Appam. The word itself bring an image to our mind. An image that of a spongy and tasty centre with thin and lacy sides. And with that our mouth starts watering. It is a type of pancake. It is an Indian bowl-shaped pancake, made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, common in Kerala, India.

Origin

Appam is a traditional South Indian dish. It is a traditional dish in the South Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and also Sri Lanka. It is culturally linked to the Suriani Christians, also known as the Syrian Christians colloquially called the Nasranis in Kerala, who used to bake this on a stone. According to an American food writer and historian, Gil Marks, the pancake first appeared in the southern tip of India. Although not much is known about the history of appam, some also speculate that it originated from Jewish communities in India.

Appam in Kerala

In Kerala, is known as Vellayappam(White Appam), Paalappam(Appam with a milky feel), Lace Appam(as it has a lacy edge), depending on which part of Kerala you are in. Appam is a versatile dish. It is typically served as a breakfast item. But in the modern day, it has attained popularity as a dinner item too. In many parts of Kerala, it has become a part of marriage and reception ceremonies, irrespective of caste and creed and religion.

Appam is traditionally served with vegetable stew(a curry of mixed vegetables cooked in coconut milk). Nowadays, things have changed. It is served with anything under the sun. For breakfast, it is usually served with stews, be it chicken, mutton, egg, or vegetable. It is also served with spicy Kadala curry or egg roast. For dinner, it is served with richer varieties of curries made of chicken, mutton, beef etc. Just think of curry and that would be a perfect combination for it. (Forget about the sadya items, if that is what is coming to your mind!) Want to keep it simple, then just press out coconut milk from freshly grated coconut. The sweetness of it and that of coconut is mind-blowing. If you want, you can also add a dash of sugar to the coconut milk.

Speciality of Appam

Appam is made from a fermented batter. We ferment the batter by using yeast and/or coconut water( this needs to be taken in the morning and kept aside in a glass container for the day, and mixed into the matter in the evening). The batter is made with raw rice soaked for a minimum of 4 hours to a maximum of 6 hours. The soaked rice is ground to a fine paste along with coconut, the already fermented coconut water, yeast, sugar, salt and water. The batter should be left in a warm place, overnight, for it to ferment.

The next morning it is time to make soft appams. One very important thing you need to take care of is you should not mix the batter too vigorously the next morning. You can give a light mix, and leave it for half an hour before making the appams. Or best is you do not give it a mix and take a ladle full.

Difference between Dosa and Appam

The dosa batter is quite different from that an Appam batter. The difference starts with the batter ingredients themselves. Dosa batter is made up of skinned and whole Black gram(Urad whole) and raw rice. The batter is left in a warm place overnight. We do not add an external fermenting agent(like yeast or coconut water) as we do in the case of Appam batter.

Another difference is that dosa is cooked on a flat Dosa Chatti( flat Tawa) and it is spread flat with almost equal thickness all over. Appam had a lacy edge and a soft and fluffy centre.

Utensil required

For making Appam, we need a utensil that looks like the given image. It should be a bowl-like shaped vessel so that the batter settles down at the bottom giving the fluffy centre. You can also use a small Kadai for this purpose.

Different types of Appachatty, this is what it is called, are available in the market. Cast iron appachatty is the most common. It is also a healthier as well as a long-lasting option. Non-stick appachatty is also available in the market nowadays. This makes life easier. Cast iron utensils need to be seasoned before you can use them. Over time, your cast iron utensil acts like a non-stick one. Want to know more about cast iron utensils? You can find my post regarding the same in this blog.

Recipe Card

Storage of Batter overnight

The batter should be kept in a vessel that is much bigger than the batter we prepared. The batter will rise overnight. If the vessel is insufficient, then the batter will overflow and we will not get the correct texture of Appam. It has happened to me many times. Now I store it in quite a big vessel giving the batter enough space to rise.

Making of Appam

When it is time to prepare the appam, preheat the appachatty. If you are using a non-stick then it would be better if you do not heat it to a very high temperature. For a cast iron appachatty, let it start to just smoke. Reduce heat and rub very little oil till the edges. Avoid the oiling for non-stick pans.

Once the pan is ready, pour a ladle and a half of batter from the top. Hold on both sides of the chatty and give the batter a nice swirl. Take care that the batter almost reaches the top edges. Then give a shake and we will see the extra batter settling down in the centre. Close and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove the lid and let the edges become slightly brown. Using a spatula, slowly loosen the edges and remove them from the bottom. Lace-edged appam is ready.

Repeat the process for the rest of the batter.

Note that, if you are using cast iron appachatty then oil the pan after each appam. Do not use more than a drop or two for oiling. Spread it evenly till the edges. You can use a cloth or an onion cut in half. Use a fork to prick into the onion and rub the oil without burning your fingers. Onion adds an extra non-stick effect while cooking.

Enjoy Appam made with your work of love with any curry, for breakfast or dinner.