Kurisappam or Pesaha Appam #coronatime

This is being posted really late but I don't want to wait another year when I may or may not get a chance to make it again. Easter came and went rather quietly this year but I am grateful to have had the chance, time and mindset to watch all the masses and observe some dear customs like making this 'appam' for the first time. I really liked the services streamed from SS Peter & Paul Church Portaloise Ireland. Maybe because they were a web presence before Covid19 the service was catered to online viewers with clarity of sound and a prayerful ambience. I did find Pope's extraordinary blessing Urbi  Et Orbi quite moving too.

Kids were quite surprised when I talked about this tradition since they never had a chance to see it before. To be honest, as a kid this tradition felt more like part of a religious ritual that took place at home rather than a food event. That happened on the actual Easter day with crisp and soft flat appams and my mom's special chicken curry. This was more of a solemn occasion when my grandfather would cut the appam with the cross (kurisu) after prayers and distribute it to everyone around the table. A small piece of turmeric which we called the 'treasure' was hidden in the appam at the time of cooking and whoever found it in their slice was considered to have received a lot of luck for the coming year. I didn't do that this year though. The focus was just on making the 'appam' at least this once. Hoping for a chance next year to make this again.

The meal with this 'appam' is to commemorate Christ's last supper and the 'appam' represents the unleavened passover bread. There was a drink called 'paal' or milk which was made out of coconut milk to represent wine which I didn't do this time. Memories of my sister and me came calling. We started off the day by singing the 'puthen pana' about the 'unleavened bread a,k,a puliyathappam' which then was picked up next morning on Good Friday about Mother Mary's sorrow on her son's fate. This was almost continuous during the day with others joining in as needed. Along with the 'kurisappam' which is steamed separately, there were appams of the same genre steamed in banana leaves for general consumption.

My oldest sister had sent a recipe that was most similar to what we had at home and I also referred an old cookbook as well as many food vlogs out there. It's been so long that I am not sure if I really got the authentic taste but it came out better than expected. Planning to try this recipe from Mia's kitchen next year since that batter texture looks more familiar.

In The Mix
roasted rice powder - 1 cup
urad dal - 1/4 cup (fried for 2-3 min and soaked for 2 hours)
grated coconut - 1 cup
shallots - 2
garlic - 1 cloves
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
water - as needed for grinding

How To Do

Add water to rice powder and combine well together. Grind urad dal and add to the rice mix. Grind coconut, shallots, cumin and garlic and add to the prepared mix. Try to add as little water as possible. This is where I may have gone wrong a bit since the consistency was not as familiar. It should be coarse and thick. Check salt as needed. Set aside for 30 minutes. Do not let it rise because after all, this is unleavened bread.

Pour batter into a greased steel pan/plate with straight sides. I used olive oil to grease but may use coconut oil next time. Place a cross on top of the batter using two strips of the palm leaf from palm Sunday.

Boil water in a larger pan with a steamer insert at the bottom. Idli steamer is good if the pan can fit inside. Once the water starts boiling, place the pan with batter into it, cover and steam for about 15-20 minutes. Appam is done once a fork or toothpick comes out clean.

I had made some 'kozhukkatta' too to make up for not doing that on palm Sunday the previous weekend as demanded by tradition.

Paalappam

Today’s recipe is that perennial item which so easily frustrates and delights Malayalee households no matter where. I distinctly remember the pleasure in my Mom’s face when the appam turns out well in the pan. i.e, The batter should give out bubbles to make a healthy number of holes when poured into the sizzling pan and should end up with a thin and fluffy texture. How many of those have I lifted out as soon as it comes off the pan straight to my mouth laced with sugar. Ours was a large household and the amount of appams Mom had to make were enough to get anyone frustrated when the product does not come out as expected. But of course she had more successes than failures and so it was a happy household.

My Mom used to make flat appams mostly, with the more common laced ‘Paalappam’ reserved for special occasions only. The flat appam can be made from the same batter although coconut milk is not used in it. Just water will do. After my marriage I realized that my husband had not heard of the flat appams at all and so what I put my heart into making is the ‘Paalappam’.

I also went on several journeys before settling in on a recipe that is bound to come out right almost all the time. One trick I learned from a friend’s Mom is if you make the appam as soon as it bubbles up, then the appam will come out looking good. If not, the batter might flatten up and the appam won’t turn out that well. But not to worry, the powers of appam are such that it can satisfy and please the palate just by being present. The addition of baking powder will fluff it up somewhat regardless of when you make it. Another tip is if you need to add water to the batter after it’s been set, it is better to add it in the form of warm milk.

Ingredients

Long Grain rice – 3 cups (Mahatma brand is good)

Coconut Milk – 1 can (400mL)

Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast – 1 packet (used as is without dissolving in water)

Sugar & salt – to taste

Cooked Rice – 2 heaped tbsp

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Method

Soak the rice in hot water for 6 hours or more. I normally do this overnight. Wash the soaked rice again in warm water when ready to grind. This will help with fermentation in cold places according to my husband’s Aunt. Add to the blender and grind well with coconut milk, yeast, cooked rice and 4-5 spoons of sugar. I use the mixer/blender available in regular stores and have found that 4 minutes of grinding does the job well.

Remember not to add any salt at this stage. Check the mixture for consistency and if it is more watery then add regular rice flour and mix well. This addition of 2 or 3 heaped tbsp of regular rice flour helps to make the appam more porous too. But do this only if needed for proper consistency. If you don’t want to use as much coconut milk, then mix half can of coconut milk (200mL) with 2 cups of water or regular milk instead. This does not take away the taste and makes the appam lighter to eat. Set overnight in a warm place for 5-6 hours for the batter to ferment. Oven with the lights on is a logical place.

Add baking soda, salt and more sugar if needed and blend well. The batter should be fluffy and brimming. Heat the appachatti to medium heat. Pour the batter and gently turn the chatti around to form a lace of batter on the sides with the rest settling down into the middle. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. The lace will brown more if you add more sugar.

It used to be a wrestle to get the appam off of the chatti. That itself was enough to get me off the appam bandwagon. But ever since my concerned mother-in-law sent us 2 non-stick chattis from India 8-9 years ago we have been very happy. I have 2 brands and find I rather like the NIRLEP brand best which cooks fast and the appam is better textured with the same batter being used in both chattis. Just like us kids I find that both my son and daughter take well to the appam and so it has acquired more of a permanent status in our household. I make it for dinner if on weekdays and for brunch if on weekends. Enjoy with Stew or Fish Moli.!

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