Instant Appam

I had made these instant appam for my Kerala breakfast platter that was a part of 'Thaalis & Platters' that I posted during September. Idiyappam was originally on my mind when I thought of that platter but decided to include another dish at the last moment. These appams that I found on YouTube came to my rescue (I however forgot to note the link.) which are an instant version. Unlike the traditional version appam posted here, this appam batter does not include any yeast and needs no fermentation overnight though the batter needs to rest for a short amount of time. The instant appam batter instead has an unusual addition of fruit salt that is not typically used in south Indian cooking which make these appam softer and fluffier. These appam make a great breakfast / brunch item on a weekend or even during weekdays if one doesn't mind the short resting period of the batter.

Traditional appam are pancakes / dosas prepared with a fermented batter of rice and coconut and are popular in the south Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The appam are bland on their own and are usually served with a savory condiment / side dish. These thin breakfast pancakes are typically bowl shaped since they are made in appachatti, a cast iron frying pan that is rounded at the sides and looks like a shallow bowl. I followed the recipe exactly including making them on a griddle instead of a curved pan similar to a wok and so these don't have the typical appam shape. Also they were made thicker. I had served them with kurma and kaara chutney.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup shredded coconut, fresh or frozen
Salt to taste
1 tsp. sugar
1 to 1.5 tbsp. Eno's fruit salt
Oil to make appam

Directions:

* Thaw coconut if using frozen. Grind rice flour, rice, coconut, salt and sugar together into a smooth batter of pourable consistency, adding water as needed. (One may need about 2.5 cups of water.) 

* Pour the batter into a container, cover and let the batter sit for at least half an hour. (I let it to rest for a couple of hours.) Add any extra water if needed at this point.
* Add fruit salt just before making dosas and sprinkle a tbsp. of water over it. 

* Mix gently to combine, yielding a frothy mixture.

* Heat a griddle / tawa and pour a ladleful of batter at the center and don't spread it. 

* Add a tsp. of oil around the edges and when the appam appears dry  on the surface, flip it.

* Cook for few more seconds until the bottom side gets cooked as well and transfer the appam onto a plate using a spatula.

* Repeat the steps of making appam with the remaining batter.
* Serve them warm with a side dish.

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