Appam

"Appam" is a delicious breakfast specialty of Kerala. I have always wanted to try this out. In fact, I have in my collection, four different versions of this recipe and hence I was in a dilemma to try out the right one. However, my dilemma was soon resolved when one of my neighbours, Mrs Sulochana Menon obliged to demonstrate it for me. I was extremely delighted. I must mention here that Mrs. Menon, (a very senior resident of our Apartment) is a very good cook and the appams she prepared were soft, fluffy and delicious to taste. I also had the privelage of tasting some authentic Kerala dishes from her kitchen from time to time. Hence, I had no hesitation in noting down this recipe of hers and trying it out. I was pleased with the end result and so here it is.

Appam is a sort of dosa but it is not spread with a ladle on a skillet or fying pan. Instead, a small wok or a non-stick kadai is used to make these “appams”. The trick is in swirling the batter in the kadai in a deft manner so as to spread the batter thinly on the outside while the centre should remain slightly thick and fluffy.

Ingredients:

  

Raw rice	1 cup
Rice flakes	2 tbsps
Coconut gratings	2 tbsps
Coconut water	About 1 cup
Sugar	½ tsp (for fermenting)
Yeast or Eno	1 tsp
Salt	As per taste
Oil	1tsp for smearing wok/kadai

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice for 3-4 hours.
2. Wash and soak rice flakes for 30 mins.
3. Add sugar to the coconut water and keep it overnight for fermenting. (This can be done the previous night).
4. Then grind rice, rice flakes, coconut gratings, salt and fermented coconut water (little at a time) to a fine paste. Remove it in a bowl and add the remaining fermented coconut water and Eno/yeast. Mix the batter well and keep it overnight for fermenting. The batter should be watery.

The batter

Ingredients

How to make the Appams:

Kadai being heated

1. Next morning, heat a wok or a non-stick kadai. Keep the flame, low to medium heat.
2. Put a drop of oil on a kitchen tissue and smear the wok/kadai with it.
3. Place a ladle full of the prepared batter in the centre of the kadai. Hold the handles of the kadai firmly and gently swirl it in such a way that a thin layer of batter is spread all around and the remaining batter collects at the centre. The swirling should be swift in one go; as the batter cooks very fast. (This takes a little practice). Once this is done, cover it with a lid for a minute or two. When the appam is cooked, it leaves the sides of the kadai. Hold it with your fingers (or use a spatula) and gently remove it from the kadai and place it on a plate.
4. Follow the same procedure for the remaining batter.
5. Serve hot with stew.                                                                                      

Appam is getting ready

Appam served with stew

Makes: 14 appams

Note:

• These are generally eaten with stew (potato or mixed vegetable stew).
• Kadais used for preparing appams, should not have a flat bottom.

Watch out for the stew recipe in my next post.