Appam with thengai paal - Tamil breakfast

This post is for Dee who had asked me for the recipe for lacy appam and lovely coconut milk.


APPAM (lacy crispy pancakes)Ingredients
For the appam:

• 1 cup raw rice
• 1 cup boiled rice
• 1/4 cup urad dhal
• 1teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• A pinch of baking soda
• 1/2 cup cooked Indian rice

For the coconut milk:

• Use store bought Thailand's coconut milk or make fresh ones at home
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Method
Appam Batter:
Soak the raw rice, urad dhal and fenugreek seeds in water for 4-6 hrs.Drain the water and first grind the urad dhal and fenugree to a fine paste. Remove and keep aside.

Then grind the soaked rice with required amount of water to a thick paste along with cooked rice.

They should have a dosa-batter/pancake-batter like consistency. Mix in 1 tsp salt and let it ferment at room temperature overnight or leave it in the oven overnight.

The next day add a pinch of baking soda and 1/2 tsp sugar.


Heat a small appam kadai/non-stick kadai. Coat them with few drizzles of coconut oil the previois night itself. Spoon in 1 tbs of appam batter in the middle of the kadai and gently swirl the pan around to form a thin lacy layer over the sides. A thick layer will be formed at the centre. Drizzle drops of coconut oil along the sides.Cover with a lid and cook for about 2-3min. The edges will get released by itself along the sides. Remove and serve.
For the coconut milk:
Grind the coconut shaving to a fine paste. Using the hands, squeeze out the water and keep aside. If necessary add little more water and grind them in the blender again. Repeat the same by squeezing out the water. Add coconut palm sugar to taste and finally add the cardamom powder.Note:The sweetened coconut milk should not be too watery, so accordingly add the water when you grind them for the second time.