Paal Puttu / பால் புட்டு

Paal Puttu is a sweet, coconut-flavored meal that can be enjoyed for breakfast.

I had paal puttu for the first time when I visited Sri Lanka in 2019. My aunt made it for me for breakfast. It was so sweet and delicious that I took a picture as a reminder to make it myself when I returned home.

The consistency of the meal can differ based on preference. The paal puttu above is wetter than how I made it with this recipe, but by adding more coconut milk, you can get the perfect consistency you most enjoy. Use fresh coconut milk if you can.

The meal can be pretty heavy for breakfast regularly, but it’s nice to enjoy here and there for its sweet taste. Red rice flour is healthier than white.

Take a look at a video here if the visual is useful.

Paal Puttu

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 4

Equipment

• Puttu Kulal

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Roasted Rice Flour (வறுத்த அரிசி மா)
• 1 cup Water (தண்ணீர்)
• pinch Salt (உப்பு)
• 1½-1¾ cup Coconut Milk (தேங்காய் பால்) Use fresh if possible
• 2 tbsp Roasted Black Gram Flour (உளுத்தம்மா)
• 3 tbsp Sugar (சீனி)

Instructions

 

• Mix the rice flour and black gram flour in a bowl.
• Boil water in a pot and then mix in pinch of salt.
• Add boiling water to the bowl, little by little, and mix using the end of a wooden spoon until you get the right consistency. The amount of water needed will differ on the specific flour used (how it was made).
• After it cools a bit, mix with your hand to ensure you have the right consistency. It should be slightly dry and not too wet.
• Break (குத்து) the dough into small small pieces with a cup. It shouldn’t be too powdery
• Fill the puttu kulal bottom with water (about 1/3 of the way) and place on stove to boil. Make sure you close the lid. You'll see the steam (ஆவி) when the kulal is ready to use to cook the puttu.
• When the kulal is ready, add the dough pieces and place back on the puttu kulal bottom. It should take about a minute to cook. You will see steam once it is cooked and hear it whistle.
• Place the cooked puttu into a bowl.
• Boil coconut milk in a pot. I used fresh coconut milk (made using grated coconut) for better taste.
• Mix in sugar once the milk boils.
• Lower the flame and add the puttu little by little into the pot to get the consistency you want for the paal puttu. Once you've added all the puttu you want, gently press it down to let it all cook evenly for about 2 minutes.