KeralaSeasonal vegetables, coconut, cumin, and yoghurt brought together in one of Kerala’s defining dishes.
Cultural signature · Kerala
Appam with Stew
“Lacy fermented rice pancakes with a gentle coconut-milk vegetable stew.”
- Prep
- 15m
- Cook
- 20m
- Serves
- 4 people
- Spice
- Mild
Behind the recipe
From My Kitchen
Appam and stew always takes me back to slow weekend breakfasts, when the first appam was shared straight from the pan while the stew simmered nearby.
This is the version I return to: soft in the centre, crisp at the edges, and gentle enough to let the coconut and curry leaves shine.
Instructions
- 01
Start the stew
Heat coconut oil and gently cook cinnamon, cloves, pepper, curry leaves, ginger, chillies, and onion until the onion turns translucent.
- 02
Cook the vegetables
Add the vegetables, thin coconut milk, and salt. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are just tender.
- 03
Add thick coconut milk
Lower the heat and stir in the thick coconut milk. Warm gently without allowing the stew to boil.
- 04
Prepare the appam pan
Heat an appam pan over medium heat and lightly wipe it with oil if needed.
- 05
Swirl the appam
Pour in a ladle of batter, lift the pan, and swirl once so a thin lace forms around a thicker centre.
- 06
Cover and cook
Cover until the centre is set and fluffy and the edges are crisp. Do not flip.
- 07
Serve
Serve each appam hot with the warm vegetable stew.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve appam straight from the pan while its edges remain crisp.
The Story
A quiet Kerala breakfast balancing tang, sweetness, and spice.
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