Kerala Style Achappam - Nadan Achappam
This snack is very popular in south India and known as "Achappam". It's delicate but wonderfully crisp and tasty. It's made with 'achu,' which is a term for a specially crafted iron mould. It is mainly made with rice flour. Another real and traditional sweet treat from Kerala (South India), Achappam!
Ingredients
- 4 cup Fine Rice flour not roasted
- 2 eggs beaten very well beat with fork or spoon
- 1/2 cup sugar 75 gram
- 1 cup thick coconut milk or coconut milk from one coconut (about 3 cups grated coconut). if you are making from fresh coconut, the first extraction
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Oil for deep frying
- 2 tbsp Maida or all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat eggs in a bowl till fluffy and then add sugar, mix well.
- Combine rice flour, maida (all-purpose flour), sesame seeds, cumin seeds, salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix these ingredients, then add egg mixture and the coconut milk a little at a time until you have a thick, lump-free batter. When the sugar melts, it adds moisture to the dish. If the batter is too thin, add a pinch of rice flour. The batter is slightly thicker than the dosa batter.
- If you dip a spoon in the batter and then remove it, the batter should stick to it, giving you an idea of the consistency. If the batter is too thin, it will not stick to the spoon when dipped and removed. Add sesame seeds and mix it again.
- For deep frying, heat the oil to a high temperature. Dip the mould in the heated oil and hold it there until it is hot. After making each achappam, you must additionally heat the mould before using it again.
- If the batter doesn't stick to the mould, it's because it's not hot enough. Don't be concerned if the first few don't turn out well. It's possible that the temperature of the oil and the heat on the mould will need to be adjusted.
- Once the mould is hot, take it from the oil and dip about 3/4 of the mould into the batter then place it in the oil for 10-12 seconds without moving it. Don't dip it completely, It will be difficult to slide down the batter.
- Shake the mould lightly to let the batter fall into the oil. It will be difficult to slip off the batter if you leave the mould too long without shaking. Reduce the temperature to medium-high.
- Allow for another minute of cooking before turning it to the other side. Remove it from the heat when both sides have turned a light golden brown. Strain it on a paper towel, to remove the excess oil.
- Keep the mould in the oil until it is sufficiently heated for the next one. Make sure the temperature to medium-high.
- If the batter gets too shallow, you may need to transfer it to a small bowl to make it easier to dip.
- Enjoy and serve with hot tea or coffee!
Video
Notes
If you need more liquid, then take extra coconut milk. If the batter is too thin, you can add a little more maida.
You can make unroasted rice flour at home:
Soak long-grain rice for 2 hours. Wash well and drain in a strainer.
Then make a fine powder in a blender.
Then make a fine powder in a blender.