appam with crispy edges and slightly soft center
I added pigeon peas to the carrots recipe
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Thanks Mary for challenging us to cook South Indian food. I rarely cook Indian food and never liked it in the past but in recent years, I have come to appreciate it and even bought a cookbook. I have cooked Kerala Chicken once and loved it but this is the first time I have heard of appam, a flat bread made with fermented rice paste and coconut milk and cooked in a small wok or skillet. The recipe for appam and dishes are here.
Initially, I didn't like its fermented flavor but the second batch I made which had less yeast and shorter fermentation period made delicious appams. I prepared a simple but yummy vegan dish to go with them, the recipe I adapted from here.
Fava Beans, Asparagus, and Potatoes with Grated Coconut
½ cup grated fresh coconut
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 piece dried red hot chile
1 tablespoon dried red lentil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 cup peeled fava beans, half-cooked
1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup tiny potatoes, halved or quartered, half-cooked
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
1 dried mild red chili, crumbled
1 clove garlic, finely minced
6 fresh curry leaves, julienned
2 teaspoons powdered jaggery or raw sugar
- In a small skillet, toast separately coconut, lentils, and chile. Put them in a blender together with the toasted sesame seeds and blend to a paste, adding a little water if needed. Place the blended mixture in a large skillet or small wok and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetables, tamarind paste, salt, and water; let boil, lower heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until potatoes and beans are tender and asparagus still crisp but tender.
- In another skillet, heat the oil and saute mustard seeds, dried chile, and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Stir into the vegetables; turn heat off and let rest for 10 minutes before serving with warm appams.
delicious beef curry and appam
sweet appam for breakfast