Indian & South Asian · Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Appam with Vegetable Stew
Appam and Ishtu (അപ്പം, ഇഷ്ടു)
Soft-centred, lace-edged Kerala rice hoppers served with a fragrant, mildly spiced stew of vegetables gently simmered in light coconut milk. A quick yeast-risen batter keeps it doable on the same day.
- Prep
- 115 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 160 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 70% · Fat 21% · Protein 9%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 1/4 cups200 gRice flour (fine, white)
- 1/4 cup50 gCooked white rice
- 1/3 cup30 gFresh grated coconut
- 1 tspInstant yeast
- 2 tsp8 gSugar
- 1 1/4 cups300 gWater (for batter)
- 1/2 tspSalt (for batter)
- 3/4 tspCoconut oil (for the pan)
- 1 tsp5 gCoconut oil (for the stew)
- 1 small piece (5 cm)Cinnamon stick
- 4Whole cloves
- 3, lightly crushedGreen cardamom pods
- 1/2 tspBlack peppercorns
- 1 sprig (about 12 leaves)Curry leaves
- 1 medium150 gOnion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp10 gFresh ginger, finely chopped
- 214 gGreen chillies, slit
- 1 medium200 gPotato, cubed
- 1 large120 gCarrot, cubed
- 1 cup100 gGreen beans, cut in 3 cm pieces
- 1 1/2 cups150 gCauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup70 gFrozen green peas
- 1 cup250 gLight coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups350 gWater (for stew)
- 3/4 tsp5 gSalt (for stew)
Steps
- 1
Blend the cooked rice, grated coconut and 300 g water until completely smooth.
- 2
In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour, instant yeast and sugar together.
- 3
Pour the coconut mixture into the flour and whisk to a smooth batter, thinner than pancake batter.
- 4
Cover and leave in a warm place for about 90 minutes, until bubbly and roughly doubled.
- 5
While the batter rises, peel and cube the potato and carrot, cut the beans and cauliflower, and slice the onion, ginger and chillies.
- 6
Heat 5 g coconut oil in a wide pot over medium heat and fry the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 7
Add the curry leaves, onion, ginger and green chillies and cook gently for 4–5 minutes until the onion is soft but not browned, adding a splash of the stew water if it sticks.
- 8
Add the potato, carrot, beans and cauliflower with the rest of the 350 g water and 150 g of the coconut milk; cover and simmer for 12–15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.
- 9
Stir in the peas and the stew salt and simmer 3 minutes.
- 10
Add the remaining 100 g coconut milk and heat through over low heat without boiling, so it stays creamy; keep warm.
- 11
Stir the 3 g salt gently into the risen batter.
- 12
Heat an appachatti or small non-stick wok over medium heat and wipe it with a little of the 3 g coconut oil.
- 13
Pour in a small ladle of batter, then lift and swirl the pan once to coat the sides thinly, leaving a thicker pool in the centre.
- 14
Cover and cook for 2–3 minutes until the edges are crisp and golden and the centre is set and spongy.
- 15
Loosen with a spatula and repeat with the remaining batter, oiling the pan lightly only as needed (about 12 appams).
- 16
Serve 3 warm appams per person with the vegetable stew.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use full-fat coconut milk instead of light coconut milk for a richer, thicker stew.
- Swap the cauliflower and green beans for cubed sweet potato and zucchini, or whatever mixed vegetables you have on hand.
- Replace the fresh grated coconut with unsweetened desiccated coconut soaked in warm water for 15 minutes before blending.
- Leave out the green chillies or remove their seeds for a milder stew that suits kids.
Storage
Refrigerate the stew in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot; avoid freezing it, as the potatoes and coconut milk turn grainy. Appams are best eaten fresh, though leftovers can be wrapped and chilled for a day and warmed in a covered pan, but they will lose their crisp edges.
Make ahead
The stew can be made a day ahead and chilled, then reheated gently without boiling and topped with a splash of coconut milk. You can also chop all the vegetables and blend the rice and coconut mixture earlier in the day, keeping both in the fridge until you mix the batter.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (507 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 394 kcal | 78 kcal |
| Protein | 8.1 g | 1.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70.4 g | 13.9 g |
| of which sugars | 8.6 g | 1.7 g |
| Fiber | 7.4 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 9.5 g | 1.9 g |
| of which saturated | 7.6 g | 1.5 g |
| Sodium | 846 mg | 167 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
