Appams with Nadan Egg Masala

There's nothing quite like tucking into crisp appams with a sipcy egg curry on a cold wet afternoon. I've been craving appams ever since Nilam decided to flood Bangalore, and while I'm making these on an overcast, but dry, afternoon, I'm telling myself its the sentiment that counts.

The accompaniment is simple enough, a kerala style dry egg masala called Nadan Mutta Roast, but appams are great by themselves with a little sugar or with a coconut based stew. 


Appams

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice flour
• 3/4 cup cooked rice
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 4 tbsp sugar
• salt to taste

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and leave it aside to activate and turn frothy
2. Mix the rice flour, 2 cups water and coconut milk together.
3. Grind the cooked rice with 1/4 cup water to make a thick and smooth paste.
4. Add the paste to the rice flour mix, and run the mix through a food processor to create a thin and consistent batter.
5. Add the yeast-water and sugar to the batter and set aside, covered, in a warm place for at least 2 hours
6. After the batter has risen, add some salt and stir the batter once.
7. Heat an appa-chetti and pour one ladle full of batter, swirl it around to fan out the appam and cover and let it cook on a low flame for 2 minutes.
8. Once the appam is cooked, with the underside turning brown, pull it off the appa-chetti and dig in. With the amount of coconut in there is should just slip off the appa-chetti.
9. With respect to the appa-chetti, I used a non-stick chetti, but its just as easy to make it with a flattish kadai/wok with a lid. Just remember to add a drop of oil and swirl that around the kadai if you're using a non-stick one.

Nadan Mutta Roast (Kerala style Egg Masala)

Ingredients

• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 6-7 curry leaves
• 1 chopped green chili
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 inch ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• salt to taste

Method

1. Halve the hard boiled eggs.
2. Mix the garam masala, coriander power, pepper, turmeric and red chili power together with some water to make a thick paste.
3. Heat the oil in the pan and add the mustard seeds.
4. Once they stop crackling, add the ginger, garlic and green chills, and fry for a minute.
5. Add the onion and sweat them out till they turn translucent.
6. Add the curry leaves and let them splutter before adding the tomatoes and spice paste.
7. Stir the mixture so that the spice paste evenly coats the tomatoes and let them soften.
8. Add some water, salt to taste and reduce the heat and cover to let the masala stew.
9. Once the tomatoes have softened and the masala is pulpy, add the eggs, pour the masala over them and cover and cook for a minute on a low flame.
10. Stir the egg curry once and dry it out uncovered if a little wet, and serve up with the appams.