Jun 10, 2013

Kallappam - fermented rice pancakes, super soft and white as clouds!


What makes weekends special at our place, apart from the fact of getting to sleep in late are the elaborate breakfasts. Apparently I have always had the excuse of being a working person and now a working mom for not getting enough time to prepare elaborate breakfasts on regular weekdays, making it mostly breakfasts on the run! So weekends are something I myself look forward to, to experiment in the kitchen and actually relax and enjoy a decent  breakfast/brunch with my family.
Even if its making a simple dosa I like to try different varieties, one example is the Instant Rava dosa which I make often. Or else we are open to trying Omelettes, Pancakes, French toasts , sandwiches or homemade bread varieties etc and any authentic and naadan kerala breakfast items are always welcome and everyone’s favorite!


Such was the case when what was planned to become a simple Palappam for our Saturday breakfast turned out to be become a very popular keralite dish called Kallappam. Kallappam is a form of rice pancake in which ‘Kallu’ (toddy or palm wine) is used for fermenting the batter. The unique sour taste of toddy along with some garlic, shallots, cumin and grated coconut ground together with soaked rice or rice flour gives these pancakes a very distinct flavor. These days if toddy is not easily available Yeast is used as a substitute to ferment the batter.  


I used yeast for fermenting my batter and they turned out to be really flavorful, spongy and like a friend on facebook mentioned ‘white and soft as clouds’. They tasted quite nice even without any side dishes but my mom quickly made our favorite Potato Stew and added some boiled egg in it as well to serve along with the Kalappam.  Even spicy Egg masala or Chicken curry or Chicken stew would be a good choice to serve with this Kallappam.


It was a super duper hit at our home, specially b'coz my little guy ate two whole appams without even needing to run behind him to eat them. 

Now for some after breakfast activities....Lawn mowing has become one of our weekends tasks of late apart from cleaning the house and laundry. My dad actually seems to enjoy it more than us. So while I was busy taking Kallappam photographs, daddy was busy mowing our lawn...look at his green hands ;-) 


Few of our neighbors and their pet dogs stopped by to say Hi seeing us outside. I wonder what they thought about all the food kept out to be photographed :-P   
Anyway, I went about taking snaps of my freshly bloomed roses and of the newly found Lilac tree almost hidden behind our house. The Lilac flowers smelled amazing. Oh! and not to forget our little garden patch slowly bringing out their fruit. Our tomato is still green but looks promising. 


I had posted a pic on facebook via instagram while I was making these Kallappams, asking my readers and friends to guess the dish and I got such a lovely response. You all just made my day even more special!!  And here’s the recipe for you all.  Try it out and I bet you will enjoy it as much as we did.

This recipe prepares around 15-20 or more medium pancake sized Kallappams.

Kallappam

You’ll need
Yeast – 1 ½ tsp
Warm water – 2 tblsp (to soak the yeast)
Sugar – 2 tblsp
Rava (Sooji/ Semolina) – 3 tblsp
Water – ½ cup
Raw Rice – 3 cups (I used Idli rice)
Fresh grated Coconut – 2 cups
Shallots or pearl onions – 3 or 4
Garlic cloves – 4 or 5
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Water – as needed to make a thick batter
Salt – as needed

Directions
1. Soak the rice in water for about 6-8 hrs or overnight.  Drain away the excess water later.
2. Soak the Yeast in some warm water and let it foam.
3. Make Rava Kappi or Kurukku by bringing ½ cup water to a boil and add 3 tblsp rava and cook it until it forms a thick pudding like consistency. Keep aside to cool.
4. In a mixer grinder or blender, grind together the grated coconut, cumin seeds, shallots and garlic along with water. Need not finely grind.
5. Grind the rice with enough water, making sure the batter is thick like idly batter (or as thick as than pancake batter)
6. Add the yeast, 2 tblsp sugar, rava kappi and the ground up coconut-cumin-garlic-shallot mixture into the rice batter and mix gently and keep it in a draft free and warm spot and allow to ferment for atleast 4-5 hrs or overnight.
7. Once fermented add enough salt and mix gently.
8. Heat a non-stick pan or cast-iron dosa pan and spray some oil on it. Pour a small ladle full of batter (about ¼ cup) on the pan and do not spread it. Cover and cook until bubbles are formed on the top and it looks done. Flip to the other side and cook for a minute.
9. Serve hot and thick Kallappams with preferred side dish or enjoy it plain.

