Appams

These are leavened rice pancakes. Wonderful to the extreme.They are traditionally prepared by using the milk freshly extracted from coconuts and toddy. My ex-neighbour (Sagar Aunty) gave me this much more simplified version without compromising on taste and I am forever indebted to her for it.

• Ready In: 17 hrs
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 2  glasses rice
• 1⁄2 medium coconut
• 1  cup cooked rice
• 1  glass milk
• 2 -3  teaspoons sugar
•  salt
• 1  pinch baking soda or 1⁄4 teaspoon dry active yeast

Directions

1. Soak the raw rice in water for around 3-4 hours.
2. Scrape the coconut.
3. Grind the rice with the coconut and the cooked rice till very fine.
4. Keep it overnight or for 8 hours (not refrigerated) Early next morning (three hours before making the appams) add 1 glass of boiling hot milk to the batter and the sugar, salt and yeast/cooking soda (I prefer the yeast) Mix well (add more milk if required to get the consitency of pourable batter) Cover and keep aside for 3 hours.
5. Now heat a non stick wok.
6. (kadhai) Pour a ladle full of the batter into the wok and swirl the wok around so that the batter spreads around 6-8 inches in diameter.
7. Cover and cook on medium heat till the lower part of the appam is light brown or the top part is not moist but spongy.
8. The sides will seem lacey and the centre will be thick like an idli.
9. This dish can be served with coconut milk and powdered cardamom sweetened with jaggery and sugar or with chicken or mutton stew (Indian style with coconut milk) ANd yes do try it with maple syrup or as it is (as my son enjoys it).