Learn How to Steam All-Purpose Flour

Why do we steam all-purpose flour?

A lot of Tamil meals require steamed all-purpose flour. This is because rice flour is more expensive than all purpose flour and mixing all purpose flour with rice flour helps soften the food. Steaming the all purpose flour helps prevent the food from becoming mushy/kali-like when mixed with the rice flour. Review the steps below to learn how to steam all-purpose flour properly.

Steaming flour can be done very easily with the following items:

• Sieve
• All-Purpose Flour
• Water
• Steamer (I use an idiyappam steamer)

Follow the steps below to steam flour:

1. Add water to the idiyappam steamer and then close the compartment.
2. Cover the lid with paper towels to protect the flour from getting wet.
3. Add flour on top of the paper towels and cover the steamer with its lid.
4. Steam on high flame until the steamer whistles. At this point, lower to medium heat.
5. Around 50 minutes, lower to low heat and maintain at this level as you sift the flour. The low heat will help you sift the flour more easily.
6. Begin taking the flour out and sift into a bowl or plate.
7. Once you have sifted all the flour, let it cool down completely before storing it in a container.
8. Once you have your steamed flour stored, you can make all the Tamil meals you can eat!