Appam with Vegetable Stew

Appam are lacy, bowl-shaped rice and coconut pancakes from Kerala, fermented overnight to develop a gentle tang. Their thin, crispy edges and soft, spongy centres make them the perfect vessel for a fragrant coconut milk vegetable stew — one of South India's most celebrated morning meals.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Appam batter (begin the night before)

• 300g (1½ cups) raw rice, soaked 6 hours
• 80g (⅓ cup) cooked rice
• 100ml (7 tbsp) thin coconut milk
• 1 tsp (5g) sugar
• ¼ tsp (1g) instant yeast
• ½ tsp (3g) salt

Vegetable stew

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 2cm
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 100g (3½ oz) green beans, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, julienned
• 400ml (1⅔ cups) coconut milk
• 200ml (¾ cup) water
• 1 tbsp (15ml) coconut oil
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ½ tsp (2g) whole black pepper
• 2 cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander to garnish

Instructions

1. Batter: Blend soaked raw rice and cooked rice with coconut milk until very smooth. Mix in sugar and yeast, thin with a little water to a pourable consistency. Cover and ferment in a warm spot 8–12 hours until bubbly and slightly sour. Stir in salt before cooking.
2. Stew: Heat coconut oil in a heavy pot. Add whole spices (pepper, cloves, cinnamon) and curry leaves; sizzle 30 seconds. Add onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies; cook 5 minutes until soft but not coloured.
3. Add potatoes, carrots and beans along with water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 10–12 minutes until vegetables are just tender.
4. Pour in coconut milk, reduce heat to very low, and simmer 5 minutes uncovered. Do not boil or the coconut milk will split. Season with salt and garnish with coriander.
5. Appam: Heat a small non-stick wok or appam pan over medium-high. Add a ladleful of batter, quickly swirl the pan so the batter coats the sides thinly and pools in the centre. Cover with a lid and steam 2–3 minutes until the edges are golden and crispy and the centre is set and spongy. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: The fermentation is essential — it creates both the light texture and the characteristic tang. In cool climates, let the batter ferment in the oven with just the pilot light on. A carbon steel appam pan gives the best bowl shape, but any small wok works well.