Spicy Diamond Cuts Recipe | Savory Diamond Cuts | Step by Step

Spicy Diamond Cuts or Maida Biscuits or Khara Biscuits (doesn't matter what you call them) are as much a part of my childhood memories as Kai Murukku and Thenkuzhal. Although I don't make a lot of traditional Indian snacks at home, Diamond Cuts are so easy that I actually made these for starters when cooking dinner for some friends. They are also very addictive and you can't just stop with one 'diamond'. For the longest time, I thought Diamond Cuts are a Kerala snack recipe but apparently they are made and eaten around India, just under different names. They are also a popular savory snack made during Diwali.

So if you are looking for an easy and quick snack that also stores well or you can make ahead, look no further. Why buy Diamond Cuts when you can easily make them at home? The sweet version of Diamond Cuts is equally delicious and quite a treat (and I have this killer Sweet Diamond Cuts recipe from my friend Deepa) but I prefer Spicy Diamond Cuts because I have trouble placing the sweet version in my day. I mean, are they dessert, or snack, or... what? If it's a snack, I prefer my snacks savory but then again, if I had versions in a plate, that would be ideal :D

Since the dough for Diamond Cuts need to sit for a while, you can make it ahead and prepare other things and come back to making these.

SPICY DIAMOND CUTS RECIPE

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes ~ 2 cups diamond cuts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of maida / all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp of cold butter or ghee
• 1/2 tsp of cumin / jeera
• 1 tsp of red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp of hing powder (asafoetida, perungaayam, kaayam)
• 1/4 tsp of ajwain (omam)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1-2 tsp of finely minced garlic (optional but highly recommended)
• 3 cups of oil, for deep frying

How to Make Spicy Diamond Cuts:

• Mix all ingredients (except oil) lightly with your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand
• Add water very little at a time and knead into a firm ball of dough. It should not be sticky, just moist. Add more flour and knead in if your dough is too sticky
• Transfer to a bowl and cover with a clean, damp, kitchen towel
• Set aside for 30 mins
• Heat oil for frying
• Pinch off a lemon-sized amount of dough and roll into a ball between your palms
• Press lightly and flour generously
• Roll into a thin circle and cut into diamonds with a sharp knife or pizza cutter until, diagonally
• Using a thin spatula, gently lift the pieces and add to the hot oil
• Fry until golden brown - about 3-4 mins, gently turning midway during frying
• Drain and set aside on a plate lined with a kitchen towel
• Serve warm and if you have leftovers, cool completely and store in an airtight container
• Stays fresh for up to a week

Step by Step Pictures for Making Savory Diamond Cuts:

1. Mix all ingredients for diamond cuts lightly with your fingertips until it resembles coarse sand

2. Add enough water to make a non-sticky dough. Keep covered aside for 30 mins.

3. Pinch off a lemon-sized ball and flour generously. Roll into a thin circle.

4. Cut diagonally into diamonds using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife

5. Gently lift with a spatula and add to hot oil.

6. Fry until golden brown

7. Drain and set side on a lined plate. Serve warm or store in airtight containers after completely cooled.

Notes:

- Although I am not a huge fan of ajwain, it adds a nice flavour to Diamond Cuts
- You can use butter or ghee. Don't add too much though because that would make the Diamond Cuts too soft and not crunchy. If you are vegan, use margarine or vanaspati
- The garlic gives a lovely flavour, definitely don't omit if you don't have a dietary restriction
- If you don't want the Diamond Cuts to puff up while frying, use a fork and poke some holes over them just before frying. I didn't mind the puffy ones too so didn't do this step
- You can use also use equal amounts of maida and atta to make the dough instead of using only maida (all-purpose flour)

Idli Dosa Milagai Podi Recipe | Dosa Podi Recipe | Idli Podi Recipe

There must be as many Idli Dosa Milagai Podi (Spicy Chutney Powder mixed with oil and eaten with Idli and Dosa) as there are number of homes in South India. Every family has their own recipe for Idli and Dosa Milagai Podi and so does ours. In fact, amma makes Idli Dosa Podi different from her sister who makes it different from my dad's sister, and on it goes. They sometimes exchange the Idli Podi if they feel like tasting somebody else's for a change. Usually just referred to as "podi" or "dosa podi" in our home, this is an ever-present item next to the pickles and snacks. A fresh batch is roasted and powdered when the current batch is almost over.

