Appam with Chicken & Vegetable Stew
Crispy, lacy appam pancakes paired with a fragrant coconut-spiced stew of chicken and potatoes. A showstopping South Indian meal that's easier than it looks.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 32g
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- ½ cup coconut, fresh grated or frozen
- ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1.5 lb boneless chicken thighs
- 1 large onion
- 1.5 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
- ¾ lb potatoes, waxy
- 2 medium carrots
- ¾ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ¼ cup coriander leaves, fresh
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Soak rice in water for 30 minutes, then drain and grind to a fine paste with coconut and 0.25 cup water.
- 2
Mix rice-coconut paste with yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature 6–8 hours until bubbly and risen by half.
- 3
Cut chicken into 1.5-inch chunks. Dice onion. Cube potatoes and carrots into 0.75-inch pieces.
- 4
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle, ~30 seconds.
- 5
Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent and softened, ~5 minutes.
- 6
Stir in ginger-garlic paste and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
- 7
Add chicken chunks and cook without stirring for 3 minutes, then stir and cook 3 more minutes until edges turn opaque.
- 8
Add turmeric and chili powder. Stir for 30 seconds until the spices coat everything.
- 9
Pour in coconut milk and add 1 cup water. Add potatoes, carrots, and 0.75 tsp salt.
- 10
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- 11
Stir in fresh coriander. Taste and adjust salt and spice to preference.
- 12
Heat an appam pan or 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high until very hot, ~2 minutes.
- 13
Add 0.75 tsp oil to the pan. Pour 0.5 cup batter into the center; quickly tilt and rotate the pan to spread the batter thin across the surface.
- 14
Cover and cook for 2 minutes until edges turn golden and the surface looks lacy and set but still pale in the center.
- 15
Uncover and cook 1 more minute until edges crisp and lift easily. Slide onto a plate.
- 16
Repeat with remaining batter. Appam should have crispy, lacy edges and a soft, creamy center.
- 17
Arrange warm appam on plates. Ladle hot stew and its rich sauce into the center of each appam. Serve immediately.
Tools you’ll need
- grinder or food processor
- large mixing bowl
- large heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- appam pan (8-inch) or 8-inch non-stick skillet with lid
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- cutting board and knife
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