Puttu and banana for toddlers

Step 1: Put 3 ½ oz roasted rice flour (puttu podi) in a bowl and sprinkle over ¼ cup warm water a spoonful at a time, rubbing it in with your fingertips. Stop when a squeezed handful holds together but breaks apart easily when you prod it.

Step 2: Common mistake: adding the water all at once. The flour goes pasty and steams into hard lumps instead of soft crumbs. If it feels wet, rub in another spoonful of flour; then push the mixture through a coarse sieve or crumble it between your palms so there are no pebbles.

Step 3: Fill a puttu mould (or a steel tumbler, or an idli plate lined with a damp cloth) with layers: a tablespoon of ⅔ oz fresh grated coconut, then the flour, then the rest of the coconut on top. Pack it loosely, not pressed down.

Step 4: Steam over boiling water on a medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until steam rises freely from the top and the flour has turned slightly translucent and smells cooked, like warm rice.

Step 5: Push the puttu out onto a plate and break it up with a fork while it's hot. Let it cool for 2–3 minutes.

Step 6: In a bowl, mash 2 ripe small bananas (poovan or other ripe banana) with a fork until soft and only small lumps remain. Add the warm puttu crumbs and mash together, loosening with a little ¼ cup whole milk, warm if you like, until it is soft, moist and easy to swallow, with no dry crumbs.

Step 7: Check it is just warm, not hot, and serve with a soft spoon. Older toddlers can pick up little pressed balls of puttu and banana with their fingers.

Step 8: Cool any leftovers quickly, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze in small portions for up to 1 month. Freeze plain puttu, not the banana mash Reheat only once, until piping hot all the way through, then let it cool to warm before serving.