Vattayappam (Round Bread)

Vattayappam (Round Bread)

Raw Rice (Unakalari/Pachari) – 1 cup
Water – ½ cup
Thick Coconut milk (Onnam Pal) – 1 Cup
Melted Organic Jaggery or Karipeti – 2 big Table Spoons
Cardamom Powder – ¼ teaspoon
Cumin seeds (small Jeera) Powder – ¼ teaspoon
Organic (Homemade if  possible) Ghee – 1 tea spoon
Sour Toddy (Pulicha Kallu) – 1 Table Spoon
Cashew nut – 1 Table spoon (roast in little ghee)
Salt – To taste

Preparation
Wash and soak the rice for 1 hour, drain the water when ready, add it in a mixi jar for wet grinding; add water and grind it into a smooth paste; if water is not enough can add a little more (it depends on your mixi and the choice of your rice), be careful in adding water because the batter should be thick. When ready empty it into a deep vessel (instead of whole rice, can use rice flour also). Take one table spoon batter in a saucepan, add 2 or 3 table spoons water, keep it on fire and boil till it turns into a thick porridge stirring continuously. Remove it from fire and keep to cool. Add Jaggery and salt (can use sugar instead of Jaggery, but not healthy). Those who like it very sweet can add more Jaggery.  If toddy is not available soak ¼ teaspoons Yeast in 1 teaspoon warm water and mix it with the above ingredients. My Grandma used only toddy and Karipetty for Jaggery. Add the prepared porridge to the batter when look warm. Add coconut milk little by little to the batter; (I said little by little because the batter should not be too watery) Mix the batter well, by now you should get a semi thick batter as shown in picture. Keep it overnight for fermenting. Fermentation time 6 – 10 hours (Fermentation process depends on the climate; in hot climate it takes less time to ferment). Don’t keep for too long or else it will turn sour and your Appam will have that taste.  Once fermented it will look as in picture, add cardamom and cumin powder and mix well, now the batter is ready for cooking. Take a round vessel not too deep, apply some ghee inside the whole plate to avoid sticking and put the vessel inside the idly pot or any other steamer, pour the batter into the vessel, decorate it with cashew nut close the  pot and keep it on stove; rest of the ghee can be added to the batter. Boil it on high flame for 20 – 30 minutes. Off the stove when ready and remove the dish at once from idly pot otherwise water from the lid will fall into the Appam and spoil the taste. Keep it aside for cooling, once cool cut into pieces and serve.

It’s called Vattayappam because its round in shape (Vattam in Malayalam means round; Appam is bread). You can also make this pouring the batter in an idly plate, as you make idly so you won’t have to cut it; your Vattayappam will be idly Appam. It should be cool otherwise will be sticky. Enjoy the lovely snack for tea.  If you want to make it for breakfast can add less Jaggery and eat it with meat or vegetable curry of your choice.

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