Appam
- 30m Prep Time
- 30m Cook Time
- 1h 0mReady In
Appam are soft, spongy rice pancakes with lacy edges, made from fermented rice and coconut milk batter. They are a traditional dish from South India, often served with stew or curry.
Ingredients
- 1 1/10 lbs white long grain rice
- 5/9 lbs thick coconut milk
- 1 10/13 oz rice sourdough starter
- 8/15 oz grated jaggery or soft dark brown sugar
- 2/11 oz fine/table salt
- coconut or vegetable oil for frying
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 4 of 6 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 193 mg
- Iron: 25.8 mg
- Magnesium: 219 mg
- Phosphorus: 826 mg
- Potassium: 1252 mg
- Zinc: 7.13 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 1 1/10 lbs white long grain rice
- 5/9 lbs thick coconut milk
- 1 10/13 oz rice sourdough starter
- 8/15 oz grated jaggery or soft dark brown sugar
- 2/11 oz fine/table salt
Prepare
- coconut or vegetable oil, for frying
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Soak half the rice in water for 4–5 hours, then drain thoroughly. Meanwhile, cook the remaining rice in a pan of boiling water for about 15 minutes until soft, then drain as well.
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Step 2.
Grind both batches of rice with the coconut milk in a mortar and pestle, food blender, or processor to make a smooth paste. Let the paste cool slightly, then add the rice sourdough starter and continue to purée for about 5 minutes until you have a thick, smooth batter. Cover and leave to ferment at room temperature overnight until it is bubbling or seething.
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Step 3.
Add the grated jaggery (or soft dark brown sugar) and salt to the fermented batter and mix well.
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Step 4.
Lightly oil an appachatti (or a frying pan, skillet, or heavy wok) and warm over medium heat for a few minutes. Pour in a ladleful of batter, swirl it around to form a circle about 15cm/6in in diameter and 5mm/¼in thick in the middle. Cook for 2–4 minutes until the appam is set and cooked through; the center should be spongy and the edges lacy and lightly browned. Remove with heatproof tongs and repeat with the remaining batter.