Uncategorized

Daring Kitchen: Appam and Curry

Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August
Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian
cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South
Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.

We weren’t that impressed by the curry and I think there are a lot easier tastier curry recipes out there. Mixed reviews on the Appam, I think they might be something of an acquired taste. 

Appam
Servings: Makes about 15. I find 3-4 are enough for a serving

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (360 ml/300 gm/10½ oz) raw rice
1 ½ teaspoons (7½ ml/5 gm) active dry yeast
2 teaspoons (10 ml/9 gm) sugar
½ cup (120 ml) of coconut water or water, room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons (22½ ml/18 gm) cooked rice
½ teaspoon (2½ ml/3 gm) salt
about ½ cup (120 ml) thick coconut milk (from the top of an unshaken can)

Directions:

1. Soak the raw rice in 4 to 5 cups of water for 3 hours. You can soak it overnight, although I did not try that.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the coconut water or plain water and add the
yeast. Set aside in a warm area for 10-15 minutes, until very frothy.
3. Drain the rice and grind it in a blender with the yeast mixture to
make a smooth batter. You can add a bit of extra water if needed, but I
did not. Add the cooked rice, and grind/blend to combine well. You can
see that it is not completely smooth, but very thick—that’s about right.
4. Pour into a large bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 8-12
hours. You not only want the mixture to rise and collapse, but to
ferment. When it is ready, it will have a slightly sour and distinctly
yeasty smell. Don’t worry–they are mild tasting when cooked!
5. Add the coconut milk and salt, and a bit of water if necessary, so
that you have a batter that is just a bit thicker than milk. Notice how
it bubbles after you add the coconut milk. I recommend test-cooking one
before thinning the batter.
6. Heat your pan over medium heat. Wipe a few drops of oil over it using
a paper towel. Stir the batter and pour in 3-4 tablespoons, depending
on the size of the pan. Working quickly, hold the handle(s) and give the
pan a quick swirl so that the batter comes to the top edge. Swirl once
only, as you want the edges to be thin and lacy.
7. Cover the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Uncover and check. The
centre should have puffed up a bit, and will be shiny, but dry to the
touch. When ready, loosen the edges with a small spatula and serve
immediately. These need to be served hot out of the pan.

Served with Chai Pani’s Malabar Chicken Curry

Previous Post Next Post

You may also like

No Comments

Leave a Reply