SWEET APPAM - Instant version with video- Easy recipe for Kaarthigai, Avani Avittam and Krishna Jayanthi

It's time to celebrate Krishna's birthday again. Gokulashtami falls on Sep 5th and Krishna Jayanthi ( Panjarathra Jayanthi) falls on 6th September 2015. Indians celebrate the Lord with pomp and distribute sweets among each other to honour his birth day. This year is very special to all of us at home with the arrival of our baby girl and we are all eager to celebrate  the joyous occasion with her.


Indian festivals and sweets are synonymous to each other.  I am sharing with you an easy version of Sweet Appam that can be prepared for any festival. These Appams have a pillow soft core and a nice crispy texture on its exterior. The same recipe can be adopted for the occasion of Avani Avittam and Karthigai as well..

Preparation Time: 35 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Recipe Level : Medium
Recipe Category: Sweet
Cuisine: South Indian
Yield: 15 Medium or 20 Small
Source: MIL

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 1/4 cup Jaggery powder
  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup rice flour ( store bought)
  • 4 tbsp chopped Coconut pieces/ grated
  • 1 tsp Sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp Cardamom powder
  • a pinch of cooking soda
  • 1 tsp Semolina
  • 2 tbsp Ghee
  • Oil for frying
  • 1 ripe banana ( optional)
METHOD
  • Soak Jaggery in water for 30 mins. 
  • Water level should be 1 cm above jaggery.
  • Dissolve well and filter to remove impurities. Need not boil.
  • Add all the dry ingredients to the jaggery water.
  • If you prefer using banana, mash and mix it too.
  • Mix well to make a thick yet pourable batter.
  • Heat oil + ghee in a Kadai and keep the flame low always.
  • Spoon the batter one at a time. The moment the batter is completely in contact with the oil, keep pouring the hot oil over the exposed surface. 
  • The batter will raise like a bubble in the center. This indicates that the bottom is cooked.
  • Now flip over and cook the top and until the edges form a deep brown ring.
  • Drain on to paper towel.
  • Repeat the same process. You will roughly need 3-4 mins to prepare each Appam.
  • Cool well and store in an airtight container.
  • It will stay for 3 days.





Comments

  1. Excellent sweets Sowmya! The technique is similar to the loukoumades technique (Greek donoughts) we use here.
    Loved the recipe, the instructions and the insight into your religion/culture!
    Jaggery is not available here and we do realize that it's very hard to substitute that. Could we use molasses or dark brown sugar instead?
    Thank you for the wonderful idea!
    Panos and Mirella

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your words of appreciation Panos and Mirella. I am surprised to know that there is a Greek version of the same sweet. Would like to try it. Do you have the link handy? As far as the above recipe is concerned, jaggery is the best bet. Since you say that it is difficult to source jaggery, I suggest you could try with both brown sugar and molasses preferably in small quantities. However, I also would like you to hunt for some Indian grocery store nearby as jaggery has an inherent taste and flavour that is quite unmatchable. My intuition says if you add the banana as well,then the recipe might taste better when sugar or molasses is added. You can also use raw sugar and white sugar. Hope I answered your query. I am eager to know how it turns out. Thanks much and do write back. Happy cooking.

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    2. It's the technique that's similar Sowmya. Your ingredients are rather different and your flavors more complex:) Here's a link for loukoumades:
      http://thegreekvegan.com/loukoumades/
      We totally understand why you suggest looking out for jaggery, it's always better to follow the recipe and never substitute. We'll try to find an Indian store in downtown Athens, perhaps there will be one. After all there's a significant Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community in the center of Athens, so let's cross our fingers we'll find some:)
      Thank you for taking the time to clarify the alternative in case we can't find jaggery though. We appreciate it!
      Have a beautiful day!
      Panos and Mirella

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Thanks for your understanding

Happy Cooking
Sowmya

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