Appam (Fermented Rice Pancake)
Appam, a fermented rice pancake, is a speciality of the South Indian coastal state of Kerala. It is especially popular among the Christian communities of that state. Appam are often served along with a coconut-flavoured vegetable stew. It is also very popular in Sri Lanka, where it is known as "appa" (or "hopper") and often served with an added egg.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 29 min
- Total
- 1 hr 44 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Soak the raw rice in water.
Procedure
Grind the soaked rice until about ¼ ground.
Procedure
Add the grated coconut along with a little water and continue grinding.
Procedure
Add the sugar, cooked rice and yeast or kefir, and keep grinding until the whole mixture becomes smooth. It should be thinner than pancake batter.
Procedure
Transfer it to a wide open container and leave it to rise overnight.
Procedure
The next morning, add salt and refrigerate the batter until use.
Procedure
To fry the appams, use a tava or a small bowl-shaped pan with either a non-stick coating or a little oil (coconut or any other refined oil) or ghee.
Procedure
Pour a full serving spoon of batter into the middle of the pan and swirl it around a single time so that a little of the batter sticks to the sides.
Procedure
Cover the pan with a hot lid and remove the appam with a spatula after 2–3 minutes, when it becomes slightly browned around the edges. It should be round, with a thick centre and thin, lacy edges.
Notes, tips, and variations
The batter should ferment overnight without any added starter, but often won't. Yeast (or better still, kefir) can be added to help it ferment.
Notes, tips, and variations
The grinding can be done in a blender. Make sure that there is enough liquid so that it all swirls around in the blender, mixing properly.
Photo: KARTY JazZ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 11 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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