Nei Appam

Nei Appam

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Nei appam (also neyyappam) is a spongy, sweet, ghee-fried snack from Kerala, India. A variant with ripe bananas, called unni appam, is equally popular and so too is its savory sibling, the paniyaram. These appams are made in a special moulded pan known as the appakaaral (appam pan / appe pan / æbleskiver pan). I have learnt that this pan is not only widely used in many Asian countries, but also in Europe, notably Denmark. While different cultures have a unique recipe for the sweet and savory cakes with many relying on eggs for the right texture, in Kerala a specific variety of bananas called the Palayan kodan is used to fluff up the cakes. Although this variety of banana may not be available where you might live, we can still get great results with the recipe below. Let’s dive in…

WHAT YOU WILL NEED for NEI APPAM

Ingredients

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

  1. 2 cups rice
  2. 3 ½ cups water
  3. 2 cups jaggery, powdered / crushed
  4. 1 cup ghee
  5. ¼ cup coconut, finely chopped or shredded
  6. ½ tsp. cardamom powder
  7. Pinch of salt
  8. 1 cup ripe banana, mashed – optional
  9. 2 Tbsp. wheat flour – optional
Nei Appam ingredients

Substitute banana with ¾ cup applesauce or mango pulp. Some folks even use jackfruit

Substitute shredded coconut with chopped cashews

Kitchen tools

  1. Blender
  2. Small flat bottom pan
  3. Ladle
  4. Appam pan / æbleskiver pan
  5. Skewer / Chop stick & a spoon

PREPARATION – NEI APPAM (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1  – Wash and soak 2 cups rice in 3 cups of water for 2-4 hours or over night

Soaked rice

Step 2  – Drain the water completely and grind in the blender to a fine grain similar to semolina (rava) by adding 1 Tbsp. water at a time and by using a total of only ¼ cup of water. The consistency of the batter at this point should be thick and creamy

Traditionally this batter was stone ground. While modern grinding systems have made this very easy, keep in mind that the blender will heat up quickly as we are grinding with very little water so give time in between for the blender to cool down. If you push it hard, the blender might shut down entirely due to overheating. Don’t worry – just wait for it to cool down (press the reset button if your appliance has one) and you are good to go. I used to face this problem with Preethi mixer, but ever since I got a Vitamix, the occurrences have reduced and I have also learnt to pause in between 😀

The main tip for great appams is to pay attention to the consistency of batter. Water is a key factor in this process – for 2 cups of rice, do not use more than ¼ cup of water while grinding

Step 3  – Add powdered jaggery in batches of 1 cup at a time and blend until well incorporated. Jaggery will loosen up the batter and ease the blender and at this time you can increase the blender speed and grind everything well

Step 4  – Move the nei appam batter into a container and let it rest for a minimum of 2 hours. You can rest it overnight but beyond a certain time it will give a foul smell from fermentation. If you are making it immediately, you will need to add a pinch of baking soda to get the same results as resting the batter

Nei Appam Batter

Step 5  – In a small flat bottom pan on medium heat add 1 Tbsp. ghee and roast ¼ cup shredded coconut with a ladle until it turns golden brown. Traditionally the recipe calls for finely chopped coconut, but my children like the shredded variety. Allow this to cool down

Cooling this down before adding it to the nei appam batter is important. The heat will reduce the aeration that we have achieved by resting the batter and make the appam hollow with a hard shell

Step 6  – Optional step – Mash 1 regular banana (if using Palayam Kodan variety, use 2 bananas) with a fork and add it to the batter and mix well. Measure this banana pulp to 1 cup. If you do not like the taste or smell of banana, feel free to substitute it with ¾ cup applesauce or ¾ cup mango pulp

Banana thickens the batter so you might need to add a couple of tablespoons of water. Apple sauce and mango pulp, on the other hand, are a little runny and you do not need to add extra water

Nei appam made in temples that pilgrims take back home as prasadam usually do not use any fruit as that reduces the shelf life of the appams. That is also another reason why it is fried in ghee as other oils will give out a stale smell when kept for longer duration

