramadan Memories”. As the Ramadan fasting is going on, we will spend most of our time in prayers and by evening, we will be cooking a different variety of dishes.

A lot of memories are associated with iftar. Mom used to prepare mouth watering dishes. As a kid, even though I was not fasting, I used to sit with her and break the fast when it is time. But as I grew up, during fasting, we all, me, my parents and my brothers used to sit together for iftar and enjoyed the food she made. We used to have so much fun. Feeling very nostalgic. Missing those golden days.

Mom used to make lots of fried food and mostly she used to make Kerala dishes a lot. Whatever she makes, they taste heavenly.

Among that, I like to eat “erachi puttu”. As I like chicken a lot, she prepares the puttu using minced chicken. She makes a dry masala using minced chicken and then layers the masala in the rice flour then steamed in a cylinder shaped puttu maker. This can be served as a breakfast item also.

This time for the MFB challenge, I thought of making my all time favorite, my mom’s erachi puttu. But as I didn’t have chicken, I used prawns which are equally delicious.

In this, I made the prawns masala and rice crumbs, then layered them together and steamed to perfection. They turned out amazing. Usually, I will make normal puttu with grated coconut and some side dish to go with it for breakfast. But this prawns puttu doesn’t require any side dish as it already has the moisture of the gravy layered. Hope you all might like this.

Ingredients:

1. Rice Flour- 2 Cups
2. Water- as required
3. Salt- as required

For the Masala

1. Prawns- 250 gms
2. Onions (chopped)- 2 nos
3. Tomatoes (chopped)- 1 no
4. Green chilies ( slit)- 3 nos
5. Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
6. Curry Leaves- few
7. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tbsp
8. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
9. Garam Masala- 1 tsp
10. Tamarind Pulp- 1 tbsp
11. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Mix the rice flour along with salt in a bowl. Sprinkle water little by little to form small crumbs till it resembles a sand texture. When held together tightly, it should form a ball and then when we crumble, it will be powdered. Keep it covered till the masala gets ready.
2. Wash the prawns well and keep this aside.
3. Heat a pan add the chopped onions and salt, when they turn translucent, add the green chilies and curry leaves.
4. When they turn light brown in color, add the ginger and garlic paste and stir well till the raw smell disappears.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, mix till they turn mushy. Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder.
6. On a low flame drop the cleaned prawns, add a little water. Mix and close it with a lid.
7. When they start boiling add the tamarind pulp. Saute for a couple of minutes, when they turn little dry, switch off the flame.
8. To make the puttu, take the puttu maker, add 2 tbsp of the rice crumbs, over this spread the prawns gravy and fill the puttu maker with more rice crumbs and steam this for about 10 minutes.
9. Make puttu using the remaining prawns gravy and the rice crumbs.
10. Enjoy hot steaming puttu.

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