Thursday, October 23, 2008

Achappam

Achappam - sweet and crunchy snack

Achappam or Rose cookie is a sweet and crunchy Achappam - sweet and crunchy snacksnack of kerala. It is round and resembles a flower. It is made using ’achu’- a special round mould. The mould is typically made of iron but nowadays it is available in non-stick too. Traditionally , Achappams are made with rice , coconut milk, sugar and eggs. We can substitute the rice with a mixture of rice and maida(All purpose flour) and coconut milk with milk. The ratio of rice powder and maida can be varied ,the more the rice powder the more crunchier it will be.





All the ingredients are mixed to form a thick batter that has the consistency of dosa batter. The mould is dipped in the batter and then inserted into the oil. The achappam separates from the mould and it is fried till golden brown. This is a tricky process and it can be done only with practice. It will be much easier with a non-stick mould. The mould should be hot enough so that the batter coats the mould properly. If the mould is not hot the batter will not stick to he mould and they will not separate from the mould when dipped in oil.





To have this recipe that is good for 5 persons, just follow the instructions below.



Ingredients

4 cup: Rice

1/4 litre: Milk

3 Eggs

2 cup: Powdered sugar

1 teaspoon: Cardamom powder

Coconut oil as required





Method

1. Wash and soak the rice for two hours.

2. Grind the rice with milk to a thick batter.

3. Beat the eggs thoroughly and add to the batter along with sugar and the cardamom powder. Mix well.

4. Heat oil in a pan and dip the achchappam mould in it for a minute.

5. Dip the mould into the batter and then dip it in the hot oil.

6. Fry along with the mould.

7. Tap the mould for the appam to separate.

8. Repeat the same till the batter is over.