<p>The appam is perhaps one of the oldest dishes of South India, where it is prepared in various forms, especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. When prepared in the sweet form, it is considered to be an ideal offering to the gods. It has a long shelf life and when cooked in pure ghee, it can last for months together without any refrigeration. Ideal for your travel sojourns as it doesn’t cause spill-overs and needs no elaborate packing, appam is also easy to make in its special mould. These moulds can be found in any kitchenware shop and nowadays, leading companies have also introduced non-stick appam moulds for the health-conscious people. Though appams can be cooked with oil, ghee is a better option for it not only enhances the taste, but also acts as a preservative, besides providing healthy nourishment. <br /><br />Check out some appam recipes:<br /><br />Sweet something<br />Ingredients: 250 gm rice, 50 gm chana dal (split bengal gram), 100 gm grated coconut, 2 ripe bananas, 250 gm jaggery, 10 gm powdered cardamom, 1 tsp ghee, cooking oil<br /><br />Method: Soak the rice and the dals for two hours and grind them to a fine paste along with the grated coconut and the peeled bananas. Add the jaggery to the batter along with powdered cardamom and mix it well. Heat the appam mould and grease the mould generously with ghee. Ladle out the batter in the mould and cook till it turns golden brown. Serve hot or cold.<br /><br />If you want to prepare instant appam with a different taste, you could supplement the rice and dal with an equivalent amount of maida flour. You could grind the grated coconut and bananas separately and cook the appams in a similar way. Baked sweet potato can also be used to substitute the banana.<br /><br />Potato punch<br />Ingredients: 2 cups maida, 2 big potatoes, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 1 tsp jeera, 5 green chillies, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp salt, cooking oil<br /><br />Method: Grind the jeera, grated coconut, boiled potatoes, green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves and salt into a fine paste and mix it with the maida flour. Heat the <br />appam mould and grease the mould generously with oil. Ladle out the batter in the appam mould and cook till it turns a golden brown. Serve hot with chutney or sauce of your choice.<br /><br />Salt ‘n’ spice<br />Ingredients: 250 gm rice, 50 gm chana dal, 50 gm urad dal, 100 gm grated coconut, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 1 tsp jeera, 5 green chillies, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp salt, cooking oil<br /><br />Method: Soak the rice, dals, and jeera for two hours and grind them to a fine paste along with the grated coconut, green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves and salt. Heat the mould and grease it generously with oil. Ladle out the batter in the mould and cook till it turns a golden brown. Serve hot with chutney or sauce of your choice.<br /><br /></p>
<p>The appam is perhaps one of the oldest dishes of South India, where it is prepared in various forms, especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. When prepared in the sweet form, it is considered to be an ideal offering to the gods. It has a long shelf life and when cooked in pure ghee, it can last for months together without any refrigeration. Ideal for your travel sojourns as it doesn’t cause spill-overs and needs no elaborate packing, appam is also easy to make in its special mould. These moulds can be found in any kitchenware shop and nowadays, leading companies have also introduced non-stick appam moulds for the health-conscious people. Though appams can be cooked with oil, ghee is a better option for it not only enhances the taste, but also acts as a preservative, besides providing healthy nourishment. <br /><br />Check out some appam recipes:<br /><br />Sweet something<br />Ingredients: 250 gm rice, 50 gm chana dal (split bengal gram), 100 gm grated coconut, 2 ripe bananas, 250 gm jaggery, 10 gm powdered cardamom, 1 tsp ghee, cooking oil<br /><br />Method: Soak the rice and the dals for two hours and grind them to a fine paste along with the grated coconut and the peeled bananas. Add the jaggery to the batter along with powdered cardamom and mix it well. Heat the appam mould and grease the mould generously with ghee. Ladle out the batter in the mould and cook till it turns golden brown. Serve hot or cold.<br /><br />If you want to prepare instant appam with a different taste, you could supplement the rice and dal with an equivalent amount of maida flour. You could grind the grated coconut and bananas separately and cook the appams in a similar way. Baked sweet potato can also be used to substitute the banana.<br /><br />Potato punch<br />Ingredients: 2 cups maida, 2 big potatoes, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 1 tsp jeera, 5 green chillies, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp salt, cooking oil<br /><br />Method: Grind the jeera, grated coconut, boiled potatoes, green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves and salt into a fine paste and mix it with the maida flour. Heat the <br />appam mould and grease the mould generously with oil. Ladle out the batter in the appam mould and cook till it turns a golden brown. Serve hot with chutney or sauce of your choice.<br /><br />Salt ‘n’ spice<br />Ingredients: 250 gm rice, 50 gm chana dal, 50 gm urad dal, 100 gm grated coconut, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 1 tsp jeera, 5 green chillies, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp salt, cooking oil<br /><br />Method: Soak the rice, dals, and jeera for two hours and grind them to a fine paste along with the grated coconut, green chillies, grated ginger, curry leaves and salt. Heat the mould and grease it generously with oil. Ladle out the batter in the mould and cook till it turns a golden brown. Serve hot with chutney or sauce of your choice.<br /><br /></p>
