Appams and egg curry

When I first got married, I was only interetsed in learning Avial (a vegetable curry from Kerala, India) However, on my first visit to my in-laws, I fell in love with these soft, white pillowy appams and egg curry alongside :)

Foreword - It may take you a couple of tries, to get it right as I don't actually measure the quantities, it's more of a feel than anything else! But this time, I did measure, so I can post here.

For the appam batter, you will need -

Rice - 100 gms
Note - I use Sona Masoori variety. Avoid using any form of sticky rice and Basmati (highly aromatic). Any other raw rice should be fine.
Fresh Coconut - 40 gms approx or 3-4 tbspns (grated)
Cooked Rice - 1 -2 tbspns
Sugar - 1/2 tspn
Coconut water (optional) - if you collect it when you break open the coconut, then use it
Dry yeast - 6-7 granules OR a pinch of baking soda
Salt - 1/4 tspn

Vessel to make  -
Appam chatti (low bottom wok)

Method -

Soak the rice for 3-4 hours. Drain the water and grind with the grated coconut, cooked rice, sugar and the coconut water. Cooked rice is added to give the soft texture to the appam. Also make sure to use only the white part of the coconut, so your appams are also white :) This batter has to be quite thin, so you can add ample water while grinding. It should look like this, once done. Err on the side of less water, as you can always add more. If it becomes too watery, it can't be saved! The idea is to be able to swirl the batter in the chatti ( low bottom wok)

Once you have the batter, add dry yeast, dissolved in warm water to this and let it ferment for 8-9 hours. Incase you don't have dry yeast, then let it ferment as such for 8-9 hours and just before making the appams, add a pinch, literally a pinch of baking soda to the batter. Add salt as well and you are ready to start making appams.

Start by heating the chatti and adding a tspn of ghee. Rub the ghee with a kitchen tissue, this helps in lubricating the vessel just a bit. Of course with non stick pans, you don't really need to, but no harm in doing it. When the chatti is slightly hot, reduce the flame and pour one ladle of batter in the centre.

 

 

 

Now, swirl the chatti so the batter moves all around and the excess, if at all, settles in the centre. This is why the consistency of the batter is crucial. Runny enough to be able to swirl but thick enough to be able to stick to the sides of the chatti :)

 

 

 

Close the chatti and cook on high heat for a couple of minutes and then sim for another 2-3 minutes. Open the lid to check that the centre has cooked, the sides will come off automatically. Remove and pour another ladle of batter to repeat the process.

 

Soft and fluffly appams are great with egg curry.

 

For the egg curry, you will need -

 

Oil - 2 tbspns

Mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Curry leaves - 4-5 nos, chopped

Onions - 1 large or 2 medium, fine chopped

Tomatoes - 1 medium, fine chopped

Salt - 1-2 tspn

Turmeric powder -1/2 tspn

Coriander powder - 2 tspns

Ready made egg masala - 3 tspns

Water - 50-60 ml

Eggs - 3 nos boiled

Coriander leaves - To garnish

 

Method -

 

Heat oil in a wok, add the mustard seeds when the oil is hot. Allow them to splutter, then add the curry leaves. Now add the chopped onions and fry till they are translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and the egg masala. Give it a good stir and cook for another couple of minutes. Now add water and close the lid. Let it simmer for 5 -8 minutes. In the mean time, boil your eggs, peel them and cut them in half. Once the gravy has come to the boil, add the eggs and allow the gravy to coat it. Now simmer for another 10 mins. Swicth off and garnish with fresh coriander, finely chopped.