APPAM

A good and a very light south indian delight
Preparation Time : overnight
Cooking Time : 1/2 hour
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS

Rice 1 cup Parboiled rice (ukda chawal)  1 cup Coconut water  1/4 cup Salt  to taste Coconut, scraped  3/4 cup Baking powder  1/4 teaspoon Oil, grated  to coat

METHOD
Clean, wash and soak both the rice together in four cups of water for two to three hours. Drain and grind to a smooth paste adding coconut water, as required. Add salt, stir well and keep ground rice for at least thirty-six hours in a warm place to ferment. Soak the scraped coconut in one and a half cups of warm water, grind and extract thick milk. Add the coconut milk to the fermented batter and dilute it to a thick creamy consistency. Mix in the baking powder and adjust salt.Heat an appam tawa (small cast-iron kadai), brush with a little oil. Add one ladle of batter, tilt the kadai all round to spread the batter. The edges should be thin and the excess batter should collect at the centre. Cover with a thick heavy lid and cook on medium heat for two to thee minutes. Check to see if the sides start leaving the tawa. The edges of the appam should be crisp and thin and the centre soft and spongy. Serve hot with your choice of ishtew.

Recipe Tip :
Traditionally fresh toddy is used to ferment this batter. In the above recipe, the coconut water acts as the fermenting agent. A special type of tawa made in cast iron is available to make these appams. You may also use a small non-stick kadai for this purpose.

Courtsy :  sanjeevkapoor.com