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Appam, a popular South Indian dish, is an Indian version of crepe or pancake featuring a spongy and soft centre and crispy edges. Often consumed for breakfast in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Sri Lanka, it is made with a fermented batter of urad dal, coconut, fenugreek seeds, and rice. The process of fermentation adds bubbles to the batter which adds to the softness of the appam. You can also make them with instant batter made with semolina (suji/ sooji).
Video Credit: Kabita's Kitchen/ YouTube
This dish is a healthy breakfast option served with coconut stew, vegetable or chicken stew, jaggery syrup, sambar, coconut chutney, or tomato-onion chutney. Unlike dosa, a ladle full of batter is dropped on a skillet, and it is rotated so that the batter spreads evenly around the edges, giving you the fluffiest appam. The simplicity and unique flavour blends make this dish a part of festivities and tea-time snacks. Here are a few variants you can try for breakfast, even if you have leftover idli or dosa batter at home.
Nei Appam
If you like to start your mornings with a sweet breakfast recipe, nei appam is the best way to do it. Add jaggery, coconut, ripe bananas, ghee, and cardamom to the rice batter, and cook the appam until golden brown. You can also use an appam pan in which you can make crepe-like shapes without any hassle.
Vegetable Appam
A healthy variant of appam is vegetable appam, which is gaining popularity in parts of North India. If you have rice and urad dal batter, add boiled corn, peas, grated carrots, onions, and cabbage to it. Season the mixture with salt to taste, red chilli powder, and other herbs of your choice. Pour this mix into the appam pan and you will have the fluffiest appam in no time.
Rava Appam
No matter what variety of appam you are making, you do not need to prepare batter for it in advance. Semolina or rava is an excellent alternative to rice and urad dal flour. Add curd and water to sooji and allow to settle for 15 minutes. Add eno or a pinch of baking soda to the mix 5 minutes before you are ready to cook the appam.
Egg Appam
If you are a fan of egg rolls, you will love its cousin egg appam. After spreading the appam batter on the skillet, break an egg at the centre of it. Whisk it over the appam using a spatula, let it cook, and slowly turn over appam into a roll. You can make it on the go or enjoy a protein-packed breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee.
Vella Appam
Vella appam is a variant of sweet appam made with rice flour batter with jaggery syrup, cardamom, and coconut milk. Not only does it taste delicious but it can keep you satiated for long and help you curb cravings. These sweetened pancakes can also be served as dessert for a party if you add a dash of your creativity into decorating them.
Kara Appam
Kara appam is a savoury variant of the popular South Indian dish. It is made by adding chopped green chillies, grated coconut, curry leaves, and ginger to the batter. The batter is then fried or added to the appam maker until it turns golden brown. They pair well with sambar or your favourite chutney.
