Appam is one of the traditional breakfast item of South India. Even though there are many different varieties of Appam the most common is the bowl shaped fermented rice pancakes with lacy edges. The softness and subtle sweet flavor makes it a special breakfast dish. Different households have their own recipes to make Appam. My mom always used tender coconut for making Appams as it makes the m more soft and delicious. In U.S. you can get whole tender coconut in many Asian stores, Korean stores like "Lotte", "Joe Randazzo's fruit and vegetable market" etc. If you can't find tender coconut that's ok; you can substitute it with 1/2 cup coconut and a tin of coconut milk (use water only if necessary, after using the whole can of coconut milk). But I personally prefer tender coconut. The usual accompaniment of this dish is Stew (Vegetable or Non-vegetarian), but it also goes well with Egg Roast, Tomato curry or even plain coconut chutney.
INGREDIENTS
White Rice - 3 Cups (or you can use 2 Cups regular white rice + 1 Cup Basmati rice)
Tender coconut - 1 Big, both the pulp and water
Salt - As needed
Water - As needed
Sugar - 2-3 Tbsp (according to taste)
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
METHOD
Soak the rice overnight in plenty of water or at least for 2-3 hours. In a mixer, grind the rice together with the pulp and water of tender coconut into a smooth paste. (you can also add 3/4 cup of cooked white rice to the batter for extra softness). Add water if needed to make a batter of thick consistency (the consistency of a Idli batter or pancake batter). Do not make the batter thin or the pancakes won't hold a bowl shape. Transfer the batter into a big vessel. Even though you feel the batter amount is low compared to the vessel don't worry, the extra space is needed for the batter to rise while fermentation.
Now spoon out 1-2 ladle of the batter into a medium sized saucepan and add 1-2 cups of water. Mix it well. Switch on the stove and heat the batter water mixture stirring continuously. Do not stop stirring or it may stick to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture starts to boil stir on vigorously until a thick paste is formed. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl of cold water. This is called "kappi". When it is cooled transfer the paste into the mixer along with a small portion of the batter and grind for 1 minute. Now transfer the contents of the mixer back into the reaming batter, This is done to ensure that no lumps are formed while mixing the batter paste into the batter. Cover the batter with a lid and place in a warm place for about 8-10 hours or until the batter is rises well and a fermented aroma comes. You can heat the oven to the warm temperature and after switching it off, place the batter inside the oven with the oven light on. You can put a large pan under the batter container to prevent any spills during fermentation.
After fermentation take out the batter and add the salt , baking soda and sugar and mix well all the contents. Use sugar according to taste but don't use too much or the Appams will get burned due to caramelization of the sugar. Now heat a kadai. This is the special pan with a lid for making Appam You can either get it from Indian store or from a Chinese store, either nonstick or cast iron.
When the kadai is hot pour one ladle of batter into it. Taking care not to burn your fingers gently swirl the whole kadai with batter in clockwise direction and make one complete round. You can see the batter holding onto the sides of the pan. Now keep the kadai back on the stove and close with the lid. After 1-2 minutes remove the lid and if the center is slightly puffy with brown laced edges the Appam is cooked and remove it from the stove. Repeat with the rest of the batter. You can check the doneness of the center portion by inserting a toothpick. Always maintain the heat in the medium level. Do not use high heat or else the edges and underside will get burned but the center portion will not be cooked.
The remaining batter can be stored in fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you don't have the kadai you can also use a flat nonstick pan and pour one ladle of batter just like you cook a pancake.The taste won't be compromised, but you will miss the crunchiness of the lace. Cover it with a small lid and after 1-2 minutes it will be cooked. DO NOT FLIP. The batter is covered with the lid so that the steam within the lid cooks the upper side while the heat cooks the under side.
INGREDIENTS
White Rice - 3 Cups (or you can use 2 Cups regular white rice + 1 Cup Basmati rice)
Tender coconut - 1 Big, both the pulp and water
Salt - As needed
Water - As needed
Sugar - 2-3 Tbsp (according to taste)
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
METHOD
Soak the rice overnight in plenty of water or at least for 2-3 hours. In a mixer, grind the rice together with the pulp and water of tender coconut into a smooth paste. (you can also add 3/4 cup of cooked white rice to the batter for extra softness). Add water if needed to make a batter of thick consistency (the consistency of a Idli batter or pancake batter). Do not make the batter thin or the pancakes won't hold a bowl shape. Transfer the batter into a big vessel. Even though you feel the batter amount is low compared to the vessel don't worry, the extra space is needed for the batter to rise while fermentation.
Now spoon out 1-2 ladle of the batter into a medium sized saucepan and add 1-2 cups of water. Mix it well. Switch on the stove and heat the batter water mixture stirring continuously. Do not stop stirring or it may stick to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture starts to boil stir on vigorously until a thick paste is formed. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl of cold water. This is called "kappi". When it is cooled transfer the paste into the mixer along with a small portion of the batter and grind for 1 minute. Now transfer the contents of the mixer back into the reaming batter, This is done to ensure that no lumps are formed while mixing the batter paste into the batter. Cover the batter with a lid and place in a warm place for about 8-10 hours or until the batter is rises well and a fermented aroma comes. You can heat the oven to the warm temperature and after switching it off, place the batter inside the oven with the oven light on. You can put a large pan under the batter container to prevent any spills during fermentation.
After fermentation take out the batter and add the salt , baking soda and sugar and mix well all the contents. Use sugar according to taste but don't use too much or the Appams will get burned due to caramelization of the sugar. Now heat a kadai. This is the special pan with a lid for making Appam You can either get it from Indian store or from a Chinese store, either nonstick or cast iron.
 |
| Appa Kadai |
The remaining batter can be stored in fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you don't have the kadai you can also use a flat nonstick pan and pour one ladle of batter just like you cook a pancake.The taste won't be compromised, but you will miss the crunchiness of the lace. Cover it with a small lid and after 1-2 minutes it will be cooked. DO NOT FLIP. The batter is covered with the lid so that the steam within the lid cooks the upper side while the heat cooks the under side.
Enjoy with a stew or any vegetarian or non vegetarian spicy side dish of your choice.
No comments :
Post a Comment