No matter how many different types of idli podi I have tasted in my life, my favourite will always remain my Amma's. She roasts the spices a tad longer it gives the podi a deeper colour and flavour. I have never made Dosa podi myself but rather bring it back during my trips to Kottayam. Since she always makes it the day before I land and keeps it all packed and ready, I wasn't able to take step by step pictures for making this Idli podi but will update this post if and when I manage that. Generally, since we tend to sneeze and cough a lot when amma fries the red chillies, she avoids making it when the house is full of people.

Growing up, none of us kids liked Idli much (which is blasphemous since Amma and Aatha, her mom, make the softest idli you would ever taste!) and the only thing that made it bearable for me was this idli podi and sambar. I love the combination of Kerala Sambar and Dosa podi when eating dosa too, nothing beats that! If I have these two for dosa, I don't even care for chutney much.

For best results, use Indian Gingelly Oil (Sesame Oil) to mix the podi in and serve with idli and dosa. TH loves milagai podi mixed with curd for dosa and idli. While I find that combination unacceptable and have never tried it, he swears by it. He can eat curd with anything so I am not going to trust him on this. I will stick to my pod + nallennai combo, thank you very much!

Idli Dosa Milagai Podi Recipe

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes ~ 1 cup podi
Recipe source: Amma

Ingredients:
15 dry red chillies
1 cup of split urad dal (ulutham paruppu, uzhunnu parippu)
1/4 cup of whole coriander seeds (dhania, malli)
2 strands of fresh curry leaves
1 tsp of oil
1/4 tsp of asafoetida powder (hing, perungaayam, kaayam)
1/2 tsp of salt
6 cloves of garlic, chopped (optional, but highly recommended)

How to Made Dosa Idli Milagai Podi:

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the dal, coriander seeds, and curry leaves. Roast until the dal begins to turn a darker shade of brown.
• Add the red chillies and keep roasting on low flame until the dal turns a golden brown. How dark you want it to be is up to you but Amma roasts it until a deep golden. Keep stirring and don't let it burn.
• Switch off flame when done, remove the pan from fire, and add the hing, salt, and chopped garlic (if using). Mix well and set aside to cool completely in the same pan.
• Once cool, powder and store in an airtight container. How fine or coarse you want the powder to be is up to you. Generally, we grind it fine.

Notes:
- The amount of garlic mentioned here is the small variety we get in India. If using the larger variety, maybe around 2 cloves would be sufficient.
- The red chillies are added at a later stage so as not to over-roast them.
- Always keep the fire on low and keep stirring continuously for even roasting.
- After grinding, cool (the mixture may be warm) and store in an airtight container.
- Keeps well at room temperature for up to 2 months. I keep it for longer in the refrigeratore, but it's better to make this podi in small batches since the flavour dwindles as you keep it longer.
- The colour of Idli Podi in the first and second picture looks a bit different due to lighting. The second and third pics are more representative of the actual colour of Dosa Podi.

Fruit Custard Recipe | Fruit Salad with Custard | Step by Step Recipe

This delicious custard fruit salad recipe is another gem from K. Athamma who invariably makes it for dessert at all our family get-togethers. It may seem easy to just chop up some fruits, make a salad with it, and add some custard sauce to it but she has a definitive process she follows to make this fruit custard recipe. This fruit salad uses an eggless custard recipe made using vanilla custard powder and while you can choose pretty much whatever fruits you want to make the fruit salad, there are a few that she highly recommends - mostly tropical fruits that are available easily in India.

I have always noticed that Athamma's fruit salad has an underlying flavour of not just the fruits but something else that's sweet and cooked. So when I called her to ask how she makes her fruit custard, I realised there is more to this recipe than I imagined. She cooks dates and pineapple in some sugar syrup before adding it to the salad giving the entire fruit salad a very lovely flavour. I strongly recommend you to try this same process and be amazed.

I have used a mix of fruits which I could find easily at the time but please note that if you omit certain ingredients, the fruit custard will taste less than great and we all know no one wants to eat a fruit salad with custard sauce that tastes anything but great!

