BEST! Pittu (Sri Lankan Steamed Rice Cake)

Discover How to Make Pittu (Sri Lankan Steamed Rice Cake)! Pittu (aka Puttu) is a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast dish made by steaming rice flour and grated coconut in a special cylindrical steamer known as Pittu Maker.

Pittu (aka Puttu)
(Sri Lankan Steamed Rice Cake)

Bring a touch of ‘Sri Lanka’ to your kitchen! In this post, I’ll show you how to make ‘Pittu’ an easy way at home from scratch. Here you’ll find an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step pictures, helpful info plus top tips. I hope you will try the recipe and enjoy ‘Pittu’ as much as I do!!

What is Pittu (Puttu)?

This steamed rice cake known as Pittu in Sinhalese or Puttu in Tamil is said to have originated in Tamil Nadu (South India) and is a classic dish in Kerala, Tamilnadu, parts of Karnataka as well as in Sri Lanka, commonly served warm for breakfast or sometimes for dinner with either sweet or savory side dishes.

Puttu means “portioned” in Tamil and Malayalam and it is called Pittu (පිට්​ටු) in Sinhalese.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. For the quantities of each ingredient, check the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Rice Flour: Homemade or store-bought rice flour
• Coconut: Freshly grated coconut or moistened desiccated coconut
• Salt: As a seasoning
• Water: Lukewarm water

How Do You Make Pittu?

It is one of the easiest dishes to make, you just need roasted rice flour, freshly grated coconut or moistened desiccated coconut, water, and salt.

Traditionally, it is made by steaming the flour mixture in a special cylindrical steamer known as Pittu (Puttu) Maker. However, if you don’t have a Pittu maker at home, this recipe gives an alternative method that also works!

In this recipe, I used homemade rice powder. If you have a grinder, I highly recommend you make rice flour from scratch for the best results. However, you can also use store-bought rice flour but always choose good quality a bit of coarsely ground rice flour instead of fine rice flour.

Freshly grated coconut makes the best Pittu because the meat of a fresh coconut has more moisture and flavor than desiccated coconut, which results in richer and creamier Pittu. However, here in Japan, as I cannot find freshly grated coconut, I use moistened desiccated coconut which works fine, especially if you use high-quality, unsweetened desiccated coconut.

I used lukewarm water and the quantity of water depends on the texture of the flour, some brands consume very little water while some take a little more.

Variation

Although Pittu is commonly prepared with white rice flour, it is also made with other kinds of flour such as red rice, finger millet, manioc, whole wheat, corn, or oats. The two most commonly found varieties in Sri Lanka are white or red rice flour (haal piti pittu) and finger millet flour (kurakkan pittu). Red rice is less processed than white, so is healthier. Finger millet flour is popular due to its gluten-free and diabetic-friendly properties.

How to Moisten Desiccated Coconut?

Place the desiccated coconut in a bowl and pour enough warm water (not boiling) to cover it by about 1cm. Mix with the fingertips or with two forks for a few seconds to speed up the absorption, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave it to “absorb” the water for about 10 minutes.

How Do You Make the Pittu Mixture?

Preparing the flour mixture for making Pittu is quite different and unique from making a dough or batter from the flour as it should be like a sand mixture. You can do that by hand or using a food processor.

BY HAND

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Gradually, sprinkle the water on the flour and start to crumble it. Keep sprinkling water and crumble until the mixture reaches the consistency of breadcrumbs; when gathered, the mixture should clump together in your hand easily and it should easily crumble when you put it back. You need to add very little water just until you reach that consistency.

IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

Put the flour and salt into a food processor and pulse while adding the water a little at a time until you get the right consistency.

How to Steam the Pittu?

There are different ways you can make Pittu, and the most popular way is by steaming in a cylindrical Pittu (Puttu) Maker so that the final product has a cylindrical shape. However, you can also make Pittu in a steamer. You won’t get a cylindrical shape, but the taste is the same.

In Sri Lanka, a Pittu Maker made of bamboo is traditionally used to steam Pittu and is known as ‘Pittu Bambuwa’ in Sinhala. But later on, specially molded Pittu Makers made with copper, stainless steel, or aluminum – came to be the standard.

If you are interested in buying one, different types of Pittu (Puttu) Makers are available in online stores like Amazon.

Pittu Maker

I used a stainless steel Pittu maker and it has 4 parts. The lower section (a vessel) holds boiling water and the upper section (a cylinder) holds the Pittu, where the rice and coconut mixture is inserted with or without layers of grated coconut. The cylinder comes with a lid and the perforated disc separates the two sections allowing the steam to pass between them.

How to make Pittu without Pittu Maker?

