Monday, November 24, 2008

Appam

Appam, or hoppers, are a common breakfast or dinner food in south India. They originated from Sri Lanka and Kerala, and are known as appams there, while here in Tamil Nadu, they are called aappams. Wikipedia says it well:

Plain hoppers are bowl-shaped thin pancakes made from fermented rice flour. They derive their shape from the small appachatti in which they are cooked. They are fairly bland, and always served with a spicy accompaniment. These hoppers are made from a batter using rice, yeast, salt and a little sugar. After the mixture has stood for a couple of hours, it can be fried in the appachatti with a little oil.
They are slightly sweet because of the coconut milk and sugar.


Appam

3 cups Rice, soak in water for 2 1/2 hours and grind to a thin consistency with a little bit of water.

the semolina mixture:
2 tbsp Semolina (Rava)
1 1/2 cups Water

the yeast mixture:
1 tsp Yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1/4 cup Water

the rest of the ingredients:
1/4 tsp Salt
6 tbsp Sugar
1 cup Coconut Milk

Combine the ingredients for the yeast mixture and set aside for 15-20 minutes until frothy and the yeast has been activated.

For the semolina, heat the 1 1/2 cups of water on medium heat. Add the semolina and cook until dissolved. Set aside to cool completely.

Combine the ingredients from the yeast mixture, the semolina mixture and the rest of the ingredients to the ground rice batter. Cover and set aside for 2 hours or until the mixture has started to develop bubbles on the surface. Transfer the batter into the refrigerator overnight (or at least 8 hours) for a cold fermentation. The batter keeps well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.


When ready to make the appams, use a slightly rounded pan or appachetti. Here's a photo of the pan from Mahavir Metal Converters. This is the one we have at home and it's excellent.


Pour a ladle of the batter into the center of the pan. Swirl the batter around, so that the sides are thinly coated. The center will get cooked but remain soft, while the edges are thin and crispy.


Cover and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.


When the sides of the appams are slightly crispy and browned, remove and serve warm with vegetable stew (recipe coming up tomorrow) or a spicy curry like a vegetable kurma or chicken curry. My daughter loves it with sugar filled coconut milk!


Check out my fellow marathoners:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.

24 comments:

Finla said...

Wish i had those appom and stew.
I love them.
To be honest I have never made them myself ( bad keralite i know)
When ever i went bacxk home i ate there there.
I think i will have gather courage and step into the world of making appoms.

Ranjani said...

They look so pretty:)

Sigh! I've never eaten one...tempted to try now, coconut milk and rice, what's not to love...sounds like a carb fest to me!

Unknown said...

Like the colour of appam, pure white. Never tried them home, tasted at my kerela friends house.
looks wonderful.

CurryLeaf said...

Lovely.I too love them

Priya said...

I second Ranjani's thoughts. Have heard soo much about their goodness and drooled over many a pic in the blogs :)) Need to try making one, or better yet, find someone like you who can make me some :)

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Appam looks pappery and crispy I just love to have them (the sweet version)

raaji said...

this looks so similar to an instant dosa except for using yeast.......will try this anu

lakshmi said...

yours is the simplest and most clear instructions i have come across for making appam. i shall make this sometime.

Sig said...

I brought an appam pan from home on my last India trip, haven't used it yet, its been months... what a shame... Also, I've never made appams from scratch, always use the instant appam powder, I know, I am bad... :(

Divya Kudua said...

Appams have come out well..I esp like the last pic of appams soaked in stew..exactly the way I like them..;-)

Arundathi said...


Happy Cook - Its not difficult - give it a try!

Ranjani - You've gotta gotta gotta atleast try one!

Madhu - Thanks

Curry Leaf - :-) thanks

Priya - Anytime! :-) and ditto my comment to ranjani - you've gotta try it!

Ramya - Yup me too

Raaji - hmm never tried instant dosa - do try it

Lakshmi - thank you so much - i tried very hard to make it clear and simple.

Sig - Now you've just gotta try it - its delicious! and you already have the pan... :-)

Divya Kudua - Yup - thats how i eat them too!

bee said...

simbly gorgeous. i love it with bland ishtooooooo

Arundathi said...

bee - zimbly especial thanks!

The Fit.Me said...

Beautiful post Arundhati...I looooooooove Appam and stew too..Just wish I could have it right away... :)

First time here..you have a nice space..see you around.. :)

Nirmala said...

Thats an absolutely lacy appam. My most favorite food! I too love it witj coconut milk and sugar.

Sunshinemom said...

I remember my Malayalee friend bringing extra aapam and ishtoo for me! I just love them. Love the way yours has come out - crisp on the sides and fluffy in the middle!! Perfect:)

Priya Suresh said...

My favourite, love them with coconutmilk n sugar..

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

One of our favourite breakfasts and sometimes dinner.
My daughter used to call this lace doas with idli in the middle! :D

Bharti said...

Beautiful recipe. I've never tried this..its going on my "to try list".

Arundathi said...


Jayashree Mudaliar - Thanks for stopping by!

Nirmala - yup, just like my daughter.

Sunshinemom - thanks!

Priya - i guess a lot of people like the sugar taste. i love the savory with appams.

Aparna - what a great description!

Bharti - do try it!

Anonymous said...

i am making this tmrw...your post prompted me to take out the chatty i have been keeping in storage for nearly a year

Arundathi said...


Arundati - let me know how it turned out!

Good Pediatrician in Adyar said...

Thanks to you.. My husband loved the aapam curry.. It turned out great.. Though, I tried it on a non stick pan(didnt have kadai)it still turned out delicious and spongy.. Thanks once again..

Arundathi said...

thanks!