Easy Vellayappam / Palappam with Rice Flour

I have already posted a recipe for Appam which calls for grinding soaked rice. I was getting a lot of searches on Easy Appam and Appam with rice flour on my blog's analytics report. This made me look for easy Appam recipes that can be made with rice flour. I came across one in one of my recently acquired cook books from my India trip this time - The Suriani Kitchen by Lathika George. I have made changes to the measurements in the original recipe and also used roasted rice flour since I did not have unroasted flour. Anyways the result was great. The appams turned out to be softer than the one with soaked rice.

Rice Flour	- 2 cup
Water	- 2 1/2 cup
Cooked Rice	- 3/4 cup
Coconut Milk	- 1 1/2 cup (thick)
Sugar	- 4 tbsp
Salt	- 1/2 tsp
Yeast	- 1 tbsp
Luke Warm Water	- 1/4 cup

1. In a mixer grind the cooked rice with 1/2 a cup of water to a fine paste.
2. Transfer this to a bowl.
3. In the luke warm water add the yeast and let it soak for a few minutes.
4. Now add the Rice Flour, 2 cups of water and coconut milk and blend well. You could use a grinder or a hand mixer.
5. Transfer the rice flour batter along with the cooked rice batter.
6. To this add, sugar, salt and dissolved yeast and mix well.
7. Keep the batter in the oven with the lights turned on. This is for places with cold climate; otherwise you could leave it outside.
8. The batter would be ready, if kept in an oven, in 1 hour. It would ferment and rise. Now adjust the sugar and salt if needed.

You need to use the Appa-Chatti to make appam and follow the below steps.

1. Heat the appa-chatti and smear a little oil.
2. Pour a spoonful of batter and swirl the pan - this leaves the center thick and the sides thinner.
3. Now close the pan and leave it to cook for a minute or two.

The preparation time is really reduced by using the Rice flour. So if you feel like having appam, you don't have to plan a day ahead.