Mini-Appam | A bite sized elevation of the Appam
Continuing from my previous post about Appam, the best part of this fermented rice batter preparation is the Crispy lacy outer ring followed by the pillowy-soft and fluffy centre. But mostly in every bite, you can either enjoy the crispy bits or the fluffy bits but rarely can one experience them together in a bite. If you have been following my blog for sometime now, you would know I am creatively inclined and always looking to experiment and innovate. While baking the Appam, I started wondering how to bring in the crispy and the fluffy experience into each bite. This was possible only if I can make them small enough. Thus, the idea of the bite-sized Appam was born.
How to make Mini-Appam
Gave my Appam pan a little break and out came my Appe/ Paddu Pan (a pan with multiple hemi-spherical cavities). Heated the pan to medium high and one ladleful of batter which goes into making one regular appam got divided into the 14 cavities of the Appe pan. You need to be really quick as the quantity of batter in each cavity is minimal (about half a tablespoon) and will cook quite rapidly.
So, I quickly pour the batter, lifted the pan and and very very gently twirled the pan to coat the cavities completely without letting the batter spill out from the cavities and onto the adjoining cavities. After this step, just cover and bake for about a minute. Since the batter quantity is low, these mini-appam will cook much quicker. Once ready, gently pick them out of the cavity with the help of a toothpick. Pop these coin sized appam whole into your mouth to enjoy the crisp and fluff in each bite! They also act as mini scoops to scoop along some gravy into each bite.
This is a One Plate Please original and I call these, Snack Appams or Mini-Appan, in-short “Mini-an” (Minions). Try them out with my Pork Indad recipe. You will love them!
Mini-Appam
Equipment
- Appe/ Paddu Pan
- Mixing Bowl, Large
Ingredients
for the Yeast solution:
- 1 tsp Active dry yeast heaped
- ¼ cup Water lukewarm
- 1 tsp Sugar
for the Batter:
- ½ cup Par-boiled Rice (washed and soaked for about 8 hours)
- 1 cup Raw rice (washed and soaked for about 8 hours)
- ½ cup Fresh Coconut grated
- ½ cup Fresh Coconut Water / Coconut Milk optional
- 1-2 tbsp Sugar
- Water as needed
- ½ tsp Salt
Instructions
Activating the Yeast:
- In a small bowl, mix the yeast and sugar with the lukewarm water and set aside for about 20 minutes until the mixture turns frothy
Preparing the Batter:
- Grind the Par-boiled rice and raw rice along with the grated coconut and coconut water to a smooth thick paste and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add a little water if needed to aid the grinding process
- Mix well. Add water if needed to bring the batter to a thick dosa batter consistency (not pouring consistency)
- Add the sugar and give it a good mix.
- Add the activated yeast solution to the batter and give it a good mix.
- Cover the vessel and keep aside in a warm dry place for the batter to ferment and double up (see notes)
- Once the batter has fermented and risen, sprinkle the salt and gently mix (see notes)
Making the Mini-Appan:
- Heat the Appe pan to medium-high heat. The pan has to be completely dry. Do not oil the pan! (see notes)
- Once the pan is hot, pour about half a tablespoon of batter into each cavity and quickly pick up the pan and gently twirl the pan until the entire inner surface of each cavity has a thin coating of the batter. Ensure that the batter doesn't flow out of the cavity and into the adjoining cavities.
- Place the pan back on the flame, the excess batter will slowly drip down and collect in the middle of the cavity.
- Cover the pan and bake the mini-appam for about a minute until the edges start to brown a bit and begin to peel away from the surface of the pan. These cook much quicker than regular appams
- Using a toothpick, gently transfer the mini-appam onto a serving bowl.
- These are best enjoyed hot and hence till you finish baking the rest, place the mini-appam in an oven in keep-warm mode.
Notes
- the fermentation and rising time will vary based on the ambient temperature. In warmer regions like India during peak summer, the batter can rise in a couple of hours, while in colder climates, it will take hours, sometimes overnight for the batter to rise.
- In colder climate, place the batter in the oven in “Keep Warm” mode
Salt hampers the growth of the yeast and hence slows down the fermentation. Hence, especially in colder climates, it is recommended to add salt just before baking the appam and gently stir the batter, without losing much of the frothing. - In warmer climates, you can add the salt at the beginning of the fermentation process if you so desire.
- the yield depends on the size of the pan/ cavity, the level of fermentation and also the size of the ladle used.
- on a non-stick pan, oiling the pan will ruin the whole process of baking Appam as the batter won’t stick to the walls of the cavity and drip down and collect in the middle of the cavity.
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