South Indian

Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes)

Name: Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes)
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: South Indian
Ingredients: 2 cups raw rice, soaked; 1/2 cup cooked rice; 1 cup grated coconut; 1 tbsp sugar; 3/4 tsp salt; 1 cup water; 2 tbsp neutral oil

Lakshmi @lakshmi_chennai

Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes) is South Indian home cooking, eaten at breakfast and dinner. On the plate it is the dish at the centre. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.

30 min Medium Heart healthy Low sodium Vegetarian Vegan Halal Gluten free Dairy free Pescatarian

Ingredients

Serves

The quantities follow this count.

2 cups raw rice, soaked
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup grated coconut
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup water
2 tbsp neutral oil

How to cook it

Soak the raw rice for 4 hours, then drain and blend it with the cooked rice, coconut, sugar, and just enough water into a smooth, thick batter.
Cover and let the batter ferment at room temperature for 8 to 10 hours, or overnight, until it turns light and bubbly.
Whisk the fermented batter with the salt to loosen it slightly, then heat a curved appachatti or small wok over medium heat and brush with a little oil.
Pour a ladle of batter in the center and quickly swirl the pan so the batter spreads thin at the edges and pools thicker in the middle.
Cover and cook until the edges turn lacy and golden and the center is soft and cooked through, about 3 minutes, then lift out and serve warm.

Watch how to cook Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes)

Someone making it start to finish, so you can see what the steps look like.

Serve it with

A South Indian dinner is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.

What it is eaten with
- Bajra Bhakri (Pearl Millet Flatbread)
  
  35 min
The sharp little thing
- Coconut Chutney
  
  15 min
Something cool and fresh
- Fried Vadam
  
  10 min

A course labelled with another kitchen's name comes from a cuisine in the same family, which is where this plate usually borrows it from.

Safe at your table

Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand, so the absences below are as deliberate as the presences. Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes) carries coconut. It is free of the remaining 9 allergens on that list.

Every tracked allergen in Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes)
Allergen	In this dish	Cook this instead
Peanuts	No
Tree nuts	No
Dairy	No
Gluten	No
Shellfish	No
Eggs	No
Soy	No
Fish	No
Sesame	No
Coconut	Yes	Adai (Tamil Nadu Multi-Lentil Dosa)

These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.

What it brings to the plate

Estimated, per serving

Calories: 240 kcal
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 40 g
Fat: 7 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 270 mg
Saturated fat: 4 g

Estimated values. Actual nutrition varies with ingredients, brands, and how you cook.

When to cook it

Appam (Kerala Fermented Rice and Coconut Pancakes) takes about 30 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is a fair bit of work. It is eaten at breakfast and dinner. Nothing in the calendar rules it out, so it is a year round dish.