Pillowy, Soft center, Crispy lacy sides- The Best Appam Recipe EVER- The only Appam/ Hopper recipe you will EVER need! Serve with your favorite curry!
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Cuisine : South Indian
TASTE: Slightly Sweet, yeasty & Savory
TEXTURE: Crispy sides and soft pillowy middle
EASE: Medium
PROS: The BEST possible appam made at home!
CONS: The Soaking & Fermenting take time.
I don't know whether I was inducted into the Malabar cuisine because i love it or because I married into it. Whatever the case, I have been making these hoppers since about 10 years now.
Before I stumbled into this recipe, I tried several versions which failed quite colossally. Either the batter didn't ferment well or the consistency was off. But this recipe, never disappoints!
Appams or Hoppers, these are fermented pancakes that are very famous in south india and Srilanka.
Appams - delicate lacy, crispy outsides and spongy thick insides, almost like idlies but the taste is quite different.
Appams are sometimes known as Pal Appams / Vel Appams or Hoppers (as in Srilanka).
They are slightly sweet and salty which makes them a great accompaniment along with spicy south indian curries and coconut milk based curries too.
What is Appam or Hoppers
Appams or Hoppers, are fermented rice- coconut pancakes that are very famous in south india and Srilanka. They are naturally gluten free & Vegan.
Appams are shaped like a inverted cone or a dome. It is made in a small wok which gives it the special shape. It's lacy, crispy on the outside and delightfully soft and spongy in the middle. All the while being a little yeasty and sweet.
These pancakes are usually served with spicy curries like Ghee Roast Chicken , with coconut based curries like Vegetable Stew and Kerala Coconut Shrimp Curry.
Egg Appam or Egg hopper is simply an egg broken in the middle and allowed to steam with the rest of the appam. It's done when the egg whites set but the yolk is still runny. It's an absolute delight!
Why we love this recipe
- It makes better than ANY restaurant Appam(atleast outside of Kerala!)
- It's easy to make once you have all the ingredients
- The batter lasts in the fridge for 4-5 days, so it's definitely a one time effort.
- The batter freezes nicely. Even though the texture changes a little bit, these homemade appams trump any restaurant appam any day( at least outside of Kerala)
Ingredients to make Appam
My recipe is made using short grain Rice but there are some recipes that use rice flour too. Here is what you will need
- Short Grain White Rice
- Coconut Milk
- Dry Active Yeast
- Cooked Rice
- Milk
- Sugar
- Salt
Rice
Use raw rice, idli rice or Sona Masoori Rice.
Basmati Rice will not work here.
There are people who have experimented successfully with other varieties of rice like brown rice and red rice. I stick to this recipe because i just love it so much!
Cooked Rice
Cooked rice adds another dimension of yeast to the appams.
Active Dry Yeast
I know a lot of you are wary of using yeast. Simply because its not as easily available everywhere, atleast in India.You can use Urban Platter Yeast or just buy it off Amazon
If you are in the US or abroad, I love using the fast acting yeast sachets. They never fail. Even the ones a couple of years old!
If you are not sure about how active your yeast is, add it to 2 tablespoon of warm water along with 2 pinches of sugar.
If it froths, the yeast is active.
You can also use sour dough starter instead of packaged yeast. The taste is unbelievably good. Do this only if you know how to bake a sour dough bread.
Coconut Milk
I use regular carton or canned coconut milk to make my appams.
While making fresh coconut milk is always the best, I usually never have the time or patience for it.
Sugar
The recipe calls for a lot of sugar for a pancake that's eaten with savory curries and there is a reason for that.
Most of the sugar is consumed by the yeast in the fermentation stage. So when you taste the final batter, its pretty bland.
Then we add a bit more sugar to give the classic slightly sweet, yeasty taste to the appam.
I use only white sugar for this. If you use anything else, the color will be off and the yeast wont multiply as quickly.
Apparatus
Blender- You will need a blender to blend the batter.
A large high bowl- You need a large bowl, big enough to accommodate two times the batter that you make.
Appam Wok - If you want the appams to be made in the specific reverse cone/ dome shape, you will need a non stick small wok. If you are in the USA, this piegon appam wok is great. If in India, this is the appam wok(chatti) I use. If you make it quite often and don't like non stick pans, you can try this cast iron appam wok.But in my experience, the cast iron appam pan needs quite a bit of TLC.
