Sweet Appam

Ingredients needed

Raw rice - 3/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder -1/4 tsp
Grated jaggery - 1 cup
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp
Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Soak raw rice (pacharisi) for 1 -1 1/2 hours.(not more than that)

Method 

Drain the water completely and grind the rice first in a mixie.Then add little water, grated coconut, cardamom powder and grind it to a smooth paste.You can rinse the mixie with 2 tbsp of water and add to the batter.

Add grated jaggery to it and mix well till it dissolves.

Then add wheat flour and mix well .The appam batter should be of dosa batter consistency, so adjust accordingly. (see picture above)

The batter need not ferment, you should make appams immediately after grinding it.

Heat oil in a small kadai, keep it in medium flame, take a small amount of batter in a table spoon or small ladle and drop it gently into the oil.

When it puffs, turn over and cook the other side also till golden brown. Drain the oil using a slotted ladle and take it out from the kadai. Deep fry one appam at a time.

Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter.

Sweet appam is ready to be served. It can had as a tea time snack.

Karthikai Adai

In Brahmin familes Adai also one of the neyvedhyam for thirukarthigai. As per the mythological story a princes has to leave an elephant which she considered as her brother when she gets married and move to her husbands place. So for every Thirukarthigai/Karthigai deepam occasion, elephant lamp(Gajalakshmi vilaku) and she will prepare tender coconut, elephant leg size milagu Adai, and few more dishes and keep them as neivedhyam for this festival.

Ingredients:
Raw rice - 1 cup
Urdhal - 1/4 Cup

Gram dhal - 1 handfull
Thur dhal - 1 handfull
Pepper - 1 teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
Hing - A pinch

Grated coconut - 1 table spoon

Curry leaves - few

Method:

• Soak the rice and dhals in water for 2 hours
• Drain the rice and dhals and grind it in mixer along with pepper and salt and hing
• The adai flour should not be very smooth.
• Add curry leaves and grated coconut.
• Heat the thawa and pour 1 ladle of flour and spread evenly and cook the adai on both the sides till the adai is crisp
• Serve the tasty adai along with Jaggery