Appam is my sons all time favorite dish. Appam with sweet coconut milk is something he can have everyday. This is my aunts appam recipe and comes out so good every single time. There is no addition of yeast. The batter ferments naturally. Here is how to do Tamilnadu style appam mavu or appam batter. I like to use idly rice for making appam batter. If you cannot get idly rice, you can use raw rice.
Wash the rice well for 2-3 times in running water. Then soak the rice and fenugreek seeds in water for two hours. We will also need 1/2 a cup of cooked rice. You can use any variety of cooked rice. Also cut or shred 1/2 a cup of fresh coconut and set aside.
Drain the water from the rice. Grind all the ingredients in the blender together to make a smooth fine paste. We soaked 2 cups of rice. So while grinding, you can use up-to 2 cups of water. If your blender is not big, grind it in two to three batches. Do not grind everything at a time.The motor in the blender might over heat and stop working. So have patience and grind it in batches.
Cover the batter bowl with a lid and leave it in a warm place. Leave it untouched for at least 8-10 hours. After the rest, the batter would have doubled.The batter would be foamy like below after fermentation. Mix well. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and use when required.
Now to make appam, we need to add baking soda ( also called as aapam soda ), salt and sugar to the batter. DO NOT add the soda, salt and the sugar to the whole batter at once. The appam wont fluff up. Just take how much ever batter is required for that particular time and then add soda, salt and sugar and proceed with the recipe.
Transfer some of the batter to a separate bowl. I transferred one third of the batter. Add a tablespoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix well to combine.
The appam batter consistency should be thin. Little thinner than the dosa batter consistency. Add water if necessary to adjust the consistency.
Heat appam kadai or appa chatti until hot. Ladle some batter into the kadai in the middle. Slowly rotate the pan to make the batter adhere to all over the sides of the pan. Use your hands to rotate the pan in a circular motion and guide the batter to stick to all over the sides. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 40-50 seconds.
Appam cooks only on one side. Appam is done when the sides are brown. Remove the appam slowly with the help of a spatula.
Serve hot with coconut milk or vegetable stew or a side dish of your choice.
What can go wrong while making Appam?
1.If the holes are really big and wide and the batter is not sticking to the pan, the batter is very thin in consistency. Add more batter to adjust the consistency.
2.If the appam is coming very heavy, then batter is very thick and needs to be diluted with some water.
3.If the batter is not browning properly, it means the batter has not been fermented enough or very less sugar has been added.
4.If you added too much soda, appam will not be white but will be a little yellow. If the appam is coming yellow, then add more batter to adjust the soda.
Here is the recipe for Sweet Coconut Milk.
Here is the recipe for Vegetable Stew
- 2 cups (500 ml) Idly rice or raw rice
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ cup cooked rice
- ½ cup fresh coconut
- 2 cups water for grinding
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Wash the rice well for 2-3 times in running water. Then soak the rice and fenugreek seeds in water for two hours.
- Drain the water from the rice. Grind all the ingredients in the blender together to make a smooth fine paste. We soaked 2 cups of rice. So while grinding, you can use up-to 2 cups of water.
- Cover the batter bowl with a lid and leave it in a warm place. Leave it untouched for at least 8-10 hours. After the rest, the batter would have doubled. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and use when required.
- Transfer some of the batter to a separate bowl. I transferred one third of the batter. Add a tablespoon of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well to combine.
- Heat appam kadai or appa chatti until hot. Ladle some batter into the kadai in the middle. Slowly rotate the pan to make the batter adhere to all over the sides of the pan. Use your hands to rotate in a circular motion and guide the batter to stick to all over the sides.
- Cover with a lid and let it cook for 40-50 seconds. Appam cooks only on one side. Appam is done when the sides are brown. Remove the appam slowly with the help of a spatula.
- Serve hot.