Steamed puttu podi: why the good stuff never clumps

Puttu podi is not just rice flour. Or rather, plain rice flour is exactly what gives you that dense, gummy cylinder that slides out of the kutti in one sad piece.

The fix is to steam the rice before milling it. Steaming gelatinises part of the starch, and pre-gelatinised starch does not turn glue-like when it meets water again in the steamer. The grains stay separate and the puttu comes out light.

You can tell steamed podi by hand: it feels slightly grainy and it does not compact into a lump when you squeeze it. Untreated flour packs like talcum powder.

Corn puttu podi behaves the same way but tastes sweeter and comes out a deep yellow. It is worth keeping a packet of both — the corn one turns a routine breakfast into something people ask about.