Other Easy Dessert Recipes:
Apple Crumble with Custard Sauce
China Grass Pudding
Banana Hazelnut Pudding
Vanilla Panna Cotta with Blueberry Coulis

Fruit Custard Recipe

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 6
Recipe Source: Kumari Athamma

Ingredients:
1 apple
1 orange
1 cup of cubed, ripe pineapple
5-6 dates
1/2 cup of cubed, ripe mangoes (if in season)
1 small banana
1/4 cup of glazed cherries
1/4 cup of chopped cashew nuts
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp sugar

For Custard Sauce:
2 cups of milk
3 tbsp of vanilla custard powder
3 tbsp of sugar

How to Make Fruit Custard:

• Add the custard powder to 1/4 cup milk, mix well, and set aside.
• Bring the rest of the milk to boil and add sugar. Slowly add the custard mixture and continue to cook    until thick - about 5-7 mins.
• Remove from fire, cool completely, and refrigerate.
• Cook the 1/4 cup water + 2tbsp sugar for about 3-4 mins until the syrup thickens a bit. It doesn't need to be one-string, etc.
• Remove from fire. Chop the pineapple into small cubes and shred the dates into small pieces. Add these to the hot syrup, mix well, cool completely, and refrigerate.
• An hour before you need to serve the fruit custard, cut the other fruits into small pieces, cube the cherries, chop the nuts and add to the pineapple-date mixture. Mix well and refrigerate until you need to serve.
• To serve: add 1/2 cup of the fruit salad to a bowl and top off with 1/2 cup custard sauce.

Step by Step Pictures to Make Fruit Salad with Custard:

To Make the Custard Sauce

Mix the custard powder with 1/4 cup milk and whisk until smooth

Bring the milk and sugar to boil

Add the custard mix slowly to the boiling milk

Keep stirring until the custard starts to thicken. This will take about 5-7 mins

Remove, transfer to a bowl, cool completely, and refrigerate

To Make the Fruit Salad

Round up your fruits

Make a slightly thick syrup with water and sugar

Add finely chopped pineapple and dates to this syrup

Mix well, cool completely, and refrigerate

An hour before serving, chop the rest of the fruits and add to the pineapple-date mixture

Mix well and refrigerate until serving time

To Serve

Add required amount of the fruit salad to a bowl. Top off with desired amount of custard. Serve chilled.

Notes:

- Add and subtract fruits according to your preference but I highly recommend the banana, cherries, and cashew nuts
- If you prefer to make the custard sauce thicker, add more custard powder. We prefer a light, more watery custard with more focus on the fruits
- Here's a custard sauce using eggs if you want to make custard sauce without custard powder

Classic Croissants Recipe | How to Make Croissants & Pain Au Chocolat

For someone like me who prefers quick and easy baking recipes, the Classic Croissant was a colossal undertaking. Baking croissants has been on my mind for a while but each time I go through the detailed recipe, the layering, proofing, freezing, etc, I decide to postpone doing it to another day when I felt ready for it.

If it hadn't been for Aparna and her We Knead to Bake group, I'd still be researching the easiest croissant recipe and then simply postponing the task once I read through it. Her detailed descriptions, pictures, and tips were brilliant and it always helps to bake along with fellow cooks and bakers who were mostly new to this like I was.

So let me come out say first things first. Baking croissants is not easy, easy to me being mixing a bunch of ingredients in a bowl, transferring it to a baking tray and ending up with a gorgeous tasting cake. Croissants are special, they need longer preparation time and some precise techniques. I followed the recipe very thoroughly and yet a lot of things went wrong. I have added my trials and tribulations during the croissant making process at the end of this post. I think the lesson I learnt is that no matter how many things go wrong, you can still end up with a pretty great-tasting croissant because really, with all that butter, there're no complete flops.

Pain au Chocolat or Chocolate-Filled Croissants

I made Pain Au Chocolate or Chocolate Croissants with the leftover dough and it came out brilliantly. They are much easier to shape and handle than croissants and taste fabulous so I highly recommend trying them if you go through the steps of making the croissant dough anyway. I have added the instructions for making Pain Au Chocolate at the end of this post too. I halved the original recipe and got 6 croissants and 6 pain au chocolat. This dough is such that a little goes a long way.

