The first time I visited Dubai was during my college days. I was amazed by everything, the towering skyscrapers, the huge shopping malls, the blinding glitz radiating from the jewellery shops in gold souq, the international brands which I’ve only heard and read about, be it restaurants, clothes etc;
The second time I visited Dubai, was soon after my marriage. We just went for a weekend trip, visiting friends and family. This time I noticed something else, apart from the grandioseness of Dubai. The more I visited friends and family there, I saw an emerging pattern. Apart from “wowing” you with a food spread extending from one end of the room to the other, any food related sentence is prefixed or suffixed with the term “ithu naateenu ullatha, ketto” (this is from home, take note). If you’ve ever visited your friends or family abroad, I’m sure you must be nodding your head in agreement ;)
Today, almost all “nadan” items are available here, that too surprisingly better quality compared to back home. People have even started saying that you should go to Dubai, not Kerala, to see the real spirit and celebration of Onam! Whatever said and done, “naadu” and “naadan” items are very much a sweet nostalgia to the majority of Malayalees. As I’ve mentioned here, maybe it’s because anything you love, be it – a person, place or thing, appears to be more dear or beautiful in your mind when it’s taken away from you.
The so called “marunadan” Malayali still tries her best to keep up with the traditions they are familiar or grew up with and it’s most evident sign is the food. I think this is especially true during the festival season.
No festival is complete for us unless and until we enjoy the taste of food that reminds us of home. At least, it’s true in my case, I make sure to make at least one thing that reminds me of home during the festival season. So this time, I made Achappam for this Christmas season.
I dont know why, but for sometime, I had it in my mind to make Achappams this Christmas instead of regular cookies. Unusual I know…
If you arent familiar with Achappam, it’s a fried cookie kinda snack, may be that’s why it’s also known as Rose Cookies. I like it mildly sweet, but there are sugar coated Achappams too. It’s a traditional Kerala snack, which is now easily available in all bakeries. It’s one of my fav fried snack to munch on.
There is no fun in holiday cooking or baking, if you dont have company right? So I called my friend Sheena, got the recipe from her mom and we had a great time cooking, eating and gossiping ;) We both got very excited when the first Achappam slid off the mould easily, so much so that with the over excitement and enthusiasm the second one got stuck ;)
So now the recipe part, I was really surprised how simple and easy it is to make Achappams. The only tricky part is frying it, but am sure you’ll get the hang of it after 1 or 2 trials :) I’m sure homemade Achappams make a great gift during this holiday season.
Here is the recipe…
Put plain flour, rice flour, egg,sugar and salt in a mixie and blend just until smooth and without lumps. Add sesame seeds and Kalonji (if using)and stir well…
Heat oil in a deep and wide pan. Place the Achappam mould in it, while heating the oil. Once the oil is heated enough, it should be really hot, but not smoking hot, dip the heated achappam mould in the small vessel filled with batter…
Immediately dip the mould in hot oil and shake it a little so that the batter loosens into the oil…
Once it start getting brown around edges, flip the achappam using a slotted spoon and cook till both sides turn brown…
Please check out the notes section to see how to make Achappam without mould.
- Plain flour (maida) - ¾ cup (refer notes)
- Rice flour - ¼ cup (I used Appam podi)
- Medium thick coconut milk - 1 cup
- Beaten Egg - 1
- Sugar - 3.5 - 4 tbsp (refer notes)
- Salt - a pinch
- Black sesame seeds - ½ tsp
- Kalonji/karinjeerakam/onion seeds - ½ tsp (optional)
- Oil - for deep frying (I used sunflower oil)
- Put plain flour, rice flour, egg,sugar and salt in a mixie and blend just until smooth and without lumps. You can also Mix it well using a wooden spoon or manual whisk. Add sesame seeds and Kalonji (if using)and stir well.
- Transfer some batter to a small and deep vessel.
- Heat oil in a deep and wide pan. Place the Achappam mould in it, while heating the oil. Once the oil is heated enough, it should be really hot, but not smoking hot, dip the heated achappam mould in the small vessel filled with batter. Make sure you dip only ¾ th of the mould in the vessel, otherwise the batter may stick to the mould and and achappam won't slip out of the mold as as it should be.
- Immediately dip the mould in hot oil and shake it a little so that the batter loosens into the oil. While the achappam is frying, place the mould in the oil (refer notes). Once it start getting brown around edges, flip the achappam using a slotted spoon and cook till both sides turn brown. Keep in mind the colour of Achappam tends to darken and hold it's shape as it rests.
- Drain the fried Achappams on paper towel. Once it's cooled completely, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temp.
Adjusting the heat is very important in frying Achappams, Heat the oil in med-high flame, once it's really hot, reduce it to low-medium and fry.
Though the Achappams colour darken, it might appear to be soft, it will hold it's shape and crispiness as it rests.
You can also make it with just rice flour, in that case use 1 cup rice flour and follow the rest of the recipe. You may need to mix the batter in a blender. I tried both versions (just rice flour and a combination of plain flour and rice flour). We liked the the combo one better (mix of plain flour and rice flour).
Make sure you dip the mould in hot oil, each time, for a few minutes, before dipping it in the batter. Transfer more batter to the smaller vessel as and when required.
To season a new mould - wash it really well with soap and water, dry with a dish towel and immerse in really hot oil and keep it aside for a while.
If you havent used your mould for a long time, soak it in tamarind water for 1-2 days(if it's brass mould do not do this step). If you are using a brand new mould, make sure you season it before using. After using the mould, wash and dry it and grease it with some oil.
If you do not have an Achappam mould, use a brass cookie cutter. Make sure you dip it in oil, using tongs and follow the rest of the recipe. The shape may be different, but you still get the taste of homemade achappam. See the picture below:
