Appam (also called paniyaram or appe) is a popular South Indian breakfast recipe. Think of them as fluffy pancake balls. They are usually made with fermented rice batter, like that for dosas or idlis. But, just like we use semolina to make instant idlis, instant appams are made with fine semolina (rava or suji).
These instant appams are a big lunch box hit with my niece and nephew. The recipe is quick(it hardly takes 20 mins to make around 15 appe) and it is easy to hide vegetables in these little snack balls, making them a big hit with mothers too!
This recipe is for simple sooji appe with just five ingredients — semolina, yogurt, salt, curry leaves and a little oil. You can add grated cauliflower, cabbage, peppers and carrots to make them healthier and more filling.
They go well with any spicy chutney or tomato ketchup. I love their size, making them perfect for a snack, appetiser or a food to go.
The only special equipment you need is an appam pan like this one. It is like a stuffed pancake pan. You can use this pan to make many Indian and international recipes like the Danish Aebleskiver.
appams cooking in an appam pan
If you like this recipe, please do take a moment to rate it below and/or leave comments after the post. It will really encourage me.
Instant Rava Appam | Sooji ke Appe (सूजी के अप्पे)
Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)
- 1 cup Fine semolina (rava, sooji)
- 1 cup yogurt , whisked
- 10 Curry leaves , finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp fruit salt
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Place semolina in a big bowl. Add the whisked yogurt and mix until well combined.
- Add salt and curry leaves (and any other vegetables that you want to add). Mix well and let the batter stand for 10 mins.
- Heat the appam pan on medium-low heat and add just a drop of oil in each of the moulds.
- Add fruit salt to the appam batter, mix well and immediately pour spoonfuls of batter in each mould.
- Cover and cook for about 5 mins till the appams are golden-brown from beneath. Flip the appams, cover and cook the other side for 5 mins.
- Serve hot with chutney or ketchup or let them cool a little before packing in lunch boxes.
Notes
- This is the recipe for basic appams. To add some filling to it (think of savoury stuffed mini pancakes), finely chop or grate the vegetables. The vegetables that go best in appams are - chillies, bell peppers, onions, carrots and cauliflower.
- The batter for appams needs to be thick and of dropping consistency. If you are adding vegetables, it might get very thick. Add a little water if required.
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Wow! Great work. First time heard about Sooji ke Appe. It is sounds so yummy and i Try it on next weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Maria!
These are very common in South India and actually now have become a popular breakfast & snack dish all over India! I hope you like them!
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts!
i am great fond of these kind of stuff i really liked to read this post thankyou
Thank you Divya! I am so glad you liked it 🙂
I am not too keen on adding baking soda, fruit salt, ENO, baking powder.
Can I skip the fruit salt in this recipe?
If so, will the rawa and curd help to ferment within 10 minutes?
What can I use in place of fruit salt in this recipe?
Can I use Idli Rawa instead of sooji rawa?
In the past, I have made instant dosas by only mixing rawa and curd (without adding any agent). It worked. Eager to know your opinion.
PS: Those Appe look super awesome!
Hey Sneha!
Frit salt helps in making the appams “instantly”. In the traditional way, you would need to ferment the rawa and curd for much longer to get the same fluffiness. You can surely skip the fruit salt but then the appams will be a bit dense. Idli rawa will mostly be made of rice and it won’t ferment as quick as sooji. I will suggest you give the batter at least 2-3 hours to ferment if you don’t want to use any rising agent and also rice rawa.
Thank you so much for your questions and feedback! 🙂 Please do let me know how the appam recipe goes. I am very eager.
love,
ashima
It’s looking too much delicious can’t wait to make it at my home thanks for sharing I am definitely sure that my whole family will like the recipe.
Again thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Ishita!
Do let me know if you have any questions. I would love to know how it went 🙂 Thanks for your encouragement! It really motivates to continue exploring, learning, and sharing.
Hii Ashima,
I want to know appam recipe without any fermentation as me not allowed to take any kind of fermented food.
Infact curd is also not allowed.
So is dere any other way to make appams
Hey, Shilpi,
You can make appams without the soda. It would be a little denser in its texture but as delicious 🙂