Kerala Style Appam Recipe - Fermented Rice Pancakes With Coconut

A popular breakfast pancake from Kerala which soft and spongy and is made with fermented rice batter. Serve with Kadala curry or Vegetable stew for a wholesome meal.

Archana Doshi
6573 ratings.

Appam is a Kerala dish made with fermented rice batter and served along with sweetened coconut milk or stew. It is prepared in an appa kal  or appa chetti which is a bowl shaped. So when you make appam the center is a little thick and the edges are thin. 

Traditionally toddy or fermented coconut water was used to ferment the appam batter. But you can ferment the batter using yeast as well. Fermentation is the key to make soft spongy appams. 

Serve the Kerala Style Appam Recipe - Fermented Rice Pancakes With Coconut along with Kadala Curry or Kerala Style Vegetable Stew.

If you are looking for more Kerala Recipes here are some : 

  1. Kerala Avial Recipe (Mixed Vegetables in Coconut)
  2. Kerala Style Pazham Pori Recipe (Banana Fry)
  3. Kerala Style Egg Roast Curry Recipe

Cuisine: Kerala Recipes
Course: Main Course
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep in

200 M

Cooks in

30 M

Total in

230 M

Makes:

4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Rice , raw , soaked 3 hours (like ponni raw rice)
  • 1 cup Cooked rice
  • 1 cup Fresh coconut , freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon Active dry yeast ,  + 1/2 cup of luke warm water
  • 2 tablespoons Sugar
  • Salt , to taste

How to make Kerala Style Appam Recipe - Fermented Rice Pancakes With Coconut

  1. To begin making the Kerala Style Appam Recipe, we need to first soak the rice in water for at least 3 to 4 hours.

  2. Next combine the salt, sugar and yeast in the warm water and allow it to proof for 5 minutes. I used an instant dry yeast, a variety that does not need proofing, hence I add it directly to the Appam batter.

  3. Grind the soaked rice, cooked rice and coconut, adding just a little water and salt to make a thick batter. Add in the proofed yeast to the batter and stir well to combine. Transfer the Appam batter to a bowl. Cover the bowl and allow it to ferment for 5 to 6 hours or overnight.

  4. Adjust the consistency of the fermented Appam batter, adding water a little at a time to make it of thick pouring consistency. If you make it too watery, then the Appams will not be as soft and will not spread well.

  5. Preheat the Appachetty or the Appam pan on medium high heat. Pour a ladle of batter on the Appachetty and swirl the pan in circular fashion to spread the batter.

  6. The batter will be thick in the center and thin on the sides. Cover the pan with a lid for approximately 2 minutes until it is crisped and golden brown on the sides and the centre is steamed and cooked.

  7. Serve the Kerala Appams along with Kadala Curry or Kerala Style Vegetable Stew.