You can potentially make this in an omlette pan too but the appam would be quite flat with not enough crispy lacy bit.
How to make Appam Batter with Rice
Step 1: Soak the Rice
Unlike dosa batter, you can get away with soaking the rice for 2 hours. I sometimes soak the rice the night before and so that I can make appams by lunch time.
Rinse the Rice in water and then soak it in drinking water, covered.
Step 2: Bloom the Yeast
Meanwhile, heat the milk till it's lukewarm(you can comfortably insert your finger in). Add the sugar and yeast to it. The yeast will quickly start to multiply and froth in 5-10 minutes.
If the yeast doesn't froth even after 15-20 minutes, either the milk was too hot or the yeast is not active and you need a new pack.
Step 3: Make the Batter
You can use freshly cooked or leftover rice to make the batter. Make sure the rice is at room temperature before adding.
Drain the water off the soaked rice. Add it to the blender first.
Top it up with the bloomed yeast, cooked Rice and coconut milk. Blend it till there are no rice bits left.
It should be a flowy smooth batter.
Add about 1 cup of water to make the batter thinner.
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Step 4: Ferment
The batter will ferment to almost twice its size in about 4-5 hours in warm weather.It might take longer in colder temperature.
There are two tricks i always use to speed up this process
Instant Pot Ferment - Just stick the trivet in the instant pot, along with 1 cup of water. Place the bowl in which the batter is there. Select Yogurt on Low for 2 hours. You should have perfectly fermented batter in a fraction of the time!
Oven & Warm Bath - Heat the oven using your lowest setting for about 10 minutes. Also heat water to place in a basin. It should be just above lukewarm. Place the bowl of batter in the hot water basin( like a bain marie), place the whole thing in warm oven.
How to make Appams
Once your batter is ready, you can make appams anytime!
I like to add 2 teaspoons of sugar to the batter before I start.
Also the batter is flowy- somewhere in between the pancake batter and a crepe batter.
Heat the small wok you are using. Even though I don't like non stick pans, for appams i always use non stick woks.It's just easier that way.
Step 1: Heat the wok
Heat the wok on medium flame.
Brush oil on it. You can also use a tissue paper to lightly coat the sides. We do not want a tonne of oil there otherwise the batter will not stick to the wok.
Step 2: Add the Batter
Add about a ladle full of batter in the center.
Swirl it around twice so that you have a layer of lace all around the sides. If you swirl it around only once, the side lacey bit it too thin and crisp .which is not necessarily bad but it does break easily.
If you have never seen an appam being made, you must see the video to understand the hand movements.
Keep the heat to medium-low, Drizzle a few drops of oil on the sides and cover the pan. The center thick part will get cooked and steamed while the sides will get crispy.
Step 3: Remove the Appam
To remove the appams, simply use a spoon to unstick the sides first.
Then use an offset spatula or tongs to get under the appam and remove it on a plate.
First time you remove the appam, it can get tricky. Though I have not shown it in the video, I prefer an offset spatula the most in this case.
Egg Appams or Egg Hoppers
To make egg Appams, you ladle the batter in a hot wok, swirl it around thrice. This is because you do not want a too thick middle in this case.
Break an egg in the center keeping the yolk intact. Drizzle oil on the sides.
Cover it and cook till the egg is steamed to your liking.
Serving Appams
Serve the Appams straight from the appam pan. That's when they are at the peak taste.
Depending on your mood and taste, here is what appam is served with
Vegetable Stew-Mild Coconut milk based simple vegetable stew.
Chicken Curry- Coconut based Chicken Curry
Spicy Chicken Curry- From the coast of manipal- Ghee Roast Chicken
Sweetened Coconut Milk- This is a sure shot hit with children!
Seafood Curries - Kerala Shrimp Curry.
I like my appams and curries separate but some folks, especially in Sri Lanka, eat it with the curry inside the appam. Where it soaks the soft spongy bit.
Storing & Leftovers
Cooked Appams will retain the shape and crispiness for about 30 minutes to an hour. The best way to store them is in a flat large tray and not as a stack. If you stack them, the middle spongy portion tends to stick to each other.
