Appam ("yeasted pancakes made with rice" is the closest English term I can think of) and curry is a staple breakfast in a Kerala (God's own country, a small state in south of India) household. Growing up, appam was one of my favorite breakfasts. As I was a vegetarian back then, I always paired this with some potato stew or tomato curry. There are several kinds of appams to think of, this one is my favorite and my mom used to make it frequently as our breakfast. This is a thick appam when compared to palappam.
Recipe source: My mom
Ingredients:
Long grain white rice (preferably Sona masoori or idli rice) - 1 cup
Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - handful
cooked rice - handful
yeast - 1/4 teaspoon
sugar - 1 tablespoon
salt - 1/2 teaspoon
water - 1 cup + enough to grind
Soak one cup rice in water for at least 6 hours. Add all the ingredients in the blender and grind well. it should be a smooth batter, thinner than idli batter or pancake batter, but not too watery. Keep the batter in a warm place and let it rise. I usually let it rise over night, but sometimes batter will be ready in 4-6 hours, depending on the climate. When the batter has risen, heat a pan on medium, and pour one ladle ( or 1/4 cup approximately) full of batter and cook it covered. I do not use oil as I use a non-stick pan. If you touch the top of appam with a spoon on spatula, it should not stick, then you know appam is ready. Transfer to a plate and enjoy with a curry.
Now for the curry, here is the recipe for a simple beef curry.
You will need:
Beef (any cut, chopped into cubes or stew meat) - roughly 2 pounds
One large red onion sliced
Ginger - 1 tablespoon fine chopped
Garlic - 1 tablespoon fine chopped
Coriander powder - 3 tablespoons
turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon/ adjust to your taste (this is minimum requirement!)
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
oil - 2-3 tablespoons
mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
salt - add according to your taste
curry leaves - optional as much as you need (I like a lot!)
Heat a thick bottomed pan. when oil is hot, fry mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add ginger and garlic, fry it a little. once the edge of garlic turns a little brown, add in the sliced onions. Fry it until golden brown. Now, it is the turn for all the powders to go in, except garam masala. Fry the powders until it looks like dark brown, but not burnt. it might take 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add the marinated beef along with 1 cup of water. Cook well. You could use a pressure cooker if available. When the curry is ready, if the gravy is too runny, heat it up until the gravy thickens. Add the curry leaves before you switch off the heat. Enjoy with appam! The curry goes well with pretty much everything, like rice or whole grain bread.
Cheers,
Anjana
Note: Key for non-sticky appams, is using the right kind of rice. I have success only with sona masoori or idli rice.
Recipe source: My mom
Ingredients:
Long grain white rice (preferably Sona masoori or idli rice) - 1 cup
Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - handful
cooked rice - handful
yeast - 1/4 teaspoon
sugar - 1 tablespoon
salt - 1/2 teaspoon
water - 1 cup + enough to grind
Soak one cup rice in water for at least 6 hours. Add all the ingredients in the blender and grind well. it should be a smooth batter, thinner than idli batter or pancake batter, but not too watery. Keep the batter in a warm place and let it rise. I usually let it rise over night, but sometimes batter will be ready in 4-6 hours, depending on the climate. When the batter has risen, heat a pan on medium, and pour one ladle ( or 1/4 cup approximately) full of batter and cook it covered. I do not use oil as I use a non-stick pan. If you touch the top of appam with a spoon on spatula, it should not stick, then you know appam is ready. Transfer to a plate and enjoy with a curry.
Now for the curry, here is the recipe for a simple beef curry.
You will need:
Beef (any cut, chopped into cubes or stew meat) - roughly 2 pounds
One large red onion sliced
Ginger - 1 tablespoon fine chopped
Garlic - 1 tablespoon fine chopped
Coriander powder - 3 tablespoons
turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon/ adjust to your taste (this is minimum requirement!)
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
oil - 2-3 tablespoons
mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
salt - add according to your taste
curry leaves - optional as much as you need (I like a lot!)
Heat a thick bottomed pan. when oil is hot, fry mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add ginger and garlic, fry it a little. once the edge of garlic turns a little brown, add in the sliced onions. Fry it until golden brown. Now, it is the turn for all the powders to go in, except garam masala. Fry the powders until it looks like dark brown, but not burnt. it might take 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add the marinated beef along with 1 cup of water. Cook well. You could use a pressure cooker if available. When the curry is ready, if the gravy is too runny, heat it up until the gravy thickens. Add the curry leaves before you switch off the heat. Enjoy with appam! The curry goes well with pretty much everything, like rice or whole grain bread.
Cheers,
Anjana
Note: Key for non-sticky appams, is using the right kind of rice. I have success only with sona masoori or idli rice.
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