Step 7  – Add ½ tsp. cardamom powder, a pinch of salt, and the roasted coconut to the batter and mix well. Mix thoroughly in one direction with a fork or whisk

Adding flavors to nei appam batter

Whisking in one direction is essential for good aeration of any batter that can be used in other recipes too – Idli, Vada, Dhokla

Step 8  – Heat the appam pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes before adding ghee. This is another important step as ghee burns quickly and interferes with the taste. If using a traditional stone / brass pan, add a drop of til / sesame oil before adding ghee. This will prevent the batter from sticking to the pan (grandma’s trick, never questioned why🙂)

Nei Appam pan with ghee

Step 9  – When the ghee is hot, pour the appam batter to ¾ of each mold. When the sides appear to cook you will notice that the outer batter takes the shape of a bowl and batter is still liquid in the center. Use a skewer or chopstick to carefully turn the batter over to make a dome. The liquid batter from the center will now fill the mold and make a perfect ball. Rotate the appams to cook evenly on all sides until it is golden brown. Insert the skewer to check if the batter is completely cooked. This step is the most difficult in the entire recipe and don’t worry if you miss it a few times. With practice, you’ll be able to ace this

Traditional appam pans come with 3 or 5 molds but the modern non-stick paniyaram pans have 11 molds. I have noticed that by the time I fill all the molds and get back to flipping them over, some of them are almost cooked and I end up having only a few perfect appams that are the shape of a full ball. The trick is to pour only 3 or 4 molds at a time and once you flip them, move on to three more and so on

Step 10  – Insert the skewer to check if the appam is cooked thoroughly well (just as you would test in baking, the skewer should come out clean). Remove the appam from the mold and set aside for cooling

Step 11  – Enjoy sublime Nei Appams when they are warm for a heavenly experience like any other fresh baked treats!😋

Sublime Nei Appam
Divine Nei Appams – soft inside and crispy outside 😋

Although Diwali is the predominant festival of lights, the festival of Karthigai (celebrated on the full moon day after Diwali) is not too far behind with a dazzling display of lamps outside (and inside) every South Indian house. Every nook and corner of the house is lit with an earthen lamp (Agal vilakku in Tamil). The earthen lamp is used to show the humble nature that knowledge (symbolized by the lit flame) can bestow upon us. The burning of the wick represents the destruction of our ego, and the oil that aids this flame represents the divine power. The simple act of lighting a lamp helps us learn that our ego can disappear with the acceptance of a greater power which is this universe. There are several legends behind this festival – you can find a couple here and here. There’s also a story about a princess with no siblings who grew up with an elephant and considered it her brother. After her marriage, she missed her ‘brother’ and in his memory, she lit lamps and offered several delicious treats as offerings to the lord.

Which brings us to the special foods prepared for Karthigai, such as Appam with ghee, Pori with dry ginger and Adai with black pepper. This festival falls in the winter months of November-December and these snacks are ideal for digestion in the cold weather. As far as Nei Appams go, I have had several hits and misses but never made a note of the recipe when I was younger – after all, who bothers to do that when gobbling these delicious treats was the focus during those days. It was easy to blame the nature of jaggery or the consistency of jaggery syrup for my faults and move on. But about 5 years ago my mom pointed me to my aunt Mrs. Girija Krishnan who could create the perfect appams every single time. This phone call was the turning point for me in moving from good to sublime Nei Appams. Her tips regarding the mixer shutting off as well as the right amount of water were crucial to the success of this recipe and I loved that she explained them thoroughly. I’ll never forget her words “venna pola araikkanum” (grind it like butter). Thanks Periamma!

Similar to Appam making that requires careful attention, one needs to nurture relationships with our siblings with the utmost care and love. One careless move in the process and we may end up having broken relationships just like an appam shaped like pac-man 🙂 you know, where the top and bottom halves are still stuck together but cracked open on one side. However, when you follow the protocols carefully you will have a well bonded relationship with your brothers and sisters just like the soft and crispy ball of appam without any cracks. Enjoy these sublime nei appam with your loved ones!


