Appams Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the raw rice in water for around 3-4 hours.
• Scrape the coconut.
• Grind the rice with the coconut and the cooked rice till very fine.
• Keep it overnight or for 8 hours (not refrigerated) Early next morning (three hours before making the appams) add 1 glass of boiling hot milk to the batter and the sugar, salt and yeast/cooking soda (I prefer the yeast) Mix well (add more milk if required to get the consitency of pourable batter) Cover and keep aside for 3 hours.
• Now heat a non stick wok.
• (kadhai) Pour a ladle full of the batter into the wok and swirl the wok around so that the batter spreads around 6-8 inches in diameter.
• Cover and cook on medium heat till the lower part of the appam is light brown or the top part is not moist but spongy.
• The sides will seem lacey and the centre will be thick like an idli.
• This dish can be served with coconut milk and powdered cardamom sweetened with jaggery and sugar or with chicken or mutton stew (Indian style with coconut milk) ANd yes do try it with maple syrup or as it is (as my son enjoys it).

Steps:

• Start 12+ hours in advance of mealtime.
• Immerse the raw rice in at least double the amount of water. Soak for 4-5 hours.
• Break open the coconut into two halves, reserving the water.
• Grate the coconut. Put aside 4 cups for the appams. The rest can be used for making Sweetened Coconut Milk.
• Seven+ hours in advance of mealtime:.
• Drain the soaked rice. Grind it along with 4 cups grated coconut and cooked rice to a fine thick paste. Add 1 cup of the reserved coconut-water as needed to grind smoothly.
• Pour into a mixing bowl, at least 3 times the volume of the batter (~2 gallon mixing bowl), leaving room for the batter to rise.
• Add the yeast and mix lightly. Mix in the salt and sugar to taste.
• Allow to ferment for at least 6 hours at room temperature, ideally 90 degrees F. If your room is above 90, ferment less time, or the appam will be very sour. If your room is cooler, keep the batter warm in a gas oven (with a pilot light). Alternately, warm your electric oven to its minimum and let cool to 110 before putting batter inside. A yogurt maker also provides the right temperature environment.
• Add baking soda, if needed for puff in the event that the batter did not rise much.
• Heat a small non-stick wok, ideally a small curved bottom one to get rounded cup-like appams.
• Pour approximately half a cup of batter and quickly but gently swirl the pan around such that only a thin layer of the batter covers the sides and a thick layer collects at the bottom.
• Cover with a lid and cook each appam on medium heat for about 3 minute(s) or till the edges have become golden crisp and start lifting off the wok. The centre should be soft and spongy. A well-fermented batter will form small lacey holes all over the appam while cooking.
• Repeat for each appam. It is faster to have 2 pans going at the same time.
• Serve with Sweet Coconut Milk.

Steps:

• In a big bowl thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
• Take an appam patra or the utensil you get in the market to make appams (It is also available on Amazon.in) and lightly grease it with cooking oil.
• Pour a tablespoon of the prepared batter (made in step 1) into each of the little units of the appam patra utensil.
• Using the back of the spoon, flatten out the batter once poured into the various units.
• Cover and cook on low to medium flame for 5-7 minutes.
• Flip on the other side, cover and cook for another 4-6 minutes on low flame.
• The sides will appear lacey and the centre will appear thick like an idli.
• Serve hot with mango chutney or green chutney for an evening snack or enjoy these with a cup of hot tea for breakfast.

Steps:

• Powder the jaggery to fine pieces.
• In a bowl, dissolve the jaggery in warm water and keep aside.
• In a bowl, put the wheat flour.
• Add the maida, mashed bananas, cardamom powder and coconut pieces.
• Mix well.
• Add these ingredients to the jaggery mix.
• If needed, little water can be added to make the consistency similar to that of the dosa batter.
• In a pan, heat the oil and using a round ladle, pour the appam batter one by one.
• Specifically, the paniyaram pan is used for this purpose.
• Fill the holes with oil, heat and pour the batter into the holes.
• Even shaped appams can be made with these moulds.
• Fry the appams till they are golden brown.
• Serve hot with ripe bananas.