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5 from 4 votes
Appam served with egg curry
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Appam Recipe from Scratch
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
2 mins
Fermentation time
8 hrs
Total Time
22 mins
 

This is the traditional method of preparing Appam from scratch. The process requires a total of 6-8 hrs of fermentation.

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: appam, breakfast, kerala
Servings: 4
Author: Akhila
Ingredients
  • 1 cup idli rice/pachari (soaked for 4-5 hrs)
  • ½ cup grated coconut
  • 1 handful of any cooked rice (you can use sona masoori also)
  • 2-3 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp yeast
  • ¼ cup warm water (for yeast prep)
  • 1½ cup + more water / coconut milk / coconut water (for grinding)
Instructions

  1. Rice Prep: Wash n Soak idli rice for 4-5 hrs.

  2. Yeast Prep: Prepare yeast mix by mixing ¼ cup warm water with 1 tsp sugar. Add yeast and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. It will froth by this time. Using a spoon, mix it well. Keep aside.

  3. Making Batter: In a blender, grind the soaked idli rice with grated coconut, cooked rice, 2-3 tbsp sugar, and either of water / coconut milk / coconut water (in batches), till it forms a smooth batter. Make sure your batter is not too runny, it should be slightly thick with a pourable consistency.

  4. Once the batter is ready, add yeast solution and mix well.

  5. Fermentation: Allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 8 hrs or overnight, so that it ferments. Use a long-bottomed pan / bowl (preferably glass) as the batter will double in quanitity, ensure to cover the bowl.

  6. Once properly fermented, the batter would have doubled. Stir by adding salt and sugar (add more if you prefer it sweet).

  7. Make Appams: To prepare the appams, heat an appam pan (or regular pan if you don’t have one). Once hot, season the pan with a little oil and pour a ladle full of batter on to the center of the pan. Swirl the pan so that a thin coat of the batter covers the edge, forming a properly shaped appam (thick in the center and thinning outwards). Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium flame. Once the edges turn golden brown and the center cooked, remove it to a plate.

  8. Taste your first appam and add more sugar to the batter if needed. Appams taste best when sweet.

  9. Pro-tip: If you are living in a cold place during peak winter times, keep your batter inside an oven for the proper fermentation process.