Some restaurants keep a piece of banana leaf in the middle to help with the sticking.
You can store the batter though
Refrigerator- It can last for 4-5 days. Give it a good mix before using as the batter tends to separate with time.
Freezer- I have frozen the fermented batter for about 2-3 months with very little deterioration. Though the batter does get thinner when thawed.
You can also slow ferment the batter for 24 hours in the refrigerator instead.
Troubleshooting Appam Batter
Here are some common issues and how to overcome them
Batter Not Fermenting
This could be due to
- Old Yeast- if the yeast doesn't froth, then its old and useless. You will need to use an alternate packet
- Weather is too cold - In cold weather, over the counter fermentation will not work. You will have to ferment in the oven or instant pot.
- No food for yeast- Add a little more sugar to make the yeast work faster
Batter is too thin
If the batter is too thin, it wont stick on the sides of the appam pan.
To help with this, add a few tablespoons of rice flour(1 tablespoon at a time) and thicken the batter.
Batter is too thick
This one is simple. Simple add more water.
You want the batter to be flowy, somewhere between dosa and rava dosa batter or Pan cake and crepe batter.
Appam is not sticking to the Appam Pan
This happens when the pan has been oiled too much or the pan is not hot.
You only want a very fine thin film of oil on the appam. So make sure to wipe the excess off.
Secondly, the pan has to be hot enough to rapidly start cooking the batter.
Thin Appam
If you dont like the thick idli like bottom, you can make a lacy thin appam too.
You do this by using lesser appam batter and swirling 3-4 times till there is very little batter left in the center to steam.
Here are some more of my south indian crepes and sides
Instant Ragi Dosa Recipe - No fermentation required Finger Millet and chickpea flour dosa.
Pesarattu - Green Moong Dal Dosa - Healthier, high protein dosa
Ragi Dosa & Idli Batter - Ragi or Finger Millet and Rice fermented dosa and idli batter.
If you make this gorgeous South Indian rice pancake(Appam!), do leave me a comment on your thoughts! Also While you are at it, do give me a rating!
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Ingredients
- 1.5 Cups Rice Soaked
- ¼ Cup Cooked Rice
- 2 tablespoon Milk Warm
- 1.5 Tablespoon Sugar plus 1 teaspoon for later
- ½ Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1 Cup Coconut Milk
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Oil for frying.
Instructions
Soak the Rice
- Wash and soak the rice in drinking water for about 2-3 hours.
Make Batter
- Add the sugar and yeast to warm milk. Let it sit till you get everything else together. The yeast should start to swell and froth.
- Drain the soaked rice. Add it to the blender.
- Add the frothy yeasted milk, coconut milk and salt. Blend it all.
- Add 1 cup of water. Mix well. The batter is thinner than dosa batter.
Ferment The Batter(Choose your method)
- Counter Top- Cover the batter and let it double in size. This should take 5-6 hours or overnight
- Instant Pot - Add a trivet and 1 cup water to the steel insert. Place the bowl with batter inside. Select YOGURT setting on LOW for 2 hours. The batter will become double its size.
- Oven & Warm Bath - Heat the oven in the lowest setting for 10 minutes. Place the bowl of batter in a tray with hot water(not boiling, just hot enough to touch).Put the whole thing in the oven. This should take 3-4 hours.
Cook the Appam
- Once the appam batter is ready, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to it.
- Heat the appam wok/Chatti on medium heat. Add a few drops of oil on a kitchen paper. Rub the wok with the oiled kitchen paper or use a brush to lightly coat the pan.
- Add about ¼ cup of batter in the middle of the hot wok.
- Swirl it around in circles twice(See video)
- Add a few drops of oil on the side. Cover the pan
- Cook for 2-3 more minutes till the middle is soft and spongy.
- Using a spoon, separate the sides from the wok.
- Remove using tongs or offset spatula.Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Troubleshooting Appam Batter
Here are some common issues and how to overcome themBatter Not Fermenting
This could be due to- Old Yeast- if the yeast doesn't froth, then its old and useless. You will need to use an alternate packet
- Weather is too cold - In cold weather, over the counter fermentation will not work. You will have to ferment in the oven or instant pot.
- No food for yeast- Add a little more sugar to make the yeast work faster
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