I have tried a bamboo steamer lined with cotton cloth and it works well. You can also make Pittu in a steamer using a bamboo or plastic colander lined with a cotton cloth.

Steaming

Cover the bamboo colander with a clean damp cotton cloth. Spread the Pittu mixture on that. The cloth must be big enough to wrap up the Pittu mixture. Do not press or pack it. Otherwise, it will turn dense. Then place it in a steamer and steam it for 10 minutes or as needed. After Pittu is done, take it out carefully and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Break any large lumps if any gently. Cool down completely.

To mold it

You can serve as such, otherwise, use a small bowl to mold. To mold it, grease the bowl with some butter. Sprinkle a little coconut, if you like it that way, but optional. Add steamed Pittu over it and pat gently to shape it. Invert over the serving plate and gently tap to release.

More Recipes with Coconut to Try

Steps to Make Pittu From Scratch

1. Make the rice flour

Making homemade rice flour is very simple, but requires labor, time, and a grinder. Just rinse, soak raw rice for 2 hours, drain, and coarsely grind. You can use homemade rice flour to make many other Sri Lankan and Indian snacks.

2. Roast the Rice Flour

You need to dry roast the rice flour before using it. Do not forget to sieve it. While roasting rice flour it tends to clump and hence sieving is very important.

3. Make the Pittu Mixture

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Gradually, sprinkle the water on the flour and start to crumble it. Spread your fingers apart and mix flour with the tips of your fingers. Keep sprinkling water and crumble until the mixture reaches the consistency of breadcrumbs (moist and crumbly).

5. Fill the Pittu Maker with the Mixture

Fill gently the top part of Pittu Maker with rice mixture without pressing it as it is important to keep it airy for fluffiness, and softness and for the steam to get in. You can use coconut layers in between the rice mixture if you like it that way.

4. Steam the Pittu Mixture

Put the filled top on the bottom vessel with boiling water in, cover it with the lid, and steam it for about 5 minutes until steam appears on top of the steamer. Then continue for another 5 minutes or so. When it is cooked properly, the rice mixture becomes fluffy.

5. Unmold

Remove the mold from the vessel and open the lid. Gently push the Pittu out of the mold by using a roller and slide it onto a plate.

Useful Tips

Following are some of the tips that you need to keep in mind while preparing Pittu.

Preparation

• Roasting the rice flour will get rid of the “raw” taste and remove the moisture.
• Only with sufficient coconut, we get tasty pittu.
• When you use desiccated coconut, sprinkle a little coconut milk together with water to get a milky taste Pittu.

The Mixture

• The quantity of water depends on the texture of the flour. It differs from flour to flour, some consume very little water while some take a little more.
• The flour mixture should feel “damp” and not wet. if you add more water than needed, it will be sticky and dense after you steam.
• If the mixture feels too wet, mix in a little rice flour till the consistency is right before steaming.
• If you use less water, the Pittu will become dry and undercooked.
• If the flour mixture feels a bit dry, add water little by little till the consistency is right.

What is the right consistency of the mixture?

If you take a small amount of mixture, it should clump and hold it together in your hand easily. However, when you drop it back, it should easily crumble. You need to add very little water just until you reach that consistency. If we add more water, the rice will be too damp and pittu will become dense instead of crumbled soft pittu.

Filling

• Do not press on the flour mixture when you put it in the mold as it will make a dense pittu. The “loose” mixture gets an airy and spongey texture.
• First, spread evenly a single layer of coconut on the perforated disc in the mold as it will allow steam to enter into the mold. If you add flour mixture, it may stick to the perforated plate and won’t allow the steam to enter.
• The coconut layer between rice flour helps us to cut the Pittu easily. 

Serving Suggestions

Pittu is eaten mostly for breakfast and sometimes also for dinner with some side dishes. Due to the crumbly texture of pittu, it is often served with coconut milk or curry gravy like fish, meat, or lentil.

Pittu are best served warm right out from the steamer. They will harden and tend to dry out the longer they sit. So, make sure to serve them immediately while still warm.

In Sri Lanka, some like to eat Pittu accompanied by freshly squeezed coconut milk and sugar. Some with coconut milk and Lunu Miris or Katta Sambal (chili condiment). Other options are Pol Sambol (coconut condiment), Seeni Sambal (onion relish), Kiri Hodhi (curried coconut milk), and curry gravy.

In Kerala, Puttu is mostly served with chickpea curry and papadam.

In Tamil Nadu, it is served with grated coconut and jaggery, with sweetened coconut milk, banana, and palm sugar, or with curries like egg or chickpea curry.

