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  • Side Dish For Chapati

Appam Recipe-Appam without yeast

January 20, 2013 by PadhuSankar 58 Comments

Appam is a very popular and traditional breakfast of Kerala. This is not the typical Kerala appam recipe but the Tamil Nadu style of making appams. Appams are soft and spongy in the center and has a  lacy border. It is very good for health as it does not require much oil and I have not added much coconut also. This was requested by a reader long time back but I could not post it earlier. I learn’t this from my dear friend. There are hardly any chances for this recipe to go wrong as I have tried it many times and every time it comes out very soft. 

Appam recipe

How to make soft appam without yeast

Ingredients needed 

Raw rice – 1 cup
Par boiled rice – 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 2 1/2 tbsp (whole urad dal without skin)

Coconut milk -3 tbsp
Cooking soda or appam soda – 1/2 tsp
Appam pan (also called appa chatti)

Appam preparation

Soak raw rice, par boiled rice, fenugreek seeds and urad dal for 10-12 hours.(I soaked it from morning 6 to evening 6 pm, then ground it and fermented it overnight)

After 10 hours, grind it to a fine paste. Add salt and mix it well with your hands. You can use lukewarm water to grind but it is optional. The batter should be of thinner consistency than dosa batter. Store it in an airtight container, leave it for another 10 hours or overnight to ferment. In the morning the appam batter would have raised nicely.

Before making appams, add coconut milk, appam soda and mix well. If the batter is too thick, adjust the consistency by adding water. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes- appam batter  can be used to make soft appams.

Method 

Traditionally appams are made in iron skillet called appa chatti. I have used the Prestige non stick appam pan. If you do not have appa chatti or appam pan, you can make it in any other non stick pan with lid.

First coat the appam pan with oil using a cloth. (Add a drop of oil into the pan and wipe it all over with a cloth.)

Heat the appam pan, then reduce the heat to low. Now add a ladle of batter in the center of the pan.(pan should be hot but not too hot)
how to make appam

Holding both the handles of the pan, rotate the pan in such a way that the batter spreads all around in a circle. The remaining batter will come to the center (that is why the appam is thick in the center and lacy on the outside) See picture below – My maid was kind enough to do the rotating for me so that I could take pictures to show you all.

appam batter

After that close the pan with the lid. The flame should be kept in low. Once the appam is cooked and the edges start turning brown, remove the appam from the pan. (the appam will come off easily if you lift it with your hands)
Appam Recipe- tamil style

Serve appam hot from the pan with sweetened coconut milk or any coconut based dishes.

Check out my Vegetable stew recipe.

Even coconut chutney goes well with appam.

appam without yeast
Appam with coconut milk
Note – This is a foolproof recipe. Suppose, if the appam gets stuck to the pan, then you have added more coconut milk.

Add coconut milk and cooking soda only at the time of making appams to needed batter as if you add coconut milk to the whole lot, you cannot store the batter for long.

Appam without cooking soda and Yeast 

Many of you have been asking for appam without cooking soda also.

If you do not want to add coconut milk or cooking soda/appam soda, then you can soak 1 cup of beaten rice/aval/poha, 30 minutes before grinding. Then grind poha along with the other ingredients. Ferment for 7-8 hours. You need not add cooking soda, if you add aval/poha. I have tried it and can assure you of soft and spongy appams.

Kerala Style Appam with Yeast 

Check Kerala Style Appam/Palappam which is totally different and has a different taste. Check the link below 

Kerala Style Palappam 

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Related posts:

Persian Dill Rice Recipe
Karuveppilai Podi ( curry leaves powder)
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Pineapple Pachadi Recipe-Onam Special

Filed Under: Breakfast Varieties, Rice Dishes Tagged With: Health Dish, South Indian recipes, Uncategorized




Previous Post: « Tomato Dosa-Thakkali Dosai-Instant Dosa Recipe
Next Post: Lauki Sabzi-Bottle Gourd Curry-Sorakkai Curry Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gajus kitchen

    January 20, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    Aapam looks perfect,crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.I almost make with the same proportion but without urad dhal and fenugreek..will try this next time.

    Reply
  2. Priya

    January 20, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    Love this appams, serve me with sweet coconut milk, i can have it anytime.

    Reply
  3. Biny's Recipes

    January 20, 2013 at 8:59 pm

    perfect appams…gud with stews

    Reply
  4. Saguna

    January 21, 2013 at 12:30 am

    I have never made appam with cooked rice but I would like to try this yeast-free method. Thank you, Padhu! Yours look lovely and nice. 🙂

    Reply
  5. divya

    January 21, 2013 at 1:03 am

    looks soo tempting..

    Reply
  6. runnergirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com

    January 21, 2013 at 2:42 am

    Something I have been waiting to try for a long time. Thanks for the step by step presentation!

    Reply
  7. Sangeetha Priya

    January 21, 2013 at 4:01 am

    so soft n delicious appam, love to grab few 🙂

    Reply
  8. Arthy Suman

    January 21, 2013 at 5:35 am

    Perfect appam…my favorite…bookmarked…

    Reply
  9. Aruna Manikandan

    January 21, 2013 at 5:40 am

    looks perfect padhu :0

    Reply
  10. WeR SAHM

    January 21, 2013 at 5:43 am

    Perfectly made…my all time favorite..

