Appam recipe – without yeast. Rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds as main ingredients. Fenugreek seeds helps batter to ferment well and gives porous texture.
This is my way of making appam, we all like it to have with coconut milk sweetened with jaggery and flavored with cardamom!
This may not be the authentic way of making appam with yeast or coconut/coconut milk, but it’s a fool proof recipe, which gives you soft, crisp and lacy appams.
🧖♀️ How it works?
The fenugreek seeds and aval (poha) does the magic. While at certain parts of south India, they use yeast to make appam, in my household we do a natural fermentation with fenugreek seeds.
The aval/ poha also makes it porous and gives soft texture apart from fenugreek seed’s magic.
Check out my vegetable stew, side dish for appam.
📖 Variations
- If you want coconut in this same recipe, just add ¼ cup of grated coconut while grinding.
- Add required coconut milk to the batter to dilute just before making the appam. So let the batter be little thicker to dilute afterwards
- Cooking soda gives porous texture, if it is not porous and does not get cooked in middle, add more cooking soda. But the batter must be fermented for this to react and create holes. So make sure to ferment.
- You can also add little eno (blue pack) for porous texture. Eno and cooking soda are chemically similar.
For fermenting the batter if you are in cold region,keep the batter in warm place. Like for example next to your cooking area through out the day as you may cook.
Inside oven with oven light on.
Or in Instant pot with yogurt mode. Some areas like next to fridge as refrigerator exterior is hot and surroundings may be warm enough for fermentation.
Recipe card
Appam recipe
Ingredients
- 1 & ½ cup Raw rice
- 1 & ½ cup Idli rice
- ⅛ cup Urad dal whole /vellai ulundhu
- 1 tablespoon Fenugreek seeds vendhayam
- Salt – As needed
- ¼ cup Poha/ aval or cooked rice
- ⅛ teaspoon Cooking soda Per small portion of batter
Instructions
- You can soak and grind everything together too. But make sure it is ground really smooth.
- (OR) Soak both rice, dal in one vessel along with poha and urad dal, fenugreek seeds in another vessel for 3 hrs.
- First grind fenugreek till smooth and fluffy adding around ½ cup water, then add rest of the soaked items, enough water and grind till smooth.
- Mix salt and keep for fermentation overnight. Batter should be little bit watery than idly batter (just pouring consistency) and should not be heavy, should be light.
- So take required amount of batter, add water or coconut milk for authentic taste to dilute it.
- Before you decide to make aapam, add the cooking soda and stir well.
- Heat a heavy bottomed kadai and pour 1 & ½ ladle of batter.
- Just spread in the sides of the pan like we spread dosa, leaving little batter still in the middle ( I find this method easier and quicker). This will give you thin edges, just like if we rotate the pan.
- If you are convenient in rotating the pan, then hold the two sides of the pan and rotate in a circular motion to get a thin edge.
- If you use oil just drizzle a few drops after you make the appam, because if you add oil before, then batter will not spread evenly.
- Cook covered in a medium low flame. After a minute check for doneness. Once you do not see whitish spot, or raw batter in middle, you can take it out.
Video
Notes
- If the batter is too thick, it won’t get cooked properly in the middle, so dilute with water/ coconut milk for a pouring consistency.
- Add enough cooking soda if pores doesn’t form.
- At times I even skip adding cooking soda. Just make one and see if you get good holes as it gets cooked. If its fine, no need to add cooking soda. If takes long time to cook, add cooking soda.
- If you do not have idli rice, you can make it with raw rice itself. Sona masoori or ponni works well.
- You can use eno too in place of cooking soda as both are similar.
💬 Method
1. You can soak and grind everything together too. But make sure it is ground really smooth.
2. (OR) Soak both rice, dal in one vessel along with poha and urad dal, fenugreek seeds in another vessel for 3 hrs.
3. First grind fenugreek till smooth and fluffy adding around ½ cup water, then add rest of the soaked items, enough water and grind till smooth.
4. Mix salt and keep for fermentation overnight.
5. Batter should be little bit watery than idly batter (just pouring consistency) and should not be heavy, should be light.
