Aapam with Rice Flour

By Za on Dec 28, 2008 in Featured, Food, Main Course

If you’re wondering why I need to have a double entry on Aapam, then wonder-not. The first Aapam was the version which didn’t use yeast and used a lot more ethnic ingredients like urad dal and methi. And if you’re not very familiar with these ingredients then you’ll probably not want to make a trip to the Asian store to get these (which do not come in small packets) - or if they did - you’d still have too much of it leftover after one Aapam session. So, I decided to check up on my cousin’s tip on making Aapam the easy way.

Her e-mail was inspiring but because it didn’t have specific measures to follow, she being the sort who measures from looking, feeling and smelling, I have been leaving this till later. So later is now, and I am happy to say that you can eat Aapam if you have rice flour, a can of coconut milk, yeast, sugar, salt and water! Now, doesn’t that sound more familiar?

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour - lightly roasted in a dry pan (roasting is optional)
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 cup water (use sparingly if the batter is too thick)

Proofing yeast:
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
5 tsp lukewarm water

To make the Rice Gruel (kappi):
1/4 cup rice flour (not roasted)
1 cup water

Method:

Proofing yeast:

In a small container (I used my plastic measuring cup) add lukewarm water and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Then add the yeast. Stir quickly to mix. Then cover the mixture and leave the container in a warm place. Since it’s freezing cold here, I left it beside my stove while I prepared the rice gruel. Leave it for 20 minutes. When it’s ready, it should be frothy - like this. And for your benefit, I’ve placed the yeast I used in the background.

Photobucket

Making the rice gruel:

In a small saucepan, combine rice flour and water. Under medium heat, constantly stir the mixture. The mixture will thicken really quickly to look like applesauce. Do not leave it unattended because it changes from water to paste very FAST!

Making the batter:

First roast the rice flour in a dry pan over low heat for a few minutes. The flour should feel slightly warmish. Put the rice flour in a deep steel pot. When the rice gruel is cooled to room temperature, the flour should also have reached back to room temperature. Add the coconut milk to the rice flour. Mix well. It will become a thick paste. Add the rice gruel. And mix well. If the mixture is too stiff/thick, and mixing is difficult, add 1/4 cup water. Stir to mix well. When well mixed, add the yeast mixture and gently mix into the batter. The batter should be thick. When fermented, it will undergo a change and become runny. So if the batter is too thin before fermetation, it will be too runny later.

Leave the batter covered overnight to ferment. Since it’s winter, I preheated the oven to 200F, turned it off, waited for 5 minutes before putting the batter in the oven and closed the door. 4hrs later, I checked to see the results. Notice the need for the deep pot. It’s risen more than twice it’s original amount!

Preparing the Aapam:

Add salt to taste. Mix well.
If the batter is too thick, add in some milk to thin it. It should not be too runny nor too thick. It should be runny enough to be swirled in a pan, but thick enough so that it can form a layer when swirled without running back to the base of the pan. It’s actually white but my lighting has changed the color in the picture.

Warm the pan sufficiently. See Aapom to know what the pan looks like.
Pour 1/4 - 1/2 cup of the batter into the pan. Lift the pan off the stove and swirl the mixture once around the pan by tipping the pan at an angle.
Return the pan to the stove, cover and let it cook.
When cooked, the sides should be crispy and the center firm.
Serve warm with curries, sweetened warm coconut milk or sugar.

Tips:

The batter can be kept refrigerated for about 2-3 days.
It is better to have a thick batter at first then a thin one. A thick one can be thinned but once it’s runny…*shrug*
When proofing the yeast, the water MUST be lukewarm. If it’s too hot or too cold, the yeast will not rise. If the yeast doesn’t rise, you’ll have to make another batch and discard the one which didn’t rise.
As a kid I loved buying egg aapams. This version just requires one to break an egg into the centre of the aapam in the pan. Using a fork, quickly break the yolk and mix the surface with the batter in the center of the aapam with one or two swirls of the fork. Cover and check the center before removing the aapam.
Alternatively, just drop the egg and close the lid!

Finally now that I’ve put up this post, I must say that the experience of trawling the net looking for how to make aapams using rice flour and yeast, was more educational than I bargained. I learnt that it’s an art - getting the lace to be perfect, the flick of the wrist, the swirl of the pan; a skill - being able to prepare the batter right ALL the time; a science - it’s very dependent on weather, the quality of yeast, the temperature of the water, the atmosphere, the flour, the type of pan used, the type of stove used; a creation - the many variations when it comes to making the batter and finally it’s many famous names - Paalappam, vellappam, aapam, palappam and the list goes on. So to acknowledge all these wonderful chefs who taught me a thing or two about making aapams, and just being so awesome with their zest for sharing, I’ve included their blogs! Thank you ladies!