Suggestions:
1. If you want to avoid grinding rice, use Rice flour. Use 3-4 cups Rice flour and add the remaining ingredients with enough water to make a thick idli like batter.
2. I used Instant yeast, but I still let it ferment overnight as the flavors mingle more as the batter sits. 
3. A suggestion I got from a reader was to grind 1 cup cooked rice along with 2 cups raw rice to get more softer Kallappams (mine was pretty soft without adding cooked rice,but its a good option)


-Manju


34 comments:

  1. Loved ur woods....this recipe sounds delicous...appavum motta curryum kanichu kothipikuvano ?? Btw daddy me kondano lawn move cheyikune..pavam acha..just kidding..;)

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  2. Without doubt ...It was an amazing breakfast ...

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  3. Wonderful and perfect breakfast !!

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  4. My son's fav breakfast, he love it with sweetened coconut milk. lovely clicks!!!

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  5. I always run into bad luck with tenga pal appam, so this recipe is challenging for me!! but i like the little dotty hole it has, I bet they are deliciously soft..must give this a go when courage prevails!

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  6. Manju,

    Loved the fourth picture and the lilac blooms. The appam looks soft and perfect with egg curry. We call these appam 'Vellayappam', but we don't add cumin and shallots to it though (Kottayam - Thiruvalla). I had tasted cumin & shallot Vattayappams, but not vellayappams with these ingredients. Must be delicious.

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    1. So many different names alle...even Kallapam is called in different names in different parts of Kerala. I'm also from Kottayam only...but we call it Kallappam at home.

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  7. Ethe ellam kanditte kothiyavunnu.. its been a while we had appam for breakfast...its so perfect for a weekend breakfast so that u don't have to rush through it but take ur own time and enjoy having it

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  8. lovely kallappam, u hv a nice garden. Your dad busy at his work ...pawam, he must be enjoying this right.

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    1. Latha, he totally enjoys it. Even when me or my husband go to help, he doent gives us the mower only. :)

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  9. Beautiful garden u have Manju, poor dad busy at work.. Kallapams looks absolutely stunning and that stew makes me drool..

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  10. Lovely snaps as always dear :) The word Kallapam itself makes me drool, now along with the Mutta curry, entammo parayanda :) Beautiful garden !! Expecting to see a red ripe tomato pic soon !!

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  11. I know wat's my weekend brkfast will be ....I'm sure gonna try...photos looks amazing....

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  12. OMG..I really don't think I can wait till weekend....will try tomow....

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  13. kashtamundu Manju..as if the appams are not just enough..you are showing, tempting us with pictures of ur beautiful backyard and the lovely flowers too :(. My , those appams luk just divine. perfect...softness! and at first, reading the name, i was like..eeshwara...Americayilum kaalu shaap undo..hee hee. Again..just can't take my eyes off the appams, dear..too gud.

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  14. I am drooling here big time as its morning and I havent had breakfast and I am very hungry now...wish i could grab those delicious looking appams and motta curry off the screen...i think i should try making appam this weekend as these pictures have made me crave for it...Love the board...i guess its new...so finally you managed to get one..so happy for you :)

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    1. Shema, I din't buy new boards. These boards were part of the herb growing table or something that the previous owners used and they left it there. To my surprise the boards could be taken out...so I washed n cleaned it and use it now and then when I want to take pics :-) Lucky me !! :-P Now I want some white boards :-D

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  15. What a lovely post Manju.. I have tried to make these Dosas a few times but have never go them right.. ultimately just left it and started having at the nearby South Indian rest..

    the picture with the gardening details is the best !!

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  16. Beautiful photos and a rib-sticking breakfast to boot!

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  17. those appams look... aah... no words... vaayil vellam varunnu... i really don't understand why these are called kallappams when there is no drop of kallu in it, then i wouldn't be able to eat it as well!!! hehe... even that egg stew looks yummy... MaShaAllah on that lovely lawn of yours... stay blessed!! :)

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    1. Rafeeda, even I had that exact same doubt as to why its called Kallappam when there no kallu used in it, my dad said its called so 'coz the fermented yeast along with the flavors from the garlic and shallots etc gives it that slightly sour taste which would have been there if we used actual toddy.Then there is also the fact that this Appam is called in different names in different parts of Kerala like how Shibi has mentioned.

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  18. That was a lovely post...Kallappam looks so great.....You have a nice garden....

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  19. I have had this before and it was delicious! Love the garden picture...and your lawn is so green!

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  20. These definitely look like something special!

    How did you get the recipe box around the recipe?

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  21. luks like u r on a gardening spree ! love those kallappams and mutta curry. i thought kallappams had kallu in it. never thought it was only yeast ! ithu try cheythu nokkanam :)

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  22. Delicious looking kallappam. A perfect breakfast...healthy and filling. Lovely clicks :-)

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  23. I've never tasted Kallappam but now I really want to. It's great that you treat your family to elaborate breakfasts on the weekends.:)

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  24. Am longing to make these one day - soooooonnnn. Yours look just perfect

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  25. Doesn't your hubby love his new job with the garden. Apartments save on that task. :) I love this dish.. we have something similar called appa. :)

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