Paneer Appam Recipe

Palappam or appam as commonly referred to are tasty pancakes from the south of India. These are more prominent in a Kerala-based or Srilankan household than anywhere else. These vegan pancakes are a super-hit as a breakfast and also happens to be gluten-free. This recipe is a pairing of paneer with appam giving mouthwatering, authentic flavours.

What is appam?

Appam, are also referred as hoppers or Indian pancakes. These are thin and crispy on the edges and soft and fluffy in the centre. These appams are made by fermenting batter made of rice and coconut milk. This ancient recipe used something called ‘Tadi‘ for fermentation, however I have used baking soda for the same results.

Appam vs Dosa

Appam is different from dosa, in many ways. It’s easy to get confused though, just like like many people think veg biryani is same as veg pulao. The cooking process is different because dosa relies on a flat tawa/ skillet, however appam uses an oval sunken skillet to get that appam shape. Dosa does not use coconut milk in its batter. Dosa is mostly flat and crispy all over but appam on other hand is crisp on the edges and velvety in the centre.

The paneer appam recipe

I was working on developing a recipe for a spice brand in the UK, and thought that I should give a twist of serving paneer and appam together. Paneer mostly rules in northern Indian cuisine, and appam does the same in South-Indian cuisine, hence this is a great marriage of the North and South of India.

The method to make paneer appam

This recipe is made of three parts. Preparing appam batter, making the stuffing of paneer and then making the appam.

• Wash and soak rice for 3-4 hours. In a grinding jar, add soaked rice, coconut milk and boiled rice. Grind this to a fine paste and transfer it to a bowl.
• Add baking soda and mix well. Now cover this bowl and keep this in a warm place for at least 12 hours to ferment. Once fermented enough, it’s ready to go.
• Crumble the paneer into small pieces and keep aside. Heat a pan over medium heat and add oil to it. Once warm, add Asafoetida, Shahi Jeera and mustard seeds to it.
• Once they sizzle, add chopped onions to it and sauté till they are pink in colour. 
• Add Turmeric powder, dhania/coriander powder, Kashmiri Red chilli powder, and salt to it and sauté. Then, add chopped chillies and tomatoes now and sauté till they are cooked.
• Add crumbled paneer and mix well. Cook for few minutes and then switch off the heat.
• Now take a round pan/skillet and heat it over medium heat. Once it’s hot enough, flick a little water and clean with a kitchen towel carefully. 
• Now pour a 1/2 cup of appam batter to it and rotate the batter to the sides of pan to give a nice bowl shape. Let it cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
• Spread 2/3 of a tablespoon of the paneer stuffing all over and take the appam out on a serving plate.
• Garnish the dish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Podi, stew or sauce of your choice. Enjoy!

Pro-Tips for paneer appam

• Use an appam skillet for making appams, or else you won’t get right shape for the appam.
• Use a gas fired stove for making appams so that pan gets heated uniformly and allows for better temperature control. Using electric or induction hob for making appams will be a much harder task.
• Allowing enough time for batter to ferment is important.
• Plan ahead and get your appam batter ready (or buy readymade).
• You should also get the paneer ready in advance.

Why should you try this recipe

• This combination of appam and paneer will surely hit the right spot for a foodie.
• This combination is new and unique and will be sure to surprise your guests with a culinary delight.
• This is a gluten-free recipe (check Asafoetida that you use to be gluten-free).
• You won’t need expert skills to make this. Get readymade appam batter if that helps.

Serving suggestion

You should serve paneer appam on its own, or add a few chutneys with it, such as coconut chutney or tomato chutney to enhance the taste.

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