Appam with Stew

Grind the soaked raw rice with cooked rice and thick coconut milk into a smooth batter. Dissolve yeast and sugar in 2 tablespoons of warm water and add to the batter. Add salt, mix well, and ferment for 6–8 hours or overnight.

For the stew: heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns. Sauté for 30 seconds.

Add sliced onion, green chillies, ginger, and curry leaves. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the cubed potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Stir to coat in the spices.

Pour in the thin coconut milk and add salt. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Reduce heat to low and stir in the thick coconut milk. Do not boil after adding thick coconut milk — it will curdle. Simmer gently for 2 minutes and remove from heat.

For the appam: heat an appam pan (or a small wok) over medium heat and grease lightly with coconut oil.

Pour a ladleful of batter into the centre of the pan. Quickly swirl the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter up the sides, leaving a thick centre and thin, lacy edges.

Cover with a lid and cook for 2–3 minutes until the edges are crispy and the centre is soft and cooked through. Do not flip.

Serve the appam immediately with the warm vegetable stew.