Whole Wheat Pancakes

     Pancakes are thick or thin cake-like cereal food made on a hot griddle. They are mildly sweetened and are hence the favorites of kids. There is no complexity in its preparation; in fact its so easy to make. Usually all purpose flour is used for its preparation, but for a more healthier version I use whole wheat flour. And believe me there is no compromise in either taste or softness...!!!! My husband and son equally love them...

INGREDIENTS
Whole wheat flour (Atta) - 1 Cup
Butter                             - 4 Tbsp ,melted
Eggs                               - 3, separated into whites & yolks
Milk                               - 3/4-1 cup
Baking soda                   - 1/2 Tbsp
Salt                                - 1/4 tsp
Sugar                             - 2-3 Tbsp (according to taste)
Vanilla essence               - 1/2 tsp (optional)

METHOD
             Mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat the egg whites to form stiff white peaks.Do beat the egg whites separately so that the batter will be smooth, soft and fluffy, which enhances the taste. Beat the egg yolks separately with the vanilla essence, if using. Make a well on the flour mixture and pour in the melted butter. Slowly stir in. Now add the egg yolks and stir once. Add the milk 3/4 cup first and start mixing well. Add more milk, little at a time, so as to form a thick smooth batter. Make sure the batter has no lumps. If necessary beat the batter with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes. When it is well mixed gently fold in the beaten egg white till the whole whites are incorporated into the batter. Do not over mix. Also mix in the sugar.
              In a hot nonstick pan pour one ladle of batter, making sure not to spread the batter with the ladle. When small bubbles form on one side flip it. Make sure the heat is in medium low or else the pancake will get burned. Also when you flip the pancakes gently press the center of the pancake to the pan so that the center portion also gets cooked. When both the sides are golden brown remove from the pan. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. This recipe will yield about 14-15 pancakes.
                Serve it hot with butter or jam or maple syrup or any spread of your choice along with a cup of coffee or juice.

Appam (Fermented Laced Rice Pancakes)

  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.

Appa Kadai

          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. 

            Enjoy with a stew or any vegetarian or non vegetarian spicy side dish of your choice.