Appams

Serve these with your favourite curries or even a drizzle of condensed milk.

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 220 g (1 cup) dosa rice (or any short-grain rice)
• 250 ml (1 cup) warm water
• 5 g dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 185 g (1 cup) cooked short-grain rice
• ½ cup frozen shredded coconut, thawed
• salt, to taste

This recipe needs to be started one day in advance.

Instructions

1. Wash the dosa rice a couple of times until the water runs clear, then place in a bowl with 500 ml (2 cups) cold water and stand for 4-5 hours. Drain.
2. Place the warm water, yeast and half the sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes or until foamy.
3. Place the yeast mixture, drained soaked dosa rice, cooked rice and coconut in a blender and blitz to form a smooth paste. Pour into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to ferment in a warm place overnight.
4. Stir the remaining teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt into the fermented mixture. The mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter. If it is too thick, add a splash of water.
5. Heat an appam wok over medium-high heat until a small drop of water sizzles on it. You could use a non-stick frying pan or wok, however, the size will be different to a traditional appam. Add a ladle of batter to the appam wok and gently tilt it around the edges, following the shape of the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes or until the appam is cooked - the middle will be soft and set and the edges will begin to brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. Perfect served with vegetable ishtu.

 

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Photography by Andrew Dorn.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.