Appam-Traditional Style

There are lot many procedures for making appam. I already posted a recipe during initial days of my blog which is VELLAYAPPAM. If you are new in making appam please follow that link. The recipe i shared here is bit difficult for first time as it includes the process off KAPPIKACHAL which is a malayalam word. But trust me you can do it. Sharing my mom's recipe here...

Ingredients:

Raw rice	3 cup
Grated Coconut	1&1/2 cup
Urad dal	2 tbl spoon
Coconut water/water	as needed to grind
Salt	to taste
Sugar	3 tspoon

Preparation:

(1) Soak raw rice and urad dal separately in water for about one hour. 

(2) Grind urad dal in a mixer and make a paste. To this add grated coconut and make a fine paste. You can use coconut water for grinding. Keep it aside.

(3) Drain the water from rice and grind it in a grinder by adding coconut water/water little by little. Switch off the grinder when rice is on 3/4th stage. It will be done in less than 5 minutes. Take 1/4 cup of this batter (rough mixture with grainy texture) in a bowl and keep it aside.

(4) Continue grinding the rest of rice by adding ground paste. Make a fine batter. Add coconut water/water if needed.

 (5) When it is completely done switch off the grinder. Take 1/4 cup of this batter and add it to the rough mixture in bowl which we already kept aside. Also clean the grinder by taking rest of batter and store it in a vessel/container. Keep it aside.

 Next process is  KAPPI KACHAL: 

(1) Take a pan and add 1/2 cup of batter(rough batter+grinned batter) to it. To this add 2 cups of water and mix well. 

(2) Keep the pan on a stove and stir it continuously in low flame. Stir till it get thickens, that is the mixture should be bit thick and gelatinous. If you miss this stage appam will not turn soft.

(3) Allow it to cool completely and add this to rice batter. Make sure to mix well. Add sugar, salt and baking soda. Mix well by adding enough coconut water to make the batter loose. Allow it to ferment for 8 hours by keeping it covered. Best is over night.

Next process is making APPAM:

(1) After fermentation the quantity may have slightly increased and looks bubbly. Add coconut milk/coconut water to make the consistency of batter loose and easily pourable. It should be little more watery than dosa batter. 

(2) Heat appam kadai which will have a rounded base. Pour 2 laddle of batter to the centre of kadai. Twirl it once or twice using hand and make round shapes. Don't twirl more than twice. The centre will be thick. Close the kadai with a lid and cook for 1 to 2 minute. You will notice the edges leaving apart and centre looking soft. If the centre looks uncooked cover with the lid and cook again. Once it is cooked replace it to a plate. Don't flip it. Your appam is now ready.

Have appam with channa masala/egg roast/sweetened coconut milk or with your favorite curry…

Tips and variations:

• If appam batter is thick you cannot swirl it easily.
• You can add coconut milk to make the batter loose which will enhance the taste.
• If you are using an iron appam kadai grease the kadai with oil.
• If you don't have an appam kadai, do it in a dosa tawa. Spread batter like dosa and close tawa with a lid to cook. Except the perfect shape you will get tasty appam.
• Always cover appam with a lid while cooking.
• Adding too much of baking soda makes appam to stick on tawa. You can replace soda with yeast.
• The secret of softness depends on KAPPIKACHAL

Egg-Drumstick Aviyal/Mutta-Muringakka Aviyal

This is an easy side dish which goes good with both rice and chapathi. If you have no other veggies in stock you can try this during the season of drumstick which is the most common tree in India. Its a healthy dish as you know drumstick is called as "power house of minerals"...

Ingredients:

Egg	5
Drumstick	3(big)
Small Onion/Shallots	10
Fennel Seeds	1/4 tspoon
Cinnamon	1 inch
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Salt	to taste
Oil	2 tspoon
Coriander leaves	1 fistfull

For Grinding:

Grated Coconut	1/2 cup
Chilly Powder	1/2 tspoon
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tspoon
Garlic	2 cloves

Preparation:

(1) Boil eggs in water. Deshell it and cut into two halves. Keep it aside. Mean while chop shallots into lengthwise pieces. Chop green chillies to lengthwise and also chop drumstick to around 2 inch even lengthy pieces. Then cut each vertically. Keep it aside.