So take required amount of batter, add water or coconut milk for authentic taste to dilute it.
Batter
Before you decide to make aapam, add the cooking soda and stir well.
6. Heat a heavy bottomed kadai and pour 1 & ½ ladle of batter.
7. Just spread in the sides of the pan like we spread dosa, leaving little batter still in the middle( I find this method easier and quicker).
8. This will give you thin edges, just like if we rotate the pan. If you are convenient in rotating the pan, then hold the two sides of the pan and rotate in a circular motion to get a thin edge.
9. If you use oil just drizzle a few drops after u make appam, if you do so before then batter will not spread evenly.
10. Cook covered in a medium low flame.
11. After a minute check for doneness. Once you do not see whitish spot, or raw batter in middle, you can take it out.
Serve hot with your choice of side dish, stew or kurma or simply coconut milk!
I like mine, slightly browned and crisp, so after I open the lid, I keep the flame in high to turn it brown, so its ur choice to brown it and have it crispy or have it soft and white…
Here’s how to make flower appam : https://youtu.be/vGbutOFhwcQ
AApam looks ..slurrp..I can't even complete my sentence and I am all drooling…..
Congratulations on your award and thanks for thinking of me..
Hey Awesome ..Thats the gorgeous pics ever ..I love that small 2nd pic awsome girl ..
Hey congrats on ur Award ..Nice to know about u ! Thanks for sharing with me dear soo sweet of u !
Congrats on your well deserved award. Aapam looks delicious,all your recipes have real step by step instructions. I think even a person without any knowledge of cooking can easily manage looking at your posts. You really rock, keep going.
one of my fave kerala dishes 🙂
What a lovely appam dear..Exactly my kind,crisp n soft…
loved ur 2nd pic..looks so nice…I always prefer this with vegetable stew.
Appam wit stew..I've eaten…yet to eat it wit coconut milk and jaggery though
congrats…..i love Appam
simply superb perfectly fermented and look at that holes wow great job.
aapam is one of my fav. too. Congrats on your award dear.
i like my appams to be crisp too..but i mostly use the readymade mix and add coconut milk to it and ferment it overnight.
congrats on the award! 🙂
congrates on ur award…appam my fav with chicken curry woooooooo…its heaven..
Aapams look awesome…they are sp tempting. I like it with some spicy curry, not very fond with coconut milk.
Hi Raji,
Aapms look yumm, very thoughtful of u to have put up the detailed pictorial 🙂 ur method seems easy, thanks
Congratulations on ur well deserved award!! and it was nice getting to know more about u 🙂
Enjoy the award!
TC
Aapam looks wonderful. Looks so tempting and yummy. Congrats on your award.
Ihave never tried this at home and even tasted outside. My mom makes it well.Somehow i never tasted.Step by step explanation really superb.Will try soon.
Aappam looks very spongy.. Nice detailed pics.
Nice to know more about u thro the tag. Congrats on the award.
Congratulation on your award….Wow awesome aapam .. Superb… Looking delicious and yummy……
Appam looks yum Raji!!. I used to make in Appam Pan. Great click!! Congrats on your award .
mmm. crunchy edges! Please pass me that dosa. looks tempting 🙂
Congrats on the award!!
Wow….that's a delectable appam…..looks yum….
I love the small pic especially..Its excellent..Congrats on ur award:)
hi raks, thank you so much for remembering me!!, as always your photos rock, as Mangala said i too did love the 2nd small picture, that is simply superb, love aapams, i have never had it with coconut milk!!, must try it sometime, my hubby might enjoy it!! OMG!, i would have forgotten rocking over my award, congrats on your award, actually i do not no if i deserve it, my blog is really not anyway near yours…, & thanks for sharing it with me…
WOww Appam looks amazing Raks!! am really drooling rite now here..Congrats on ur award!!u really deserve it yaar!
looks soooo yummy. even I like all my dosas, aapams etc crispy and brown!
