Palappam Recipe - Kerala Appam Recipe. This is an easy way of making palappam using rice flour and coconut milk. It requires no soaking and grinding of rice. If you are going to use store bought coconut milk, it gets even more easier as all you need to do is mix and rest it overnight.
These pillowy, spongy and lacy hoppers bring back a host of memory of my neighbour who used to make these in the morning and send it to me along with sweetened coconut milk to have for breakfast when I was admitted in the hospital.
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She will keep insisting that the more coconut based food I had, the more it will help to cure the stomach ulcers quickly which was a result of consuming too many medicines.
I was used to appams that are made the traditional way using toddy during childhood and it was totally new to me to eat palappam that she made using yeast.
Back then , I did not even know what yeast was and how it looked like. All I knew was that they tasted and smelled totally different in a good way than the regular ones that I was used to.
Ever since I had some palappam that my mallu friend Sreeja, brought for the potluck, I was craving them so badly and had to make them.
As I often make appams for breakfast or dinner, I own an appam pan or “appachatti” but if you do not have the pan, just use your regular dosa pan.
A sponge or a “kurukku” is made to bring in the sponginess to the appams. Most commonly rava (sooji) is used to make the sponge. But I have used corn flour (corn starch) and rice to make the sponge and have never had a problem.
So if you looking to make it totally gluten free, use either rice flour or corn flour instead of rava.
Mostly Palappam is served with sweetened coconut milk and vegetable stew for vegetarian option. Nadan Mutta Curry, chicken or beef curry is served along for non-vegetarians.
I used homemade coconut milk and if you think its difficult, you will be surprised to see how easy it is when you watch this video.
Homemade Coconut Milk Video below:
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But we at home, love it with this South Indian Mushroom Curry which makes a brilliant substitute for a non veg curry.
Palappam Recipe details below:
Palappam - Kerala Appam Recipe
Ingredients
- Rice flour - 1 cup store bought or homemade
- Instant yeast - ½ tsp
- Sugar - 3 tbsp
- Rava or corn starch or rice flour - 1 tsp
- Thick or first coconut milk - ¼ cup
- Second coconut milk - ½ cup thin milk
- Water - As required
- Salt - 1 pinch
Instructions
To make the Sponge or Kurukku:
- In a saucepan, add 1 cup water and rava. I used rice flour. Mix well. Place the bowl on the stove and cook over low flame till it thickens.
- It will become glassy and will form a semi solid paste. This should take 3 to 4 mins.
- Keep stirring continuously while cooking to prevent the sponge from sticking to the pan and burning.
- Take off the pan and let it cool completely.
To make Palappam Batter:
- Once the sponge has cooled, add rice flour, Instant yeast, sugar, salt and the first and second coconut milk.
- Mix well to form a thick batter. Add necessary water and mix till the it resembles dosa batter.
- If using active dry yeast, proof it before adding. In a small bowl, add yeast 1 tsp sugar and warm water. Mix and let it sit for 10 mins. Add this to the batter.
- Let the batter rest overnight or for at least 5 hours.
How to make Palappam:
- After resting, mix the batter and you can see lots of bubbles on top. If its thick ,add either water or thin coconut milk and adjust the consistency.
- Heat an appam pan, pour a ladle full of batter and twist the pan in a circular motion for the batter to spread well.
- Close with a lid and let it cook over low flame for less than one minute.
- Upon opening the lid, you can see the sides of the palappam pulling away. Simply peel and pull it off the pan and place it on a serving plate.
- No need to flip and make the other side cook too. Continue with the rest of the batter.
- You can also make it on a dosa tawa. Follow the same procedure and cook covered.
- Serve this pillowy, spongy Palappam with sweetened coconut milk or any curry of your choice.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!