(2) Heat oil in a pan and add chopped shallots. Saute for 2 minutes so that the raw smell will leave. To this add fennel seeds, cinnamon, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute for another one minute.

(3) Now add drumstick pieces to it. Pour around 1&1/4 cup of water to it with needed salt. Mix once. Close the vessel with a lid and let it boil for another 10 minutes in medium flame.

(4) Mean while grind the ingredients shown under "for grinding" heading in a mixer and make a coarse mixture with 2 tspoon of water. Keep it aside.
(5) After 10 minutes open the lid, add the ground mixture to the pan and give a quick stir (Retain the remaining water in the pan). Again close the vessel with a lid and cook for another 2 minutes.

(6) Now add eggs to it with the yellow side facing down. Close the vessel with the lid and cook for another 2 minutes.

(7) Open the lid and carefully mix the ingredients without breaking the eggs. Add coriander leaves to it and close the pan with a lid for another 3 to 5 minutes in low to medium flame. The water content will be completely dried now. Switch off the flame and your mutta-muringakka aviyal is now ready.

Have it with your rice/chapathi..

Kerala Style Meen Curry/Pomfret Fish Curry With Malabar Tamarind(no coconut)

I already added Puzha Meen Curry/Fresh Water Fish Curry  which was my mom's recipe. This is some what same but with slight variations. This is my families favorite and finger licking fish curry, simply drooling :)

Ingredients:

Fish(Pomfret/Avoli)	1(1/2 kg)
Small Onion/Shallots	20
Garlic	10 cloves
Ginger	3 inch+1 inch(chopped finely)
Fenugreek seeds/Uluva	1/4 tspoon
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Kudampuli/malabar tamarind (or)tamarind	4 to 5 pieces (or)1 lemon size(soak in hot water and extract the juice)
Salt	to taste
Oil	1+1 tspoon
Chilly Powder	2 tspoon
Coriander Powder	1&1/2 tspoon
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tspoon

For Seasoning:

Oil	1 tspoon
Dry red chilly	3
Mustard	1/2 tspoon
Curry Leaves	1 sprig

Preparation:

(1) Wash and clean the fish. Chop it into medium slices.

(2) Peel the skin of shallots and chop ginger, garlic into cube shapes.

(3) Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic, ginger and saute for a minute. To this add shallots with little salt. Saute well so that the raw smell will leave. To this add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Saute everything so that color of onion, garlic will change and it will emanates a nice flavor. Now switch off the flame and allow to cool.

(4) Once it is cooled down grind it in a mixer to a fine paste by sprinkling little water to it. Keep it aside.

(5) Heat oil in an earthen bowl. To this add 1 inch piece of ginger and saute well. Now add ground paste. To this add chilly, coriander and turmeric powder. Mix well so that the raw smell of masalas will goes off. Now pour 3/4 cup of water to it. Mix once.

 (6) Add salt and malabar tamarind (or tamarind juice). Mix and make a salt test. To this add  fish pieces. Let it boil for another 15 to 20 minutes. Fish will be now completely cooked and you will find the curry dried up.

(7) At the last minute heat oil in a pan and season with the ingredients shown under "for seasoning" heading. Pour it to the curry (you can do the seasoning before adding the ground paste too) Close the vessel with a lid for 10 minutes before serving. Yummy fish curry is now ready.

Have it with rice/kappa..

Tips:

• You can clean the fish pieces by rubbing it on a stone surface to remove the outer silver color. As i don't have that option i removed the skin which is not recommended.
• It is better to use earthenware to cook fish(i don't have).
• You can try the same with king fish/tuna/pompano,  you can use any fleshy fish.
• Using malabar tamarind/kudampuli will enhance the taste(i don't have it so i used tamarind juice :) ).
• Don't disturb the fish pieces with spoon while cooking as the pieces might break.
• Ensure fish curry doesn't get burnt at the bottom by slowly moving the vessel side by side in between cooking.
• If you find the curry completely dried up and want some gravy, you can add little water in the same vessel and heat it.
• Coconut oil will give extra flavor.