Side Dishes to Serve with Pittu

Pittu (Sri Lankan Steamed Rice Cake)
Step-by-Step Recipe

(Check out the printable recipe card at the end of the post)

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Soaking/drying Time: 2 hrs 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serving: 4

Ingredients

For Making Rice Flour
300g Thai white rice, raw
Water, for rinsing & soaking

For Making Pittu Mixture
200g rice flour
Salt to taste
100g desiccated coconut, for the pittu mixture
50g desiccated coconut, for the coconut layers
150ml warm water, to moisten desiccated coconut
100ml water, for the pittu mixture

Notes

• You can also use store-bought rice flour, preferably coarsely ground rice
• You can use the rest of the rice flour to make another batch of pittu
• You can also use fresh coconut instead of desiccated coconut
• Adding coconut layers in between rice layers is optional but highly recommended.

Instructions

Preparation of Rice Flour

This recipe is very flexible. I used 300g of Thai white rice, just feel free to grind rice according to your needs.

• Rinse the rice thoroughly in water a couple of times.
• Soak in water for about 2 hours and drain the water completely using a strainer.
• Spread the soaked rice on a clean towel to dry for 30 min or so in the shade not in the sun.
• The rice should not be dry completely but should be moist and damp but not wet.

• Grind the rice into a fine powder using a powerful grinder.
• Do it in batches to avoid overloading.

• Take the ground rice in a sieve and then sift it.
• After sieving you will see some rice grains in the sieve.
• Return them back to the grinder jar, grind, and sift again.
• Repeat this process to gain rice flour as much as you want.

Dry roast the Flour

Take the rice flour as needed.

• Heat a large frying pan and dry roast the flour on a medium flame for about 5 minutes without changing the color.
• Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning and browning.
• Take it off the flame and allow it to cool.

Make the Pittu Mixture

Place the 100g of desiccated coconut on a small ball, and add 100ml of warm water. Mix with a fork and keep aside. If you use freshly grated coconut use it as it is.

I like to use some coconut to make layers but optional. So, I soaked 50g of desiccated coconut with 50ml warm water separately.

In a large bowl, combine the rice flour and salt.

• Sprinkle some water on the flour mixture, a little at a time, and start crumbling it with your fingertips until a bread crumbs condition is formed breaking any lumps that form.
• Ensure you do not add too much water as it will make a sticky dense mixture.
• The flour should be in sand form and damp enough so that it will steam well.

• Keep sprinkling water until you reach the right consistency.
• To check the right consistency, take some mixture and press it.
• The mixture should clump together easily and hold the shape, but it should easily crumble when you put it back. See the image below. 
• When you get this consistency, stop adding water.
• Add the prepared coconut (not the one kept for layering), and mix well with the flour.
• Now use both your hands and start mixing it well and breaking the lumps.
• your Pittu mixture is ready for steaming.

NOTE: To get a lump-free and soft ‘pittu mixture’, pulse the wet flour in a food processor for few times. Make sure you don’t overdo it. This will break down the lumps and the flour will get evenly mixed.

Steaming

• A Pittu steamer has four parts; a large vessel, a cylindrical mold with a perforated disc, and a cap.
• Fill half the vessel with water and allow the water to boil.
• Take the top cylindrical part of the steamer and place the perforated disc at the bottom.

• First, spread evenly a single layer of coconut on the perforated disc in the mold as it will allow steam to enter into the mold.
• Don’t press the mixture down into the Pittu maker, it will become hard and not let the steam pass through and cook it through.

• Next, spread a thick layer of flour mixture. Again, add a single layer of coconut, and then add the remaining flour mixture over the coconut layer.
• Finally, add one more layer of thin coconut layer, if desired.

• Close with its lid and place the filled mold on the top of the vessel with boiling water.
• Steam for about five minutes until you notice steam coming out of the tiny holes in the lid.
• Once you notice steam coming out of the hole, continue to steam for another 5 minutes or so and turn off the heat. 

Unmold

• Remove the mold from the vessel and open the lid.
• Gently push the pittu out of the mold by using a roller and slide it onto a plate.
• Continue to make the remaining batches of the pittu similarly.

Pittu is ready!

Serve and Enjoy!

Pittu goes well with coconut milk, jaggery, brown sugar, cane sugar, or bananas for a super delicious breakfast.

You can also serve pittu with Chickpea Curry or a curry of your choice for a healthy meal.

Thank you for being here, I appreciate it!
I love hearing from you so feel free to leave a comment on the post
If you make any of my recipes, I’d love to see pics of your creations
 #joyofeatingtheworld or @joyofeatingtheworld

Hungry For More?
Please enter your email address to subscribe to this blog
and receive notifications of new posts by email
(Your email address will not be published. Unsubscribe at any time.)

Sri Lankan Breakfast Recipes to Try