
Putharo
Steamed rice flour cakes
Putharo: Khasi soft steamed rice-flour cakes for breakfast
In Shillong and the Khasi Hills, putharo are plain steamed rice-flour cakes eaten at breakfast with red tea or with a bowl of curry. Freshly milled, slightly damp rice flour is what makes them soft. The common mistake is using dry supermarket flour without moistening it, which gives crumbly, dusty cakes; sprinkle the flour with water and rub until it holds when squeezed. Chef's tip: steam on a cloth so the bottoms don't turn soggy.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 220 kcal
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 9 oz rice flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup waterapproximately
Tick what you have; the rest goes in the basket.
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz rice flour and ¼ tsp salt. Sprinkle in ½ cup water a little at a time, rubbing with your fingertips until the flour feels like damp sand and holds a shape when squeezed.
8 minStep 2: Press the mixture into small round moulds or tart tins, or pat into 1.5 cm-thick rounds on a damp cloth.
5 minStep 3: Steam over boiling water, covered, until the cakes are firm and a skewer comes out clean.
12 minStep 4: Cool for a few minutes, unmould and serve warm.
3 min
KrazyBadal
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