Aapam with Thengaipal / Coconut Milk

Ingredients :


For making Aapam :


Idly rice / Puzhungal arusi / Boiled rice - 1 Cup
Raw Rice - 1 Cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 Cup
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt - As per taste


For making Coconut milk / Thengaipal :


Grated coconut - 1/2 Cup / Store bought coconut milk 150 ml.
Jaggery/Sugar - As per taste
Cardamom powder - 2 Pinch.


Method :


How to extract Coconut milk / Thengaipal : 


Grind the grated coconut / coconut shavings  to a fine paste. Using the hands, squeeze out the water and keep aside. If necessary add little more water and grind them in the blender again. Adjust the thickness accordingly. Repeat the same by squeezing out the water, now add jaggery/Sugar to taste and finally add the cardamom powder. 


How to make Aapam :


Soak together raw rice, boiled rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, for about 2 and half hours. Then grind it to a fine smooth paste using a blender. Transfer the ground batter to a bowl. Now add required salt and allow it to ferment for about 18 to 20 hours minimum. Meanwhile take out some 3 Teaspoons of ground batter, pour some 200 ml of water and mix well, and keep this mixture/liquid in fridge.
After 20 hours, when you want to make Aappam, take out the liquid / mixture from the fridge, transfer it to a pan and keep it in medium flame and stir well, so that it becomes thick like a porridge consistency, then add this directly to the fermented batter.


Now take a deep curved pan/ Aapam kadai and wipe it with a cloth, which is dipped in oil.
Pour a laddle full of batter in the centre of the hot pan. Lift the pan from the fire and tilt it in circular motion, so that the batter coats well in the sides, the centre part must be thicker than the sides. Close it with a lid, and allow it to cook in medium flame for about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not turn it. Cook only one side. open the lid, when there is no uncooked batter, remove it carefully with a flat laddle.


Spongy soft aapam is ready to be served with thengaipal.