    Reply
  11. saranya the cool..........

    January 21, 2013 at 6:16 am

    Padhu !
    Today Morning my aunt prepared appam..
    I thought while having it i should also see appam making in PK today.. opening my mail now got your appam receipe.. !

    Reply
  12. Prathima Rao

    January 21, 2013 at 7:07 am

    soft & spongy…!!! Loved this version.. 😉
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

    Reply
  13. Ambreen (Simply Sweet 'n Savory)

    January 21, 2013 at 7:41 am

    Looks so soft, delicious appam recipe!

    Reply
  14. deepa

    January 21, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    what is appam soda….? can we use fruit salt or normal soda?

    Reply
  15. Usha

    January 21, 2013 at 4:24 pm

    THe appam looks so delicious and perfect 🙂

    Reply
  16. Shrikant

    January 22, 2013 at 2:23 am

    Madam,
    I am grateful to you.
    Appam photos are very beautiful.
    I had a feeling ,while looking at appam photos,that I am at Munaa'sr 5 star Hotel.
    shrikant tillu

    Reply
  17. Shrikant

    January 22, 2013 at 2:56 am

    Madam,
    1)What is appam soda
    2)With yeast and Without yeast-whether there will be difference is test?
    3)I read somewhere that in Kerala Urad dal is not added.
    Kindly give your opinion.
    shrikant tillu

    Reply
  18. Shrikant

    January 22, 2013 at 3:12 am

    Madam,
    What is Par boiled rice ?
    Do you mean that 1cup of Cooked Rice is to be added?
    Sorry for asking so many questions.But I want the test which I had at Munnar.
    shrikant tillu

    Reply
  19. PadhuSankar

    January 22, 2013 at 4:37 am

    Deepa – Apppam soda is cooking soda. You can also use baking soda or cooking soda or appam soda.All are the same.Do not use fruit salt.

    Shrikant – First thanks you for you appreciation. There will not be much difference in taste if you do not add yeast. Only in Tamil Nadu they are adding a little urad dal .In Kerala they add toddy to ferment the batter. Since that is not available here I have used cooking soda.

    Second question – Par boiled rice is Pulungal arisi in tamil . More details about par boiled rice is here -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parboiled_rice

    I cup of rice means just rice and not cooked rice.I will mention if it is cooked rice

    Reply
  20. Leena

    January 22, 2013 at 11:06 am

    Hi first time here..nice collection of recipes,glad to fallow you..do visit my space..Appam without yeast sounds interesting..must try..

    Reply
  21. Srimathi

    January 23, 2013 at 11:08 am

    Never tasted appam with cooking soda. Will give it a shot.

    Reply
  22. Shella

    January 31, 2013 at 8:07 pm

    I have seen my mom make appam the traditional way but this recipe is quite easy. I will surely try this one and thr4 am bookmarking it. Thanks for the same. Visit http://www.kitchensecrets.blogspot.com

    Reply
  23. james

    February 9, 2013 at 9:22 pm

    Good and soft appam… I loved it….

    Reply
  24. Revathy Srinivasan

    June 7, 2013 at 7:32 pm

    Hi padhu what is the different between backing soda and backing sald?then which can i use for aapam?

    Reply
  25. PadhuSankar

    June 9, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Revathy -there is difference between baking soda and baking powder. You can use appam soda or cooking soda for appam.

    Reply
  26. shobi

    August 11, 2013 at 3:48 am

    Hi Padhu, can we grind this flour in mixie?

    Reply
  27. Eshwari Sekar

    August 22, 2013 at 3:23 am

    Hi Padhu, can i know 1 cup is of what size..it will be helpful if i get it in gms..

    Reply
  28. PadhuSankar

    August 22, 2013 at 4:46 am

    I use this measuring cup for all the recipes in this blog. You get it easily in all shops which sell baking items. Check link below
    Measuring cups and spoons

    Reply
  29. Parvathy Srikant

    September 5, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    Hi Padhu, Amazing collection of recipes, have tried a lot of them. I am not able to understand this one though. Could you please elaborate on the steps for making batter. Thanks in advance.

    Reply
  30. mymoon

    September 9, 2013 at 3:12 am

    oh akka parboiled means puzhungal arisi?
    I thought it is also one of the rice variety like puzhungal…or think about boiling it.
    we normally use ponni puzhungal Is that enough?
    Akka soda or cooking soda or aapa soda all are same na?
    The one we are using for bhajjis,bondas and dosas is the same soda or diff?

    Thanks for this wonderful recipe akka

    Reply
  31. PadhuSankar

    September 9, 2013 at 7:19 am

    Mymoon- you can use puzhungal arisi. All sodas are the same. Yes the one you use for bajji .Regarding your doubt about idiyappam, you can use the plate you got from your native. Also knead the idiyappam dough lightly into a smooth dough.You do not have to knead like chapati.

