Appam & chicken stew is my favorite breakfast food. I remember just sitting in the kitchen watching my mom prepare appam and stew. The house is filled with the most amazing sound of the sizzling batter on the pan and the aroma of chicken stew. I would just devour appam in seconds. It’s a comfort food that absolutely fills your stomach and soul! This is one such dish that fulfills all your senses!

Ingredients:

• White Rice (2 cups)
• Tapioca Pearls (Sabudana) or flattened rice (poha)(1/4 cup)
• Shredded Coconut (1 cup)
• Shallots (2-3)
• Garlic cloves (2)
• Cumin seeds (1/2 tablespoon)
• Dry Yeast (2 teaspoons)
• Sugar (1 teaspoon)
• Warm water (1/2 cup)
• Salt (1teaspoon)

Directions:

Rinse white rice thoroughly till the water is clear and soak it in room temperature water for 6-8 hours. In a separate bowl soak the tapioca pearls/ sabudana for the same duration.

Drain out all the water from the rice and the tapioca pearls and put into a blender jar. Add half a cup of room temperature water and blend the rice for 8-10 minutes on high speed pausing every two minutes to scrape the sides. Add more water if required and blend till the mixture is smooth and flowy.

Once the rice is blended add move it into a large bowl.

Take half a cup of warm water in a bowl and add sugar and yeast and give it a light stir to mix it all up and let it rest for 5 minutes for yeast to activate.

Into a blender jar, add the onion, garlic and cumin and pulse it a few times and then add the shredded coconut and half of the yeast mixture and blend the coconut to a fine paste.

Add the coconut mixture and the rest of the yeast mixture into the rice batter and give it a good stir and cover it and leave it in a warm place for 6-8 hours.

If you live in a colder area, you can leave the batter for longer period for it ferment up to 12-16 hours. If you have an oven it helps to leave it in with the lights on.

If the batter is fermented you will see air pockets in the batter. Add salt and give it a stir. Add more salt if required.

If the batter is too runny, add couple of tablespoons of rice flour and mix it in.

To make the appam, use a appam pan or a seasoned wok or a griddle. In a small bowl take some oil. Dip a cotton cloth/paper towel/half an onion into the oil and then grease the surface of the griddle/pan.

For griddle: Once hot take a ladle full of the batter and pour it over the griddle and cook it on medium heat. Cook for couple of minutes and then flip it over and cook it for another minute.

For appam pan/wok: Once hot add a ladle full of batter and swirl the batter around the wok to make the appam look like a bowl. The sides will be crispy and the center will be soft and fluffy.

Appam goes very well with chicken or vegetable stew with coconut milk.