Deep Breath.

Let's get started.

Classic Croissants Recipe

Preparation time: 2 hours / 3 days
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Recipe source: Fine Cooking

Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour or maida + more for dusting
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of cold milk
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of cold water
1/8 cup of sugar
20 gm of unsalted butter at room tem
1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp of instant yeast (I use and recommend Fleischmann's Yeast)
1 tsp of salt
125 gm of cold, unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp of cold milk (or 1 egg, slightly beaten) to brush the dough

How to Make Croissants:

DAY ONE - Making the dough

On day one, all you need to do is make the dough and stick it in the refrigerator. I did this in the night around 8pm.

Combine all ingredients (except the 125gm butter and the brushing milk or egg) in the bowl of a stand mixer attached with the dough hook. Combine on low speed for 3 mins, scrape down the sides, and mix on medium speed for another 3 mins. Transfer the dough shaped into a rough ball to an oiled dinner plate, cover with cling-wrap completely, and refrigerate.

You can also do the kneading by hand or food processor. Don't over do it since for croissants we don't want too much gluten to form in the dough.

DAY TWO

Making the Butter Layer

I set out taking step by step pictures but soon gave up on it since I needed all the concentration I had to get the lamination process going. This is an important day so set aside all other distractions and focus on the croissant-making.

First, cut out 2 pieces of parchment or butter paper into 10� squares each. Cut the cold butter into small slabs and arrange them into a rough square. Place these on one piece of the butter paper and cover with the other piece. Using a rolling pin, gently smack the butter until it levels out into a square of about 7.5". The square will not be even so remove the top butter paper, gently cut the overlapping pieces of butter, add it to the top of the square, add back the butter paper layer, and continue to smack it into shape. Move quickly since you don't want the butter to start melting.

Cover completely with one piece of butter paper and refrigerate while you work on the dough.

Laminating the Dough

Bring out the dough you made the previous day and unwrap. On a lightly floured surface, roll this out into a 10.5" square. Bring out the butter layer and place it in the dough square so the edges of the butter are pointing along the sides of the dough square. Basically, don't align them exactly but keep them rhombus-shaped on each other. The video explains it well.

Bring the edges of the dough over the butter layer, stretching the edges a bit to completely cover it. Do not let the butter leak. You can refrigerate for a few mins if required or if you feel the butter is too soft.

Lightly flour this square piece of dough-butter layer and roll into an 8x12" rectangle, keeping the edges are straight as possible. Fold this into thirds, bring one side over a third of the length, and bring the other over to cover it completely (like a letter to be placed in an envelope). Plate on a baking tray, cover completely with cling wrap, and freeze for about 30 mins.

Repeat this step two more times. After the last folding, do not freeze but refrigerate the laminated dough overnight.

DAY THREE

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and lightly flour both sides. Gently roll it length-wise to about 22" inches. I didn't get this length with my piece of dough so just focus on lengthening until it's about 1/2" thick. Trim along the edges and ends.

Using a ruler and knife, With a knife, mark the top of the dough at 5-inch intervals along the length. Now, position the yardstick along the bottom of the dough. Make a mark 2-1/2 inches in from the end of the dough. Make marks at 5-inch intervals from this point all along the bottom of the dough.

Place the ruler at the first mark on top and first mark on bottom of the dough and draw it along to cut the dough into triangles.

Mark a slit on the wider side of the triangle and gently start rolling into the narrow side. Shape into crescents and place on a lined baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the triangles and place them on the baking tray with 3-4 inches space around them.

Proofing the Croissants

Once you have shaped all the croissants (you can reserve some dough for pain au chocolate), brush gently with the milk or beaten egg and let it rise in a cool place (not refrigerator) for a good 3-4 hours. I only proofed my first batch for 2 hours and they didn't rise as much as my second batch that were proofed longer.

Baking the Croissants

Pre-heat the oven to 400F/200C and place the proofed croissants inside. Mine were done in about 20 mins and after I took them out once to turn during baking, they turned brown very quickly so keep an eye on them as they are baking. If your oven has uneven heat, I'd recommend starting at a lower temperature, like 180C.

