Appams (Rice Hoppers)
Appam, a delicacy in South India, is a fermented rice flour pancake with a soft, spongy, fluffy centre and a crispy golden lacy rim and is so delicious. Fresh coconut milk is drizzled on to the soft spongy centre that is perfect for soaking in spicy curries. It is the blend of the two textures and taste that makes it unique and perfect for a morning breakfast or dinner meal.
2 cups of basmati or regular (non glutinous) long grain rice.
Equipment
- Instant Pot to ferment the batter
- Small cast iron wok
Ingredients
- 2 cups of basmati or regular non glutinous long grain rice.
- 1 tsp peeled urad dal/black gram lentils
- 1/2 cup grated coconut optional
- 2 tbs cooked white rice
- 1 cup chilled water
- 1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
- 1/2 cup coconut milk for drizzling on the Appams
- Eno or baking soda - a pinch
Instructions
- Add the urad dal to the rice. Wash and rinse the rice 3 or four times until the water runs clear. Leave it to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Grind the soaked rice with the urad dal, grated coconut, cooked rice and chilled water in a Vita-mix blender or a hardy grinder to a thick but flowing consistency by pausing at intervals taking care not to heat up the appliance. This is a much easier way of preparing the batter.
- Alternatively if you do not have cooked rice, another method is to boil 1 cup of water in a small sauce pan. Take 2 tbs rice batter and add it to the pan while stirring it continuously till it thickens and turns into a gluey paste. Remove immediately and let it cool. Then mix in the cooled gluey rice paste with the rice batter well so there are no lumps and the batter is smooth.
- Leave it to ferment overnight in a warm cozy place on your counter top or you could place it in the oven (preheated at 170ºF and switched off) and leave it overnight but with the oven light on.
- In the morning you are supposed to find a bubbly fermented batter which should have doubled in volume.
- If it has not fermented and risen in volume leave it for a couple of hours more.
- How to make the Appams:
- Take an Appam pan or a cast iron or ceramic wok and place it on a gas flame on high heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water to check if it is really hot. The water drops should disappear immediately and it should fume.
- Now brush the wok with vegetable/canola oil. The wok should be just oily without any extra oil remaining. Turn down the heat.
- Take a cup of the batter in a bowl, add salt and a pinch of baking soda/Eno to it, stir it well and start making the Appams right away. Pour a small ladle full of batter in the hot fuming wok. Lift the wok and swirl it around so the batter spreads and forms a round bowl shaped pan cake with a lacy rim.
- Immediately close the wok with a lid and turn up to high flame. Give it 2-3 minutes to cook. Open the lid and check to see if the centre of the Appam is cooked. Then sprinkle a little oil with a brush at the sides and rim of the Appam.
- When the Appam turns crisp with a brown lacy rim, slide in a flat silicon spatula and lift the appam gently from the centre without breaking the lacy rim. Drizzle some coconut milk in the centre of the Appams.
- The spongy Appam centre soaks up the coconut milk and becomes soft and moist and is ready to enjoy with chutneys and curries of your choice. You could also break an egg after swirling and spreading the Appam and follow the rest of the steps. The egg gets cooked with the appam and is so yummy.
- You could also add different fillings to the Appams such as cooked ground lamb/beef/chicken and top with cheese etc.
- Make dessert Appams by adding fresh coconut flakes with brown sugar or any other sweet filling.
Notes
1. You could either use grated coconut or just add some coconut milk to the ground batter. The Appams get the sweetness from the coconut and taste delicious. But it is your choice to use coconut or not. You can also make plain Appams without using coconut.
2. Adding too much Eno or Baking Soda makes the Appams yellow and centre of the Appam does not bubble up and becomes flat.
3. Do not add salt or baking soda to the entire rice batter. Add it only when you are ready to make Appams using one cup of batter at a time as given in the instructions above.
4. You can store the batter after it has fermented in the fridge for up to a week. After that it starts turning sour.
5. Either ENO or Baking Soda should be used not both.
6. The Wok should be really hot, otherwise the batter will not stick to the wok and spread to form an Appam.
7. Using a glass lid to cover the Appam Wok helps to see the Appams browning.
8. Use the Instant Pot for fermenting the batter.
2. Adding too much Eno or Baking Soda makes the Appams yellow and centre of the Appam does not bubble up and becomes flat.
3. Do not add salt or baking soda to the entire rice batter. Add it only when you are ready to make Appams using one cup of batter at a time as given in the instructions above.
4. You can store the batter after it has fermented in the fridge for up to a week. After that it starts turning sour.
5. Either ENO or Baking Soda should be used not both.
6. The Wok should be really hot, otherwise the batter will not stick to the wok and spread to form an Appam.
7. Using a glass lid to cover the Appam Wok helps to see the Appams browning.
8. Use the Instant Pot for fermenting the batter.