Lacy Rice Pancakes
These pancakes from South India and Sri Lanka, are unlike any other you must have ever eaten. Pure white, light, crisp and lacy at the edges, fluffy and unctuously spongy at the center. Appams are traditionally eaten with curries for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Their spongy centres sop up the curry like no other bread or pancake can! The crisp edges are great to just nibble on! Appams need just 5 ingredients, are super easy to make, and equally fun to cook. Having said that, they do need preparation in advance so that the batter has time to ferment. Some planning is all you need. You need a small thick-based iron wok or a small deep non-stick pan with a lid for cooking them. The rest is simple magic. I cook some rice while making dinner, then soak the raw rice before going to bed, grind it in the morning after I have had my tea. If living in a cold country, leave it in a warm (switched off) oven to ferment till lunchtime or till dinner.
For best results use Basmati rice, never Thai, Japanese, or risotto type starchy rice, these stick to the pan.
Prep: 15 mins. Soaking time 6-8 hours. Fermentation 4-5 hours. Makes 12-14 Appams
tsp= 5ml / tbsp=15ml / cup =225 ml
| 2 cups Basmati rice- washed and soaked in 6 cups water for a minimum of 6 hours | |
| ½ cup cooked rice & cooled | |
| 1 400ml Coconut milk of good creamy quality (check the package for as natural as possible) | |
| 2 tsp sugar | |
| ½ tsp yeast | |
| Salt to taste | |
| Oil for making the pancakes (coconut oil or ghee for added flavour) |
Lacy Rice Pancakes These pancakes from South India and Sri Lanka, are unlike any other you must have ever eaten. Pure white, light, crisp and lacy at the edges, fluffy and unctuously spongy at the center. Appams are traditionally eaten with curries for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Their spongy centres sop up the curry like...
| 1. | Drain the soaked rice, blend it to a fine paste by adding some of the coconut milk. Make sure it is smooth & not grainy. |
| 2. | Then add the cooked rice and grind further to a smooth batter. |
| 3. | Remove to a large bowl. Add the sugar, salt, and some more coconut milk to make a pancake-like batter of dropping consistency. (If coconut milk is too thick, dilute it with warm water) |
| 4. | Dissolve the yeast in 3 tbsp warm water and add it to the batter & whisk it to mix. |
| 5. | Cover and keep in a warm place to ferment for min. 4-5 hours- upto 7 hours. |
| 6. | To make the appam: |
| 7. | Keep ready: oven mitts or a tea towel to hold your iron pan if it does not have a wooden handle. Keep a bowl of liquid coconut oil or ghee with a spoon/pastry brush, a thin steel spatula. |
| 8. | Heat a heavy-based wok/ karahi or deep fry pan/ non-stick pan. (Cast iron ones gives the best results). |
| 9. | Grease it lightly with oil or ghee- the base and the sides . |
| 10. | Pour one small soup-ladle full at the bottom, hold the pan, and gently rotate all around to spread the batter thinly up on the sides. The batter at the base will be a thicker layer. Add a few drops of oil on the sides. |
| 11. | Cover and cook for about 1-2 mins. When cooked, the middle part will be thick with holes and the edges will be lacy & lightly golden and can easily come off with a spatula. |
| 12. | Going around the edges, release the appam from the sides first, then the bottom, and remove to a plate. Sometimes the first one is needed to temper the wok, just like other pancakes. |
| 13. | The following ones come easily off. The trick is to keep the wok at medium-high heat at all times. |
| 14. | Make all similarly one by one till you finish the batter. Do not stack the Appams on top of each other on a plate. Keep seperate. I use two woks simultaneously to finish making them quick. |
| 15. | Serve Appams warm, with any curry of your choice, or just butter and chutney. |
The batter rises and is full of air pockets when ready