You can brush them again with milk as soon as they are out of the oven. I did this since I felt they seemed a bit dry after baking.

To Make Pain au Chocolat

On day 3, cut dough into long strips, place pieces of chocolate in the centre and roll into longs. Proof and brush with milk the same way and bake in similar temperatures. Beautiful chocolate croissants are ready.

Useful Resources:

- Fine Cooking has step by step pictures for making croissant.
- The video below on making croissants was immensely useful, a must-watch before you attempt the recipe

Good luck!

Croissants are number 2 on the list of 12 things the We Knead to Bake Group, conceptualised by Aparna, will be baking this year. Check out the Eggless Pull-Apart Bread I baked in January as part of the group. 

Indian Onion Chutney Recipe | Vengaya Chutney Recipe

While this Onion Tomato Chutney gets made more often as a side dish for Idli or Dosa, I do like the simplicity of this Onion Chutney too. Removing tomatoes from a dish generally tends to make it more flat, in my opinion, but this Vengaya Chutney begs to differ. I have this weird notion that if we are having idli for breakfast, then there has to be some sort of chutney to go with it but if it's for dinner, then idli milagai podi is more than adequate. So all sorts of chutneys get made in my kitchen in the morning, for breakfast.

As much as I love coconut, especially in the form of Coconut Chutney, I buy it fresh from Little India about once a month and freeze it in small batches which does make thawing it quicker but not quick enough when I am really really hungry for breakfast and the only thing that stands between me and hot, steaming idlis is a stupid lump of frozen coconut.

This Onion Chutney is handy for those days because it's a chutney recipe with no coconut and the onions get browned in less time than it needs for you to steam your idlis or make your dosa / uthappam.

Indian Onion Chutney Recipe | Vengaya Chutney Recipe

Preparation time: 4 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Makes 1/2 cup of chutney

Ingredients:
3 large onions, sliced thin
4-5 dry red chillies (adjust to taste)
1 pinch of hing (asafoetida or perungayam)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small piece of tamarind (optional, I rarely use this)
1 tsp of salt (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp of nallennai or Indian sesame oil (or any oil you prefer)

How to Make Vengaya Chutney:

1. Heat the oil and add the sliced onions. Saut� until it turns pink and transparent.
2. Add the red chillies, hing, and garlic, along with salt.
3. Continue to fry in medium heat until the onions turn golden brown.
4. Cool and grind to an almost-smooth chutney (add the tamarind, if using) without adding water
5. Serve chutney with idli or dosa

Step by Step Pictures for Making Onion Chutney:

1. Heat oil and fry the onions until pink.

2. Add the chillies, garlic, hing, and salt.

3. Fry until onions turn golden brown.

4. Cool to a temperature your mixie or blender can handle.

5. Grind (with the tamarind, if using) to a smooth chutney. Water not required.

Serve with idli, dosa, uthappam, etc.

Notes:

- Replace the onions with shallots (chinna vengayam, ulli) for a different flavour and if you have the patience to peel them.

- You can add some water to the chutney if you want a looser consistency. You can also temper the chutney with some mustard seeds popped in some oil. I have not tried this. My complicate a simple thing?

I prefer Vengaya Chutney undiluted, untempered, and thick. It's delicious!

Sambar Vadai Recipe | Medhu Vadai Recipe with Sambar

Any South Indian worth their curd rice would love and relish Sambar Vadai. It's just wired into us and really, what's not to love about hot and crispy Medhu Vadai dunked into some piping hot Sambar? The combination is amazing and while I am not a fan of the soggy and soft Restaurant-Style Sambar Vadai, I would still pick it as one of the top choices for a South indian breakfast.

There really isn't a specific recipe for Sambar Vadai. If you know how to make Medhu Vadai and you have a good sambar recipe in hand, just use them both and dunk the vadai into the sambar before serving. That's really it.

I made Sambar Vadai for breakfast one day (with leftover soaked urad dal from making idli batter) and had so much fun photographing it that I had to share the recipe with all the pics I took! So excuse the slight overdose of pictures in this post.