I have a useless mixer here – which will not grind anything!! I am thinking of making aapam with rice flour!
nice explanation raks,,as usual good pictures too…
love appams. never made them from scratch though!!
lovely aapam..looks crispy and perfect….please do check my blog for my new event and enjoy participating
Appam is delicious.. i tried out one last week it ddidnt come out well.. will try your version.. Congrats on your award dear… Its nice to know abt you!!
great recipe.I also like the aapam just the way you have made.good pictures
lovely….your way of making the appam is just fabulous..Bookmarking it..
and raks..congratulations on your award.. 🙂
raks…one question reg the event…I prepared an elaborate lunch last weekend.There are around 5 items.. 🙂 Is it OK if I post the photos and the items prepared in one post which I will link to your event and post each recipe in different posts? Otherwise the post might become too lengthy…
Love the appams and great clicks.
nice version to make aapam like this. Lovely snaps… Enjoyed reading abt u:)
once i get this appam tava shall surely try it !! very nice tempting pics !!
Congrats on your awards. Appam looks good. I like mine soft and white. Should try it next time slightly browned. Any reason on using basmati rice???.
That looks spongy and soft just like the way it should be! Nice work
congrtas on ur award,appam looks so soft,totally different from the kerala appam…
Appam looks sooooo perfect!
Congrats on ur well deserver award dear!
pls accept ur awads from my blog 🙂
Thanks
appam never tried this..looks so crspy…should give it a try
Raji I have few awards and a tag for u..
please do collect them
I have never made appam & have eaten it only once. looks like i am missing a lot! thanks for the steps, makes it easier for me who knew nothing on appams.
Soma(www.ecurry.com)
Hmm my previous comment is not there :(..anyways I was so stuck with you appam that checking again in the middle of nite ! so want to ask u now…it is must to add idli rice? Also with later tell me measurement for 2 or 3?? this 3cups rice looks so much to me na? Will bug u in chat 😉
Appam looks so soft and fluffy..:)
Cilantro,
No specific reasons for using Basmati rice,only I dint had raw rice,i used basmati rice 🙂
Priti
Using idly rice gives u a soft moist aapam,other parboiled rice I think will make ur aapam dry and wont be so fluffy…:)
Hi raks appams luk yummy..but can u give me measurement like for 3people coz i don't know how to divide the urad dhal and rice measures…can u help…thanku
Sabina, 3/4 cup raw rice,3/4 cup idly rice (or use any one of this rice 1 & 1/2 cups) and then add 3 tblsp of urad dal,add 2 tblsp of fenugreek seeds and just a little cooked rice say a fist full while grinding. If you dont have cooked rice you can also add one fist full of rice flakes/poha/aval along with rice for soaking. This will be more than enough for 3.
Thanku raks,,,will give a try and get back with the results..
Rak's this is such a wonderful recipe and the measurements u gave a more than enough and i made it for sunday and left with batter for monday morn too….hubby and daughter loved it and the aapam had a nice flavour too…unlike wat i make without coconut/cooked rice…so thanku once again and i made lamb trotter to go with this and i've tagged u for the aapam recipe and posting it for the BM this week….(will post for 3rd day)And am new to blogging do check my blog when u find time…http://sabcancook.blogspot.com/
I love aapam but I have not tried it at home. Will try now :-)..very yummy
Thank you so much raks I love ur blog and learnt the basic cooking from ur site and I hope u keep posting our tradition foods its been a big hit in my home by learning from ur blog and congrats on the award , its worthful.
I tried ur aapam and the result was so tasty same like nalla's appa kadai in chennai (famous appa kadai in chennai)plz visit my aapam n leave ur valuble comment
wow its gr8 looks so yumy i ever trybut i cant make how can i make bbut i will try try again and again……………thanks
Pakka Measurement. Tried and came out very well. Thank u so much
I am a new reader to your blog. Wish to try some of your breakfast receipe. Later will be able to feed back to you. Tq
yes..This recipe was a hit….excellent and very tasty and soft
Appam came out very well!!…Thanks for the detailed recipe
Hi Raks,
I tried your appam today and it came out very well.. Am happy..
