Appam (Fermented Rice Pancake)

Ingredients

• 1½ cups uncooked white rice
• 1½ cups fresh grated coconut
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons white rice, cooked
• water for soaking rice, and 2 to 2½ cups for grinding
• ½ teaspoon yeast or kefir, to start the ferment (optional)

Steps

1. 1

   Soak the raw rice in water.

2. 2

   Grind the soaked rice until about ¼ ground.

3. 3

   Add the grated coconut along with a little water and continue grinding.

4. 4

   Add the sugar, cooked rice and yeast or kefir, and keep grinding until the whole mixture becomes smooth. It should be thinner than pancake batter.

5. 5

   Transfer it to a wide open container and leave it to rise overnight.

6. 6

   The next morning, add salt and refrigerate the batter until use.

7. 7

   To fry the appams, use a tava or a small bowl-shaped pan with either a non-stick coating or a little oil (coconut or any other refined oil) or ghee.

8. 8

   Pour a full serving spoon of batter into the middle of the pan and swirl it around a single time so that a little of the batter sticks to the sides.

9. 9

   Cover the pan with a hot lid and remove the appam with a spatula after 2–3 minutes, when it becomes slightly browned around the edges. It should be round, with a thick centre and thin, lacy edges.