Appam and Vegetable stew
Appam is a typical Kerala dish for breakfast and is made in every home frequently. It is made from raw rice batter fermented by adding yeast. Raw rice known as 'pachari' in Kerala is not a boiled one. Normally steamed rice is used for preparing rice while raw rice is used for making appam, iddli, dosa, steam cake etc. So, intense care must be taken while choosing rice for making these breakfast dishes. Appam tastes best with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, even a coconut chutney. Here, I am providing you an easy vegetable stew that tastes best with appam.
Appam Ingredients:
Raw rice - 1 cup
Boiled rice - 2-3 table spoon
Active yeast - a few grains
Sugar - 2 tsp
Salt - As needed
Milk - 1 table spoon
Coconut scraped - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1 pinch
Coconut water (optional) - water of 1 coconut
Appam Method of preparation:
1. Soak rice in water for at least 8 hours.
2. Wash the rice and grind it well by adding coconut water, sugar, salt, coconut, yeast and boiled rice. If you don't have coconut water, substitute it with plain water. Also, if you are using coconut water, reduce the amount of yeast since coconut water will also help in fermentation.one more thing to be noted - while adding water to it, keep in mind that we are going to add a little milk next day and hence adjust the amount of adding water.
3. Mix the batter well and keep it over night for 7-8 hours. The container should be slightly large than the batter content since batter will rise up and may overflow.
4. Next day morning, add milk and a pinch of soda powder to it and mix the contents well. Batter should be in dropping consistency.
5. Place it for half an hour more and make appam by using a 'appam maker'. Prefer a non-stick type. Otherwise spread a little oil. Never stir the contents now till the end of the appam making process since it will cause escaping of bubbles from batter which will make your appam without holes or rising up.
6. Heat the appam-maker in low flame and pour a big spoon full of batter to it and slowly rotate holding at two sides to spread it thin and evenly to form a good round shaped appam.
7. Close it tightly with a lid and cook it in medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
8. Open the lid and place it in a serving plate.
9. Continue the same process for the remaining batter too.
Note: Appam can also be made in a non-stick pan. Process is same. Never forget to close it with a tight lid so that steam won't escape.
Vegetable stew Ingredients:
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Potato - 1
Green chillies - 2
Carrot - 1
Cauliflower - 6 or 7 florets
Ginger - 1 inch piece cut into small pieces
Beans cut into small pieces - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - A handful
Coriander leaves - As needed
Salt - As per taste
Thick coconut milk - 1-1.5 cups
Thin coconut milk - 2 cups
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 3 or 4
Vegetable stew Method of preparation:
1. Soak green peas for 5-6 hours.
2. Cut potato and carrot into small square pieces.
3. Pressure cook green peas and potato by adding 1 cup thin coconut milk and salt.
4. Add green chillies, ginger, cauliflower, carrot, beans and rest of thin coconut milk. Cook it for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add crushed cinnamon, cardamom and cloves to it and wait for a minute and add thick coconut milk.
6. Stir the contents well. When it becomes hot, add a little curry leaves and coriander leaves. Never let it boil.
Your vegetable stew is ready to serve.
An alternative method:
Vegetable stew can be made with potato and onion only. Cut potato and onion as small squares. Add a chopped ginger piece and 2 green chillies to it. Cook it by adding second coconut milk and salt. Then add first coconut milk and curry leaves. No need of garam masala here. You can even add a teaspoon of coconut oil once it is taken from flame. It is only optional.
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