    Reply
  32. Reena Sajin

    September 19, 2013 at 10:20 am

    Hi Padhu….
    Thank you so much for this recipe. Previously I tried making Appam so many times and it never came out well. This time I followed ur recipe…. It came out well…. :).

    Reply
  33. Reena Sajin

    September 19, 2013 at 10:28 am

    Hi Padhu….
    Thank you so much for this recipe. Previously I tried making Appam so many times and it never came out well. This time I followed ur recipe…. It came out well…. :).

    Reply
  34. Friends Junction

    November 18, 2013 at 3:04 am

    My mom use to make appam which we'll consume along with coconut milk and groundnut chutney. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  35. ramasubramaniam bhaskaran

    September 13, 2014 at 3:00 am

    Made it yesterday and came out very well even for a novice like me.
    As mentioned in your recipe I think it is a fool proof one.
    Yet another super collection to my tiffin menu for the children.
    Thanks a lot,God bless you.

    Reply
    • Saraswathi Arunachalam

      October 25, 2015 at 11:28 am

      Does the colour of the Appam change by adding soda???

      Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      October 29, 2015 at 4:58 am

      No, the color does not change

      Reply
    • kala

      February 26, 2016 at 11:03 am

      Hi padu I tried appam…but the brown color I couldn't get and appam wasn't white, it was sticking with inside and sides of appam …what was the reason?

      Reply
  36. Megha Raman

    February 6, 2016 at 9:50 pm

    Hello padhu, could you please let me know how to make aapam batter without adding coconut milk and baking soda?

    Reply
  37. Theresa Choong

    June 1, 2016 at 2:13 pm

    Thanks So much for the recipe. I love appams.my only problem is my stove is electric heating element (coil-like) and flat. I also cannot find the pan in the country where I live. Can i use a normal non stick pan that's flat? Of course it won't be thicker in the middle but do you think it'll work?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      June 5, 2016 at 8:41 am

      Normal pan will not work out. You can try in a wok.

      Reply
  38. Preethika Govindaraj

    June 23, 2016 at 1:27 pm

    Without adding soda can I prepare appam , Padhu

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      June 25, 2016 at 9:07 am

      Soda gives softness to the appams. If you do not want to add soda, you can add a little eno salt just 10 minutes before making appams.

      Reply
  39. Piscean

    October 28, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    My husband asks me to not use baking soda or eno as they are not good for health. He says in olden days they were not used. Padhu can you please tell me what alternatives I have to make appam soft?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      October 30, 2016 at 7:42 am

      In olden days, toddy was used in place of yeast to aid in fermentation. Now a days mostly yeast or baking soda is used to get soft appams. You can try adding some cooked rice to get softer appams.

      Reply
  40. Pavitha Sathish

    December 11, 2016 at 10:52 am

    Hi padhu
    my appam batter is not fermenting. I live in bangalore

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 12, 2016 at 10:59 am

      Keep it in a warm place or wrap it around in a woolen cloth and keep it in a warm place.

      Reply
  41. Preethika Govindaraj

    December 16, 2016 at 9:01 pm

    Hi Padhu I live in a place where I don't get par boiled rice or Raw rice , we only get sons masori rice , I use tat for cooking lunch , so pls tell me what should I do for making appams

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 17, 2016 at 7:42 am

      Try with less quantity in that sona masori rice itself.

      Reply
  42. Padma

    January 2, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    Hi padhu

    How many appam this yields…(the measurements given above)

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      January 3, 2017 at 8:58 am

      I am not sure. I will update it when I make it.It serves 3-4 people.

      Reply
  43. Preethi Murali

    February 20, 2017 at 5:01 am

    Hi

    Thank you for the lovely recipe. I did the exact way and it turned out good. The only issue I had was the appam was a bit yellow in color instead of white. I don't know where I went wrong.Please let me know. thank u.
    Preethi

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      February 20, 2017 at 11:46 am

      No idea. May be the quality of ingredients or the batter had turned sour (due to too much fermentation).

      Reply
  44. Anuradha Balasubramani

    February 24, 2017 at 3:50 pm

    Thank you so much paddu. My husband and son loved it. This is the first time I am making appam and both vegetable stew and appam were perfect thanks a ton

    Reply
  45. Swathi Srinivasan

    April 12, 2018 at 3:42 am

    Do parboiled rice and idli rice are same ? Can I use idli rice ?

    Reply
  46. Vk Kannan

    July 22, 2018 at 1:03 am

    To correct you appam putty are traditional foods of Tamil culture. First of all in kerala theydon't have rich paddy fields like we have in our places in recent years only they have started growing rice that too motta rice their traditional food is kapa kajini so please don't say and believe that appam and putty are kerala food they adapted it.

    Reply
  47. Kalaivani Sukumaran

    December 7, 2018 at 6:54 pm

    You might have added more soda .. That will turn the appam to yellow usually

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      December 8, 2018 at 2:50 am

      Yes,I have added and even mentioned it in the ingredients list.

      Reply

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Meet Padhu, the Chef, the photographer, recipe developer and web designer behind Padhuskitchen which features Simple Indian Vegetarian recipes, healthy recipes, kids friendly recipes, Indian festival recipes, traditional South Indian Vegetarian ...

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