Mussels / Kallummakaya Puttu

Ingredients:

1 cup small mussels/ kallummakaya, cleaned
1 1/2 cup puttu podi / rice flour
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp grated coconut
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
3/4-1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp crushed red chillies
1-2 dry red chilly
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
oil

Preparation:

1. Clean the mussels and marinate it with 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp pepper powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and salt.
2. Cook or shallow fry the marinated mussels slightly on both sides. Chop the larger mussels into small pieces and keep it aside. 
3. Mix the puttupodi with little salt and add water little by little to the puttupodi till it becomes wet/ moist and mix thoroughly without any lumps. 
4. Add 1/4 cup grated coconut and 1/2 tsp fennel seeds to this puttupodi and mix well. Keep it aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, garlic paste and ginger paste and saute well.
6. Add chopped onions, green chillies and chopped curry leaves and saute well adding little salt until onion turns transparent.
7. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp chilli powder and mix well for a minute.
8. Then add crushed red chillies ,chopped dried red chillies and garam masala and mix well.
9. Add cooked / fried mussels and mix well. Then add 1 tbsp grated coconut to this and stir well. Check salt and remove from flame.
10. To prepare the puttu, take a chiratta puttu maker and layer it with 1 tbsp of mussels masala and top it with 3-4 tbsp of puttu podi. Then again add another layer of  mussels masala and then with puttupodi.
11. Fill pressure cooker/ puttu kudam with 2-3 cups of water and bring to a boil.
12. Place the puttu maker on top of it and steam cook for 5-7 minutes or until the steam starts coming out from the top of puttu maker. 
13. Remove it to a plate and serve hot…