If you look past the fact that Medu Vada is fried, this is a no-carb Indian breakfast. Well, that's how I consoled myself anyway :D

Just a note on the making of the Medhu Vadai. Over the years, I have stumbled and fallen quite a few times before I got near-perfect Medhu Vadais going in my kitchen. There's only one thing that matters while making the vadai and that is The Consistency Of The Batter. Nothing else will make or break your vadai and the sad part here is, it's tough to get it right without practice. At least, that's my experience but if any of you have a quick tip for getting the perfect Medhu Vadai batter, do share, I am all ears.

If your Medhu Vadai Batter is too thick: The vadai will shape up super nicely but they will be hard after frying.

If your Medhu Vadai Batter is too thin: The vadai will refuse to shape up like a donut and they also end up "drinking" too much oil resulting in mushy vadai.

If I had to pick, I'd go with mushy vadai I guess. Don't let any of this deter you though.

My Amma, even today, claims she can't shape medhu vadai and continues to drop blobs of batter into oil and makes ball-shaped vadai. None of us kids complained.

My K. Athamma is incapable of making a bad vadai. No matter how tired or rushed she is, her vadai is always perfect.

So there you go, don't take it personally. Getting perfectly Medhu Vadai is not for everyone but that shouldn't stop you from making and eating them.

Sambar Vadai Recipe

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes 8-10 Medhu Vadai depending on size

Ingredients:

For the Medhu Vadai:
1 cup of whole, skinned, urad dal
2 of green chillies, chopped
2 tsp of whole, black pepper
10-12 of curry leaves, torn roughly
2 tsp of salt (adjust to taste)
1 tsp of minced ginger (optional)
4 cups of oil, to deep fry, depending on the size of your pan

To Make the Medhu Vadai:

- Soak the urad dal for at least 45 mins in enough water.
- Grind adding water by the teaspoon until you have a smooth, thick batter that falls off with reluctance    as you drop it off a spoon.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients (except oil) with the batter.
- Heat oil until smoking point
- Shape the vadai using wet hands into a donut shape (read notes)
- Dunk into the hot oil. Take care not to over crowd the pan and also, regulate the heat to medium-low so that the insides of the vadai get cooked and the outside crisps up.
- Drain and set aside until you are done with making all the vadai.

When making Sambar for Sambar Vadai, I generally use one of two sambar recipes. Pick any one that you prefer:

Arachuvitta Sambar
Sambar with Fresh Sambar Powder (minus the vegetables)

Notes:

- Make the sambar first. That makes things easier.

- Some people find it easier to do shape Medu Vada with one hand:  Place the batter in the middle of your palm and form the hole with thumb of the same hand. Or, use the index finger of the other hand to form the hole. Others find it easier to use greased banana leaves or cling wrap to shape the vadai and then use a spatula to dunk into the oil. I am a one-hand-medhu-vadai-shaper, but it did take quite a bit of practice.

- I would recommend adding the vadai to the sambar or sambar to the vadai (whichever you prefer) 5 mins before serving. However, if you prefer Restaurat-Style Sambar Vadai which is more spongy and soaked, then dunk them into a bowl of water as soon as they are out of the oil, let them soak for about 3 mins, and then take out, squeeze out the excess water and add to the sambar.

- I read somewhere that if you add a spoon of hot oil to the urad dal batter, the vadai doesn't get too oily. I forget to try it each time I make Medu Vada so if you have tried it, do let me know how that went.

Kerala Appam Recipe | Palappam Recipe (Without Yeast)

Appam, Palappam, Aappam, Lace Hoppers - whatever name you choose to call this famous Kerala breakfast dish, it doesn't change that the fact that it's one of the most amazing of man's creations in the food department. I realise I may be slightly biased here but Kerala Appam (or Aappam - we use a longer ? sound for it) is and always will hold a special place in my heart. Appam and Kadala Curry will forever remain a match made in heaven together with the sweetened fresh coconut milk that you pour over the Palappam before serving it.

There are a few different method of preparing Kerala Appam. Using kallu or toddy is a popular method (and the resulting Appam is then called Kallappam) which is how amma used to make it during my childhood. The resulting appams were super soft and had this wonderful fermented flavour from the toddy.

