Appam is a type of pancake made in Kerala with fermented rice batter & coconut milk. The name itself suggests its a cake made of milk – “pal” stands for milk in Malayalam language & appam is a type of pancake. This dish is also very popular in other states in the south & elsewhere in countries of Southeast Asia. In Srilanka, it is known as rice hoppers. The appams are made in a special pan called appam chattis (usually nonstick) so you don’t need to use oil for preparing it. The shape the palappam resembles a bowl -thin around the edges & soft & fluffy in the middle or centre. In the olden days, toddy or palm wine made from coconut palms was used to ferment the batter. Nowadays of course, people use yeast instead.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Soak raw rice in about 10 cups of water for at least 5 to 6 hours.
- Drain rice. Dissolve sugar & yeast in warm water & keep aside for at least 10 minutes or until the yeast rises.
- Grind the rice, cooked rice, coconut milk & risen yeast mixture in a blender.
- Take it out in a large glass bowl or container. Add salt to taste. Mix the batter well & leave aside for at least 8 hours in a cool dark place. make sure to keep the dough in a large bowl as it is going to rise & ferment.
- When ready to make appams, heat your appam chatti. When hot, add a ladle of the batter (about 1/4 cup) into the chatti or pan & immediately swirl the pan around clockwise in one direction. Cover the appam chatti or pan with its lid & cook for about 2 minutes or until the edges are browned. There is no need to flip the appam.
- Take the appam out onto a serving plate & repeat the process to make more appams. Serve warm with stew of your choice.
Notes
TIP: It is a good idea not to stack the appam on top of one another as they tend to stick when warm. Leftover batter can be kept in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.