Palappam with Kerala Vegetable Stew

Ingredients

• 300 g raw white rice, such as ponni or sona masuri
• 60 g thick poha (flattened rice)
• 100 g freshly grated coconut
• 1 tsp instant dried yeast
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt, for the batter
• 250 ml water, for grinding
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods, bruised
• 12 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp julienned ginger
• 4 green chillies, slit lengthways
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 carrot, cut into coins
• 100 g green beans, cut into 3 cm lengths
• 400 ml thin coconut milk
• 200 ml thick coconut milk
• 1 tsp salt, for the stew
• 1/2 tsp coarsely crushed black pepper
• 15 curry leaves

Before you cook

• Rinse the rice in several changes of water, then cover it with plenty of cold water and soak for 5 hours.
• Soak the poha in 120 ml of water for 20 minutes, until it swells and crumbles between your fingers.
• Peel and cube the potatoes, slice the carrot into coins and cut the beans into 3 cm lengths.
• Slice the shallots thinly, julienne the ginger and slit the green chillies.

Steps

1. Drain the soaked rice and tip it into a blender with the soaked poha and the grated coconut.
2. Pour in 250 ml of water and blend for three to four minutes, until the batter is smooth and no grit remains when you rub a little between your fingers.
3. Scrape the batter into a large bowl with room for it to double in volume.
4. Stir in the yeast, sugar and one teaspoon of salt until they dissolve.
5. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave it somewhere warm for eight hours, until the batter has risen, gone frothy and smells faintly sour.
6. Stir the risen batter down gently and loosen it with water, a splash at a time, until it pours like single cream.
7. Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
8. Add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and let them sizzle for thirty seconds.
9. Add the shallots, ginger and green chillies and cook for four minutes, until soft and translucent but not coloured.
10. Tip in the potato, carrot and beans and add one teaspoon of salt.
11. Pour in the thin coconut milk, cover the pan and simmer gently for fifteen minutes, until the potato gives easily to a knife.
12. Pour in the thick coconut milk with the crushed pepper and warm the stew for two minutes without letting it boil.
13. Drop in the curry leaves, take the pan off the heat and put the lid back on.
14. Set an appachatti or a small deep frying pan over medium heat and wipe the inside with a little coconut oil.
15. Pour a ladleful of batter into the centre of the hot pan.
16. Lift the pan by both handles and swirl it once in a circle, so a thin film of batter climbs the sides while the middle stays thick.
17. Cover the pan and cook for two to three minutes, until the lacy rim is crisp and dry and the centre is set and spongy.
18. Slide the appam onto a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter, wiping the pan with oil between each one.
19. Serve the appams hot, each with a ladle of stew poured into its soft middle.