Appam / Lotus Appam / Aappam recipe

Appam:
    Appam with coconut milk is my family all time favourite recipe. My kids like this appam very much. If i put for appam they will ask even for lunch with sweet coconut milk. But i like channa dal curry with this appam , i don't know why but like my mil's preparation of channa dal curry with the appam.
Many use to add yeast for the appam , but i had never used this yeast or baking soda for the appam instead i use one natural secret which i learnt from my mil.Now let us see how to make soft and lacy appam.

Ingredients:

1. Raw rice (pacharisi) - 1 cup
2. Par-Boiled rice(puzhungal arisi) - 1 cup
3. Urad dhal - 1/8 cup
4. Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam) - 1 tsp

While Grinding:

1. Coconut grated - 1 cup
2. Boiled Rice - 1 cup

For Adding :

1. Coconut Water - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1 tsp

Other Ingredients:

1. Salt- as required
2. Sugar -2 tsp

Method:

Read Carefully the method for making soft appam

• Take coconut water and add sugar in it and close with a tight lid and keep it aside..(I use to do this at morning 8 am, also cook rice and keep it aside to cool since we need boiled rice it should not be hot so do this cooking of rice at morning itself).
• Wash raw rice, par- boiled rice urad dhal and fenugreek seeds and soak it for atleast 2 hrs.(Do this at 10 am)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Do this process at 12 am.

• After 2 hrs add the soaked rice ,dhal and fenugreek seeds in the mixer jar and grind it to a batter consistency (not to be too thick), by adding coconut and sugar added water.
  
  
  
• Like wise grind the grated coconut and boiled and cooled rice and grind it to a fine paste and add it to the batter.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Mix well with the hand.
• Keep it aside for atleast 8 hrs for fermentation process.
  
  
  
  

After 8 hrs:

• Add 2 tsp of sugar and required amount of salt to the batter ,heat appam kadai and pour one full laddle of appam batter and twist and roll the kadai to make a round appam. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
• Srpinkle some oil/ghee and close with the lid, meanwhile the stove should be in low medium flame.
• After few min open the lid and take the appam out, need not want to flip over the appam for the other side to cook it will be cooked by the vapour since we close the kadai with the lid.
  
• Now our appam is ready to serve.
  

For Lotus appam see the picture demonstration and follow...

• Here also we are going to twist with the hand but to make a floral design rotate up and down, left and right, front and back like wise...
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Now our lotus appam is ready to serve.
• Serve the appam with sweet Coconut Milk.

Coconut Chutney for Vada/ Bhajji /Coconut Chutney / Coconut Chutney Method 1

Coconut Chutney for Vada & Bhajji ,Idli &Dosa /Coconut Chutney / Coconut Chutney Method 1:

      Coconut chutney  made with fresh coconut is a south indian side dish for idli, dosa , vada, bajji and even with rice too. We can make this chutney in different method. Today we are going to see one method of preparing coconut chutney...

 

Ingredients:

1. Coconut - 1
2. Cashew nut - 5 nos
3. Green Chillies - 2 nos
4. Garlic - 2 cloves
5. Salt - as needed 

Tempering:

1. Oil - 1 tbsp
2. mustard seeds - 1 tsp
3. urad dhal - 1 tsp
4. dry chillies -  2 nos
5. curry leaves - few for tempering

Method:

• Soak the cashew nut for 10 min.
• Grate or slice the coconut.
• Add soaked cashew, sliced coconut, green chillies, garlic and salt in the mixer jar and grind it(do not grind them to a fine paste)by adding required water.
  
• Now heat oil in a kadai and allow mustard seeds, urad dhal to temper.
  
• Add dry chillies and curry leaves and immediately switch off the stove.
  
• Pour this to the chutney.
  
• Check the salt and if needed can also add water to it.

   

Medu Vada / Urad Dhal Vada / Ulundha Vadai/ Ulundhu Vada

Medu Vada / Urad Dhal Vada / Ulundha Vadai/ Ulundhu Vada:

    Medu Vada is a snack variety even though it is deep fried in oil it is a healthy snack for kids and also for all age groups. Eating of this vada for one day will not do anything even it is a fried snack.
There is no trick of making this vada it is very easy to prepare the only thing is that grinding of Vada batter, because the consistency of the batter should be very thick for making vada. Here i want to thank my sweet 5 year kid (my lovable son) for helping me to take photos he took the photos of greasing my palms with water and making vada shape in hand .Now let us see how to prepare medu vada.

Ingredients:

1. Urad Dhal - 1 cup
2. Onion - 2 (finely chopped)
3. Green Chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
4. Ginger - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
5. Curry leaves - few (finely chopped)
6. Coriander leaves - few (finely chopped)
7. Pepper powder - 1tsp
8. corn flour - 2 tbsp
9. Rice flour - 2 tbsp
10. Salt - as needed

Method:

1. Soak urad dhal for 2 hrs.
   
2. Grind the urad dhal without adding a drop of water (This is a tough job to grind it without water.Do not add the whole dhal in one mixer. Grind it three times by splitting it. Take the small mixer jar add a little amount of dhal and grind it.Often open the mixer jar and mix it and swipe the wall of the jar.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add all the ingredients to the batter and mix well.
   
   
   
   
4. Keep under refrigeration  for at-least 30 mins.
5. Now take a bowl filled with water.
   
6. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
   
7. Grease the both the hands with water. 
   
8. Take medium quantity of batter and flatten it in the left hand.
   
9. Place a hole in the center and drop it gently to the oil for frying. 
   
   
   
   
10. For each vada we want to grease our hands with water so that the batter will not stick to the hands and flow freely to the oil.
11. Fry vada in low medium flame. Do not fry vada in high flame if frying it in high flame means the outer portion will cook and the center core of vada will not be cooked. So keep it in low medium flame.
    
12. Flip over the vada and cook till it reaches the golden brown color.
13. Take the vada out from the oil and drain excess oil.
    
14. Now our medu vada is ready to serve.
    
15. Serve with coconut chutney.

How to take coconut milk / How to take coconut milk extract from coconut

How to take coconut milk / How to take coconut milk extract from coconut:

    Taking milk from the coconut is not a tough job. Don't ask me then why you are posting this in a blog. Many of my friends asked how to take a perfect white coconut milk using the mixer without grating the coconut. I always use to slice the coconut and grind it in the mixer for taking milk and also when ever grinding the coconut i will slice it. Ok then let us see how to get a white milk without grating the coconut.

Ingredients :

1.  Coconut - 1
2.  Water - as needed

Method:

Break the coconut and take out the coconut from the shell.

Before slicing the coconut remove the brown color skin at the back of the coconut which is the important thing to get white coconut milk.

Slice the coconut and grind it in the mixer grinder in pulse for 2-3 times.

Add only 1 tbsp of water and again grind it to a fine paste.

Now take a filter and put the paste and squeeze the paste to get the first milk from the coconut.

 

Take 1 cup of water and add to the coconut and filter it this is our second milk, the color of the milk would be light when compared to our first milk.
Take another cup of water and add to the coconut and again squeeze it thus our third milk is extracted. This seems to be watery when compared to our first and the second milk.
First, second and third milk from right(red bowl) to left respectively.