Thank you.. Keep going..
Hi Raks,
I tried our appam today.. Came out nicely.. Am happy.. Thank you..
I tried this recipe this morning and the aappams were so soft… I must say that it boosted my confidence in cooking… Thank u sooooo much Raks….
Hi Raks
Can u tell me how many aappams this measurement serves?
Thanks
Bhuvana
Not sure, but around 25 approx.
hi appam supr..is cooking soda same as baking soda.?
hi thanks again my appam has turned out really well i wanted to kno can v prepare dosa with the leftover batter and have it wit chutney?
Yes you can try that. eat it with any spicy chutney like my poondu milagai podi.
Appam looks yummy, you are such a nice cook Raks 🙂
What is idly rice? You mean raw rice? Pls clarify. Tks.
Its is not raw rice. It is parboiled rice available in south indian Tamil shops. It's specially meant for making idli dosa batter
Raks… i tried several Appam Recipe… but all flop… twice i tried ur receipe… i got awsome Appam… my Hubby loved it… it came out fantastic… thanks..
raks super appam. how did u get that bowl shaped appam in ur second click.i want my appam to stand like bowl like that of hotels.help me.i would like to have it with coconutmilk and vadacurry.always a winning combo.
I just made it in kadai as mentioned in the post. Follow it, you will sure get it.
made appam sooooo lacy!!!!! i always follow your recipes no failures recipes thanks a lot trying more from your blogs!!!!!
this is not original kerala appam… do not use urad dal.. we only use idly rice, cooked rice and coconut…
Yeah its my version 🙂 I have never told anywhere its kerala appam!!
Its new and awesome. can i have some please. I am loving it alot:)
Hi raks!!! Can i store the batter in the fridge… Before even using it for the first time?? Had a plan for breakfast but now postponed it fir dinner.
Yes after fermentation you can keep in fridge and use when needed
Yes
Hi 🙂 is cooking soda same as baking soda ? …. thanks in advance ..
Is baking or cooking soda must ?
If you want you can skip. If its too thick and not getting cooked properly, you can add. Cooking soda gives more pores also
ok thanks will try 🙂
Hi , my appam was not soft . it was like elastic (rubber). what was my mistake
I hope the batter fermented well and you made with enough water. If urad dal is not enough it can turn rubbery. May be try adding little more urad dal and water and make the batter light and fluffy, next time.
Hi,do we need 1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds?
Yes, for softness and fermentation, we do need that much, you can reduce if you want, but add atleast 1& 1/2 tsp
I have one doubt regarding the measurements given here. Since you have halved the amount of rice so shouldn't the amounts of urad dal and fenugreek seeds also be halved? Here I think you have doubled it.
I love making paal appams but since i bought new non stick appam pan it doesnt turn out well,too soft n flat n not crisp at all ..pls advice
If it is too flat, too much of urad dal or methi.reduce the quantity. Also reduce water.
I tried it mam but mine didn't come brown and not crispy also can u suggest y it is happening I used basmati rice only
Hi
Ur version of palappam looks good.but we usually add 2tablesppon sugar and grated coconut too while grinding..we use white rice(pachari)…
My suggestion only…
Can i know how much 1 cup measures?
Hi Raji, tried your appam recipe today and it came out very well, thanks a lot, I always had a problem with urad dal quantity, now its solved with ur recipe, thanks a ton…
thanks a lot!
Hi Raks,
I find that you have mentioned only 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds in the above appam recipe but 2 tbsp of fenugreek seeds for the reduced amount of rice (11/2 cup) in the comments section. Is that an error? I wanna try this recipe since my kids love appam.
Yes should be 1 tbsp, sorry about that.
Amazing recipe. Perfecto
Thanks 🙂
Your recipes look authentic and interesting.
Hi.. to make this appam, do I need a proper appam chetti or can I make it in a regular small cast iron kadhai? Thank you
Regular iron kadhai also fine. May take few aapams as it may stick, but as you season with oil it will come out good. I always keep making in my iron kadai.