Then you can prepare Kerala appam with yeast. While yeast is a reasonably good substitute for toddy in the appam batter, it does give a different flavour to the appam and not really preferred by some, including us. I don't remember amma making appam batter with yeast ever, although she may have tried it a couple times to check how it is. To get toddy, she would generally need to give 8 rs. to our maid's alcoholic husband who would bring us back about 8oz of toddy from one of those dark and seedy toddy shops that are all over Kerala. Yeast is definitely easier to source I would imagine.

The recipe for Kerala Appam I am going to share today does not contain yeast. It does need overnight fermenting though so this is not an Instant Appam recipe. However, it will be well worth the effort, trust me. I got this Palappam recipe from Amma's current help, Suma, who makes it atleast once a month and says it's the easiest Kerala breakfast recipe ever!

Kerala Appam (Palappam) Recipe with No Yeast

Preparation time: 8 hours
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes ~15-20 Palappam
Recipe source: Suma

Ingredients:
500 gm of raw rice, pachari, pacharisi
1.5 cups of grated coconut
1 fistful of cooked rice
4 tbsp + 1 tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of baking soda (soda-bi-card)
1 cup of coconut milk, optional (how to make coconut milk at home)

How to make Kerala Appam Batter:

DAY ONE

1. Soak the raw rice for at least 4 hours. Add the grated coconut and cooked rice to this and grind to an almost-smooth batter. A slight grainy texture is fine. Add salt to taste and set aside.

2. The next step is called Kappi Kachunnathu in malayalam. This gloopy mixture we get is called the kappi and acts as the fermenting accelerator in the Appam Batter.

To make Kappi: Take 4 tbsp of the ground raw rice mixture and add 4 tbsp water. Cook on low heat with 1 tbsp sugar until the mixture resembles kanji or rice gruel. It should be a bit thick and gelatinous. Cool completely and add to the rest of the mixture. Mix well and keep covered at room temperature, overnight or at least for 8 hours.

DAY TWO

1. The batter prepared the previous day will be fermented and a bit bubbly. To this, add the soda powder + 4 tbsp sugar and mix well. Add enough water to make the consistency of the batter loose and easily pourable. You can also add coconut milk + water to dilute the batter, for enhanced taste.

How to Make the Appams:

1. Heat an appam chatti or a kadai with a rounded base. Amma uses her large-ish non-stick pan since we are a big family and using the small appam chatti will get us nowhere in 2 hours with the miniature appams the appam chatti will churn out. You need a pan or kadai with a lid that fits comfortably without gaps. Pour about 1/2 cup batter (depending on the size of your kadai)...

... and twirl it once or twice to coat the side of the kadai with the batter. If you twirl once, you get a lacier, crisper edge and if you twirl twice, you get a softer edge. Don't twirl more than twice.

2. Close the kadai and cook for 3-4 mins.

3. You will see that the edges leave the sides of the pan and the centre is cooked soft. If the centre is a bit soggy and uncooked, cover again and cook further until done.

4. Once the appam is completely cooked, gently ease it into a plate. You shouldn't flip them.

You can brown the edges a bit or take them out when they are uniformly white and lacy, the choice is yours.

Notes:

- If your palappam batter is too thick, the appam will not spread as you twirl the pan. Make sure you dilute the batter enough.

- If the appam sticks to the pan too much, you can grease the pan with some oil but usually this is not needed, especially if you are using a non-stick appam chatti. We have one in cast iron which needs a lot of love and seasoning all the time. Avoid buying it in iron if you are a sporadic appam maker.

- You can dilute the appam batter on day two with either water or coconut milk.

- When cooking the appam, keep flame on low and always cook closed. If the flame is too high, the centre will not cook and if the pan is not closed, the appam will dry out.

- You can use the same batter to make Vellayappam which is simpley appam that looks like oothappam, more uniformly thick than Palappam. To make Vellayappam, make sure the batter is not as dilute as for Palappam, it should be the consistency of dosa batter.

You must serve Appam with either Kerala Stew or Kadala Curry (Kerala Chickpeas Curry) and sweetened coconut milk. The Malabar Egg Curry or the Kerala Egg Roast are good options too. Anything else is non-negotiable. I will share the recipe for the Kadala Curry soon. Here's the recipe for chana masala you see in the picture above, served with appam and idiyappam, etc.