By Suprita Mitter
July 10, 2024
Appam is a popular South Indian breakfast dish made with a fermented rice and coconut batter. It is light, fluffy, and has a unique spongy texture with crispy edges. Here's how you can prepare appam batter from scratch.
2 cups raw rice (preferably parboiled rice or idli rice) 1 cup grated fresh coconut 1/4 cup cooked rice 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp active dry yeast 2 tsp sugar Salt Water
Wash the raw rice thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice and fenugreek seeds in enough water for at least 4-6 hours or overnight.
Drain the soaked rice and transfer it to a blender or wet grinder. Add the grated fresh coconut and cooked rice to the blender.
Grind the mixture into a smooth batter, adding water as needed to achieve a consistency similar to pancake batter. The batter should be smooth but not too watery.
Transfer the ground batter to a large bowl. Dissolve the active dry yeast and sugar in a few tablespoons of warm water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy.
Cover the bowl with a lid or a clean cloth and let the batter ferment in a warm place for 8-12 hours or overnight. The batter should rise and become bubbly.
Once the batter has fermented, add salt to taste and mix gently. If the batter is too thick, you can add a little water to get the desired consistency.