Appam and vegetable stew

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw rice, soaked 4–5 hours
• 1 cup grated coconut
• ¼ cup cooked rice
• ½ tsp instant yeast (or a little toddy, as was traditional)
• 2 tsp sugar and salt to taste
• For the stew: 2 potatoes and 1 carrot, cubed; ½ cup beans and peas
• 1 onion, sliced; 3 green chillies, slit; 1 inch ginger, cut fine; curry leaves
• 1 cup thick and 2 cups thin coconut milk; 2 cloves, 1 small stick cinnamon, 2 cardamoms; 2 tbsp coconut oil

Method

1. Grind the soaked rice, coconut and cooked rice to a smooth, flowing batter with a little water. Stir in the yeast and sugar and leave overnight to ferment.
2. In the morning add salt and thin the batter slightly if needed.
3. Heat an appachatti (small deep pan), pour in a ladle of batter and swirl so it coats the sides. Cover and cook for 2 minutes until the edges are crisp and the centre is soft and spongy.
4. For the stew, heat coconut oil and fry the whole spices, onion, ginger, chillies and curry leaves without browning.
5. Add the vegetables and the thin coconut milk with salt, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
6. Stir in the thick coconut milk, warm through without boiling and serve with the hot appams.