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Appam and Egg Stew

The double yolk did freak me out but it did not stop me from making appam and egg stew...I don't follow traditional recipe but improvise to make my life easier:-)  I love appams, which are kind of rice pancakes with fluffy middle and lacy edges.  I love to soak these delicious morsels in egg stew made with lots of coconut milk...labor of love and worth all the effort.  Oh, BTW, make sure that the yeast you use for the batter is fresh (check the expiry date).  I have gone through the pains of using old yeast and having a flat batter with no air!

2 cups rice
1 cup cooked rice (I used jasmine rice)
3/4 cup coconut milk (I love Aroyo brand, which comes in tetra-pack)
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp dried yeast
1/2 tsp baking soda


1.  Soak the rice overnight
2.  Grind soaked rice, cooked rice, sugar, salt and coconut milk.  Add little water if the batter is too thick.  
3.  In a bowl, add yeast and pour 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix well and leave it for 10 minutes or until you see the little fellas bubbling (yikes, they are alive!). 
4.  Add the batter to the yeast and the baking soda and mix it well.  Let the batter ferment overnight.  

I made the appams in my iron wok, which I lightly grease with olive oil.  Pour around half cup of batter in the hot wok and swirl it around.  The batter will slide to the center creating a thick middle and lace like trace around.  Cover and cook on low flame until you see the lacy edge coming away from the pan.  I ease the appams with my hands out of the wok.  Serve with egg curry.  Delicious...

Egg curry (my own easy version of the extravagant motta stew :-)

4 Hard boiled eggs
2 medium onions thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes chopped into chunks (I love the texture of yukon)
1 thumb size ginger finely julienned
1/2 tbsp cayenne powder, 1 tbsp coriander pd, 1 tsp cumin pd, 1 tsp turmeric (mix it in a small bowl with water to form a paste)
2 pod cardamom
1 stick cinnamon
9-10 peppercorns
4 cups coconut milk
salt to taste
Fried shallots and curry leaves for garnish

Heat oil and add the cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns.  Wait till they pop and then add the sliced onions.  Sweat the onions and fry on medium flame until golden brown.  Add ginger and fry for a minute.  Add the spice paste and swirl the bowl with little water and add it to the wok.  Fry the paste till you see specks of oil on top.  Make sure to control the heat as you can burn the whole thing at this point.  Add the potatoes and stir fry for a minute or two.  Pour in the coconut milk and let it come to full boil.  Reduce it to simmer and let the potatoes cook fully.  Add the eggs (scored lightly with a knife for the spices to seep in) and season to taste.  Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer away until the coconut milk is reduced.   Take it off the flame and garnish with fried shallots and curry leaves.  


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