I just love appam 😀  I always prefer Appam to any other breakfast dishes. I think its because  Appam was a rare visitor at my home, Amma being a working woman always made Idli/Puttu for our breakfast. Even I found making Appam batter to be not so easy task , because of the kappi kachal and stuffs! And I love doing things which requires less work ( smart worker , or laziness  😛 )  So I stumbled upon this easy recipe, which I altered a bit according to my need.
The original recipe called for basmati rice along with Pacahri/Ponni rice, Since Basmati rice is quite costly, I tried it with available parboiled rice varieties, which also gave the same result.
We like our Appam to be soft and light , so I was in search of a recipe that could give me this result. And finally after so many attempts, Here is the batter recipe which gives you soft, lacy, tasty Appams  and all that you need is 15-20 minutes to grind this batter. 😉
I use my irumpu appam pan/cast iron  for making appams. So sometimes appams do  tear a bit from the sides on my attempt to take them out. 😉
Kindly refer notes for alternative ingredients  and tips!
Easy Appam Batter :
- Pachari/Raw rice  /Ponni rice                   : 1 cup
- Basmati rice/Idli rice/any other parboiled rice    : 1cup
- Cooked rice, Kerala Matta                      :1/2 cup
- Coconut grated                                :1/2 cup
- Cumin seeds                                   :1/4 tsp
- Garlic cloves                                   : 2 small one.
- Shallots                                        : 2 no
- Yeast                                          : 1/2 – 1 tsp
- sugar                                          : 4 tbsp +
- salt                                            : 1 tsp *refer notes
- water                                          :1 cup + additional as per requirement
Method :
- wash well and Soak the rice varieties taken for at least 5 hrs.
- In a mixie, take a portion of rice and grind  well to a fine paste with 1/4 of water. ( do not add more water)  .
- Once that is grind well, remove and add the remaining portion  with water (1/4 cup or less )and grind.( do this process according to your capacity of mixer  jar).
- Now while removing , let some batter remain  in the mixer itself to which add coconut grated, yeast, cumin seeds, cooked rice, shallots, garlic cloves,  sugar, salt and little water to grind well into a fine paste.
- finally mix everything together. Add more water to loosen the batter.( not too thin) And let it ferment at least for 12 hrs.
- start making the appams once the batter is ready.
- Serve hot with the gravy of your choice, I love my appam with chicken/mutton stew or egg roast 😉
Notes:
- Do not skip using a parboiled rice variety , as using pachari /ponni rice alone would make Appams stiff after few hours.
- If you can use basmati rice instead of parboiled rice ( long grain,any brand ,any variety,any price is fine ), go for it as it gives the softness compared to any parboiled rice.
- I recommend to use cooked Kerala Matta (mandatory 1/4- 1/2 cup for 2 cup of rice)  rice for soft appams. If you don’t have any cooked rice soak the kerala matta  along with other rice.
- If you feel the batter is becoming thick while grinding , add little water to loosen it.
- You can always add  more water towards the end to achieve the right consistency , but do not add lot of water  in the beginning itself and make the batter runny.
- If  you want to make it for dinner , use instant yeast, the batter will ferment in 3-4 hrs, and you can use for dinner. If not grind it in the morning by soaking overnight and use by night.
- Garlic and shallots gives a different dimension to Appam 😉  ( definitely try this out 😉  ).Â
- This measurements gives about 15-20 Appams, serving 2-3 people. when you want  more servings, simply double the measures, except garlic and shallots  in number.
- For soft Appams, make sure to grind the batter well to fine paste.
- Do not add more water while grinding. Keep adding little by little and finally after grinding add enough water to the consistency required.
- Add more sugar if you like Appam to be sweet, if not add salt according to the need.
- I don’t Kappi kachal my appam batter 😛  because this recipe itself gives the best tastiest Appams ever, then why would I do extra work 😛
- The equal ratio of pachari/ponniari : basmati rice gives the best result along with adding cooked rice. Always take in equal quantity when increasing the quantity.
- Quantity of coconut to be used is personal choice , more coconut more tastier! 😉
- Remember to loosen the batter before keeping for fermenting, thick batter maynot rise well.