Nei Appam

Recipe by Sublime RecipesCourse: SnacksCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

50

Appams
Prep Time

6

hours 

20

minutes
Cook Time

40

minutes
Rest Time

6

Hours
Ready In

7

hours 

Nei appam (also neyyappam) is a spongy, sweet, ghee-fried snack from Kerala, India. A variant called unni appam, is equally popular !!!

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

What You Will Need

  • 2 cups rice

  • 3 ½ cups water

  • 2 cups jaggery, powdered / crushed

  • 1 cup ghee

  • ¼ cup coconut, finely chopped or shredded

  • ½ tsp. cardamom powder

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 cup ripe banana, mashed – optional

  • 2 Tbsp. wheat flour – optional

  • Kitchen tools
  • Blender

  • Small flat bottom pan

  • Ladle

  • Appam pan / æbleskiver pan

  • Skewer / Chop stick & a spoon

Preparation

  • Wash and soak 2 cups rice in 3 cups of water for 2-4 hours or over night
  • Drain the water completely and grind in the blender to a fine grain similar to semolina (rava) by adding 1 Tbsp. water at a time and by using a total of only ¼ cup of water. The consistency of the batter at this point should be thick and creamy
  • Add powdered jaggery in batches of 1 cup at a time and blend until well incorporated. Jaggery will loosen up the batter and ease the blender and at this time you can increase the blender speed and grind everything well
  • Move the nei appam batter into a container and let it rest for a minimum of 2 hours. You can rest it overnight but beyond a certain time it will give a foul smell from fermentation. If you are making it immediately, you will need to add a pinch of baking soda to get the same results as resting the batter
  • In a small flat bottom pan on medium heat add 1 Tbsp. ghee and roast ¼ cup shredded coconut with a ladle until it turns golden brown. Traditionally the recipe calls for finely chopped coconut, but my children like the shredded variety. Allow this to cool down
  • Optional step – Mash 1 regular banana (if using Palayam Kodan variety, use 2 bananas) with a fork and add it to the batter and mix well. Measure this banana pulp to 1 cup. If you do not like the taste or smell of banana, feel free to substitute it with ¾ cup applesauce or ¾ cup mango pulp
  • Add ½ tsp. cardamom powder, a pinch of salt, and the roasted coconut to the batter and mix well. Mix thoroughly in one direction with a fork or whisk
  • Heat the appam pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes before adding ghee. This is another important step as ghee burns quickly and interferes with the taste. If using a traditional stone / brass pan, add a drop of til / sesame oil before adding ghee. This will prevent the batter from sticking to the pan (grandma’s trick, never questioned why🙂)
  • When the ghee is hot, pour the appam batter to ¾ of each mold. When the sides appear to cook you will notice that the outer batter takes the shape of a bowl and batter is still liquid in the center. Use a skewer or chopstick to carefully turn the batter over to make a dome. The liquid batter from the center will now fill the mold and make a perfect ball. Rotate the appams to cook evenly on all sides until it is golden brown. Insert the skewer to check if the batter is completely cooked. This step is the most difficult in the entire recipe and don’t worry if you miss it a few times. With practice, you’ll be able to ace this
  • Insert the skewer to check if the appam is cooked thoroughly well (just as you would test in baking, the skewer should come out clean). Remove the appam from the mold and set aside for cooling
  • Enjoy sublime Nei Appams when they are warm for a heavenly experience like any other fresh baked treats!😋

Tips / Variations

  • The main tip for great appams is to pay attention to the consistency of batter. Water is a key factor in this process – for 2 cups of rice, do not use more than ¼ cup of water while grinding
  • Substitute banana with ¾ cup applesauce or mango pulp. Some folks even use jackfruit
  • Substitute shredded coconut with chopped cashews

Thank you for stopping by. If you’ve tried this recipe, I would love to hear from you. Please add your comments below and / or rate this recipe. Your feedback will help me improve and share better recipes with you.

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2 Comments

  1. They look beautiful and sound delicious. On a day with a big snowstorm, they would be good to make.

    • Absolutely! This is one of the trickier recipes on my blog so yes, if you’re feeling adventurous during a blizzard – do give this a shot!

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