“Idiyappam” (Tamil) or “Nool Puttu”(Malayalam) also called as String Hoppers has been a part of Kerala, Tamilnadu and Srilankan Cuisines. There are versions of the same in Indonesian menu too called the “Putu Mayam”. It is best served with a masala curry with a coconut gravy or coconut milk. An egg curry makes a great pairing with a fresh pressed Idiyapam. It became a part of my weekly menu after I moved to Kerala.
The traditional white idiyapam is made with roasted rice flour. Other variants are made with wheat flour or ragi flour. The task of making it is not as daunting as it appears. We get very good roasted rice flours in the market, which is the main ingredient of this dish. So it is as simple as opening the packet, and adding the required quantity to the proportional hot water to make a smooth dough like we would for a chapathi or phulka. The roasted rice flour gets partly cooked while mixing with the hot water. The dough is pressed through a Idiyapam press into a thin layer of noodles and steamed for few minutes. A colourful and healthy twist of the idiyapam is my version of Beetroot Idiyapam. The recipe below has the regular Idiyapam recipe as well.
Do not start the prep work for the recipe without an Idiyapam Press or Sev press.
I use Nirapara or Double hourse brands of roasted rice flours. The water required may vary by a few spoons based on the brand of flour used. Keep aside a few spoons of the flour before mixing the water in full. Add it gradually based on the consistency. The dough should be similar to a soft chapathi dough. The harder the dough gets, the more brittle the Idiyapam becomes.
Beetroot Idiyapam, string hoppers, Nool Puttu
Ingredients
Roasted Rice flour 2 cups. See notes.
Beetroot Puree 6 tbsp. Recipe below.
Boiling water 3.5 cups
Salt to taste
Coconut oil 1 tsp
Grated coconut 1/2 cup (approx)
Directions
- FOR THE BEETROOT PUREE :
- Peel the 200 gms of beetroot, and cut into 1 inch slices.
- Cook the beetroot in a pressure cooker with 1/2 cup water.
- Can cook in a microwave also till beetroot is well cooked and soft in the inside.
- Puree the beetroot in a mixer with a tbsp of water, just enough to grind.
- Boil the water. Add salt and oil to it. Add the beetroot puree to the hot water. Avoid the beetroot puree completely if you are making a plain white idiyapam.
- Add the boiling water to the rice flour placed in a wide mouthed vessel and make a dough using a wodden spatula.
- Mix throughly till there are no lumps in the mixture. Continuous swift movement of the spatula bringing in the flour and water together when it is hot results in a smooth soft consistency. 4.Let it cool for a few minutes till it becomes warm enough to make a ball out of it with the hand. Close the dough with a plate to avoid the dough from becoming dry in the outer layer.
- Using the Idiyapam press and the small nozzle used for the idiyapam, put one ball of rice dough at a time and press it through the seive into idly plates or any plates with holes at the bottom which would allow for the idiyapam to steam from all directions.
- Top each idiyapam with 1/2 tsp of fresh grated coconut.
- Place the idiyapam in a idly steamer or a cooker to steam for 7 – 8 minutes.
- Switch off the stove and serve with veg kurma or any masala curry with a coconut base or coconut milk base for an authentic Kerala breakfast.
- The rice flour to be used has to be a well roasted flour. We can purchase a roasted rice flour from the store or roast a regular rice flour for 6 -7 minutes in a medium flame and use the same for idiyapam.
- Do seive the roasted rice flour before use as to get a smooth dough.
- If the dough is too sticky after mixing, feel free to add a spoon of rice flour.
.
FOR THE IDIYAPAM
.
NOTES
Naturally Hema 