295) NENDRAN BANANA PUTTE (PUTTU)

NENDRAN BANANA PUTTE (PUTTU)

A DIVINELY SWEET, FILLING, SATISFYING, GLADDENING SNACK FROM KERALA

Introduction:

          After days of gloomy weather and rain, the sun came out bright this morning and I went for a stroll with my husband in our compound. As we walked downhill, plucking and enjoying fresh guavas, we came to a spot where the fodder grass had flattened a little. We went nearer and surprise! A nice big bunch of Nendran bananas which had been pushed down by strong winds, perhaps a week ago was there, nestling in the grass.

          The upper comb had ripened fully and some of the bananas had been claimed by the birds, but the rest of the bunch was untouched. Then and there, we ate a Nendran banana each – perhaps the tastiest of bananas. We decided to have Nendran banana putte for breakfast. It turned out so delicious, so elevating, I must share this recipe with you. If you are living abroad, as you enjoy Nendran banana putte, you will feel you are back in Kerala – God’s own country – again!

Ingredients:

     1)    Putte podi (roasted rice powder available in all kerala grocery shops) – 350 gm.

If you wish to make your own putte podi, see my putte or puttu recipe.

     2)    Ripe medium sized Nendran banana – 2 Nos.

     3)    Coconut – ½

     4)    Sugar – 1 tablespoon

     5)    Salt – ¼ teaspoon

     6)    Cardamom – 4 pods

     7)    Cashew nuts – 10 Nos.

     8)    Kismis (Dry seedless raisins or sultanas) – 15 Nos.

To cook:

          Scrape the coconuts and set aside. Peel the banana and chop to tiny pieces (the smaller the better). Chop the cashews and kismis to fine bits. Now put the putte podi into a wide bowl. Add the sugar, the salt, the bananas, the cashews and the kismis. Tip in a tablespoonful of grated coconut. Break open the cardamom pods. Crush the seeds (you can use a board and a rolling pin) finely and tip them in.

          Mix in everything nicely with your fingers. Steam the putte in the putte maker (see the pictures and go through the detailed instructions in my putte or puttu recipe). The mixture together with the remaining grated coconut is enough to make nearly three standard sized cylinders of Nendran banana putte. Enjoy hot and smile!

Note:

     1)    As roasted rice powder is used, the putte mixture may dry up if there is a longer interval between the steamings. If this happens, be sure to sprinkle a few drops of water to bring it to the desired consistency (see putte recipe). However, for the first batch, you normally do not require any added water, since the putte draws moisture from the coconut and the bananas.

     2)    While this delicious Nendran banana putte needs no curry or other accompaniments for the average person, if you are a gourmet guru, you might like to enjoy the putte with cherupayar curry and with crumbled papads, eating with your fingers and licking them between mouthfuls.