Feeding toddlers is one hefty task. Not only are they choosy and picky about what they like to eat, but their digestive systems are also coming off age and learning how to deal with what kinds of food. On the one hand, you could just please them by serving fast food bound to mess up their health and digestive system early, or you could feed them healthy food that they won’t like to eat. Finding a solid middle ground is essential, and that is what we’re here to help you with!
Appam is a South Indian dish, which hails from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is a very interesting delicacy that has a lacy or crisp outside and a soft middle. For people who are already familiar with South Indian cuisines, Appam is what you get when you marry a dosa to idli. It is best enjoyed with sambhar, which is basically a thin lentil soup taken with most South Indian dishes.
This delicacy is a great way to have your toddler consume something healthy and light which is bound to make them want more! It uses very little oil, and the batter is made with fermented rice, which makes it healthy and tasty. If they don’t like it with sambhar, Appams are nice to have on their own with just some coconut milk sprinkled on top. What you need to make Appam in terms of equipment is a Non-Stick Rounded Pan or a specialized appam pan which resembles a small kadhai.
Ingredients:
- Idli Rice – ½ cup
- Raw white rice – ½ cup
- Urad dal – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Coconut milk – ½ cup
- Salt – to taste
- Oil & water – as required
Process
To start off on the batter, soak the idli rice, urad dal, white rice, and the fenugreek seeds in a large bowl of water for at least 5 hours. After the soaking is done, grind the dal and rice mixture into a coarse paste and ferment for about 7-8 hours. Once you have the paste ready, add the sugar, salt, and coconut milk.
Once your batter is ready, it’s all about adjusting the consistency before you get to making the appams! The trick is to make the batter thinner than a regular dosa batter. That is how you get it to be both crispy and spongy.
To make the Appam, add a few oil sprinkles to your Appam Pan and pour a generous ladle-full of batter. After that, swirl it in the pan for the batter to stick to the edges and create the crispy out layer. Put a lid on the pan to let the spongy middle portion get adequately cooked from the top for 2-3 minutes.
After 2-3 minutes, you need to check if the layer has crisped and turned brown. Once it is done, gently scrape it off the pan and serve with coconut milk, chutney, or sambhar.
Bonus Tips
Here are some tips that you can keep in mind for flawless appams for perfect texture and taste.
- As mentioned above, make sure the batter’s consistency is on the thinner side because that is the reason for both the spongy middle and the crispy outer layer.
- If you feel like the time taken for fermentation wasn’t enough, you can add a pinch of baking soda to help the process.
- Homemade coconut milk beats canned coconut milk in quality and taste anytime. Make sure to use homemade coconut milk if you can.
- Appam batter, once made, can be re-used and refrigerated for 3 days.
- For better results and taste, use coconut oil instead of refined sunflower oil.
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