How to Make Pidi (with Puttu Podi)
Learn how to make delicious pidi at home with this step-by-step recipe. Made from rice flour and coconut, this traditional South Indian dish is perfect for breakfast or as a snack.
Ingredients
For the Pidi Dough
- 2 1/2 cups Roasted Puttu Podi
- 1 1/2 cup Grated Coconut തേങ്ങ ചിരണ്ടിയത്
- 4 Cups Water വെള്ളം - 1 Litre
- 1 Teaspoon Salt ഉപ്പ്
For Grinding
- 4 Nos Shallots ചെറിയ ഉള്ളി
- 6 Cloves Garlic വെളുത്തുള്ളി
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds ചെറിയ ജീരകം
For Cooking Pidi
- 6 Cups Water 1½ Litre
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Prepare the Rice flour for Pidi
- To make pidi dough, first, mix roasted puttu podi and grated coconut together with your fingers.
- Cover the mixture and let it sit for an hour.
- Next, in a wide and deep heavy pan, roast the mixture on low heat while stirring continuously until lightly roasted, which may take around 10-15 minutes.
- Take it off the heat and let it cool down. If there are any large lumps, pulse them in a mixer grinder.
Grind Cumin Garlic Mixture
- Then, grind garlic, cumin seeds, and small onions together with a little water.
Make The Pidi Dough
- In a pot, boil 4 cups of water and add 1 tsp of salt and the ground garlic-cumin mixture to it. Let it boil for 2 minutes over medium heat.
- In a mixing bowl, add rice flour. Add hot boiling water little by little into it while stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together. Note: Do not add all the water at once. Only add enough water to make the flour moist, similar to the way we make dough for Idiyappam. Typically, you will need around 2 1/2 - 3 cups of boiled water to make the dough, but the amount can vary based on the type of rice flour.
- After 1-2 minutes, when the dough has cooled down a bit, mix it well with your hands until it forms a soft dough. Reserve the remaining hot water with ground cumin mix.
- Knead the dough while it's still hot to make it softer, which should take around 3-4 minutes of kneading.
- If the dough is too sticky, apply a little oil to your hands while kneading. If the dough is too wet, add more rice flour as needed.
Shape the dough in to small balls
- While the dough is still warm, take small portions of it and shape them into small balls. You can sprinkle some of the reserved flour (2-3 tbsp) on top of the balls so the balls don’t stick together.
Cooking the Pidi
- In a deep bottomed pan add any remaining water that boiled earlier with the cumin and garlic mixture. Add 6 more cups of water and 1 tsp of salt to it.
- When the water boils, add the rolled balls to it. DO NOT stir the balls, wait for the water to boil again.
- Once the water boils again, you can stir the balls lightly to prevent sticking to each other and at the bottom of the pan. Keep the flame medium-high and cook for 10-12 minutes or until it starts to thicken and all the rice balls are cooked through. The cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the Pidi balls.
- Turn off the heat and set aside.
- serve hot with your favorite gravy or curry.
Notes
Note: Be sure to stir the Pidi balls occasionally while cooking to prevent them from sticking to each other or to the bottom of the pot. Also, the cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the Pidi balls.