Appam – Lace Rimmed Rice and Coconut Pancakes
I had first tasted these steaming spongy coconut rice pancakes almost two decades ago. At that time I had no idea that these were called Appam. I just savored their magical slightly sweet delicate goodness. Relishing every bite in simple satisfaction. Promising myself that someday I would learn to make them myself.
My Appam Story
I had found myself locked out of my apartment. I was waiting outside for the landlord to come and rescue me, cursing my stupidity. As I waited, to my surprise I saw an older Indian woman looking out of the window from the corner apartment, on the same floor. She looked at me and went away.
She peeked out again after about 15 minutes. On seeing me still stranded outside, asked me if everything was OK. I explained my situation to her upon which she invited me to her apartment.
I had no idea who lived around me at that time, this was my first post graduate school apartment. As I sat in the impeccably neat living room, I learnt that my rescuer Mrs. Chacko was visiting her son. He had lived in the complex for well over a year. She was making dinner for the family. Sighing at their late and hectic hours.
Relating to Mutual Concerns over Appam and Coffee
Something I can well relate to today, less so back then. Today, between work, picking up children by the time we get home and settled it can sometimes be late. I know my mother and mother-in-law have the same complaints when they visit.
She had placed a cup of steaming coffee and two of these spongy pancakes with a simple and very flavorful stew, that she laughingly referred to as her fridge scraping stew. The food was unfamiliar but absolutely delicious; I greedily finished her offering and chatted with her briefly until the landlord finally came in to let me in.
The hours at my first job were long, however without any other attachments I had a fair amount of time to do other things that are not always possible today. Over time, I learned more about appams (here is a wonderful history on these beautiful pancakes and their relatives from food historian Aminiji), and several other tips and tricks including a few words in Malayalam picked up while listening to Mrs. Chacko chatting with her grandson. Working with her, I learned about different kinds of rice, that were unfamiliar to me, and also learned to create a basic
There are variations of these enjoyed across South India, and actually even Sri Lanka where they are called hoppers. I actually have saved this recipe for well over 15 years. Her recipe seems to be an interesting combination of traditional fermenting augmented with a touch of yeast.
Anyhow, finally a few days back I guess the time to try out these absolutely amazing pancakes had come. As I write this up on this rainy quite evening I am filled with nostalgia and myriad thoughts. I am still learning, and always fascinated at the sheer diversity this cuisine offers. That is a post for another day, for tonight here are the appams. I serve this with anything ranging from a light vegetable curry to eggs, they are the perfect accompaniment for anything that needs a gently soft accompaniment.
This batter keeps well in the refrigerator for four days, I have not tried keeping it longer because of the fresh coconut. If refrigerating, bring it out for about 30 to 40 minutes before using allowing the mixture to begin frothing. Traditionally these creations are cooked in a special appam pan, that is essentially a shallow wok, since I do not have one I have done the best I can here on a regular pan. They tasted just fine.
A fermented spongy rice and coconut pancake called Appam.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of rice
- ¾ cup freshly grated coconut
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil for occasional lining of the pan
Instructions
- Soak the rice for 6 to 8 hours.
- Place the rice with the coconut and salt in a blender with about 3/4 cup of water and grind to a relatively smooth and thick batter (about the consistency of a thick batter.
- In a small pan, take about ¾ cup of this prepared batter and cook on low heat stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and turns almost translucent. This is essentially forming a starter that helps with fermentation.
- Cool this mixture and add into the remaining batter mixing very well.
- Cover and set aside in a warm place for about 12 hours or longer.
- Add in the sugar into the warm water and the yeast, set aside for 10 minutes until frothy and stir into the batter and leave aside for 40 minutes until the batter is a mass of bubbles.
- Heat a heavy skillet (preferably one with an indentation, I use my chapatti skillet).
- Add a little oil just to moisten the surface, and pour a ladleful of the batter swirling to spread the edges leaving the center thicker. Cook gently cover the pancake for about 3 to 4 minutes, the edges should be turning crisp and the center should be just set.
- Remove from the skillet, this should come off very easily and set aside keeping it warm as you continue.
Egg Curry with Garlic, Tamarind and Curry Leaves
[…] meshes eggs with garlic, tamarind, and curry leaves. The result is pure magic. Ideally great served with Appam. But you know any kind of bread works. With hard boiled eggs on hand this get done in about 20 to 25 […]