Instant rava appe – a delicious south Indian dish that makes a great breakfast and evening snack. It is bite-sized dumplings that are crisp outside and soft inside and taste delicious. This rava appe recipe is a take on classic kuzhi paniyaram made with simple ingredients and an instant version prepared without any fermentation.
Appe is known by various names – sooji appe, paddu, guliappa, rava paniyaram, gunta ponganalu. It is also one of the Indian street food dishes in many parts of south India. These are made in a special pan with multiple small cavities that look like an aebleskiver pan.
This instant version rava paniyaram recipe comes in handy when you crave something quick yet delicious and healthy. This version is easier than the regular rice appe as it doesn’t require any grinding or fermentation process.
This appe recipe yields delicious appe that doesn’t taste typically sour like the fermented version and is fluffy with a soft inside and crispy outer.
Variations and Substitutions
You could add veggies such as shredded carrots, cabbage, finely chopped spinach, green peas and corn to make it healthy and nutritious. This is a great way to sneak in vegetables so that picky kids eat their healthy meals without any fuss.
Moreover, kids won’t get to know that there are finely chopped veggies hidden inside these bite-sized delights. Cashews, urad dal and chana dal adds crunch to paniyaram. Fry them before adding onions.
Ingredients
Fine semolina (Bombay rava) is the main ingredient required to make appe.
Yogurt: I’ve used full-fat yogurt. You may use low-fat or sour yogurt to make a batter.
Rising agent: ENO fruit salt acts as a rising/leavening agent in this recipe. A rising/leavening agent is essential as this is an instant version without any fermentation process. It is available in most Indian grocery stores.
Spices: I’ve used basic spices such as mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Vegetables: Onion, curry leaves, green chilies and coriander leaves are used.
Find the quantities and a short video in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to make rava appe?
Heat oil in a kadai or skillet over medium flame.
Add mustard, cumin and let it splutter.
Add onion, green chilies, saute and cook for 3-4 minutes or until onions turn soft and turn off the heat.
In a wide bowl, combine semolina, yogurt, cooked onion mixture, coriander, salt, eno fruit salt, water as required and mix until everything is well combined without any lumps.
The batter should neither be too runny nor too thick. It should be of pourable medium thick consistency.
Heat appe pan or Aebleskiver over medium heat, add 1/4 tsp oil in each mould and grease with a brush.
Once the pan is hot, pour the batter about 3/4 full in each cavity.
Cook for about 2-3 minutes until edges become firm.
Gently flip each appe over with a skewer, chopstick or wooden spatula. Cook for another 2- 3 minutes or until other side cooks well.
Remove appe from pan. Repeat the same procedure for rest of the batter.
Serve hot appe with chutney and/or sambar.
Tips and Tricks
You might have to adjust the water based on the consistency of the batter as the quality of the semolina and vegetables determine the amount of water required. Also, most fresh vegetables release moisture requiring less water. So check the texture just before making appe and add water if required.
Resting the batter for at least 10 minutes allows rava to absorb the liquid and soften.
ENO fruit salt is composed of baking soda and citric acid. Do not skip it as it makes appe fluffy and flavourful. As this is an instant version without any fermentation process, raising ingredient is essential to get the right texture and softness.
Serving Suggestions
Vegetable rava appe is one of the most preferred south Indian recipes for breakfast.
Side dishes to serve with appe: peanut coconut chutney, coconut coriander chutney, tomato mint chutney, eggplant chutney, or pickle such as allam pachadi or spicy tomato pickle.
Hot appe with chutney and masala chai is one of the favourite snacks in south Indian households.
FAQ
Of course, you can. Just mix in the seasoning (cooked onion/veggie mixture) in the batter and follow the same procedure mentioned in the instant appe recipe above to cook in a pan.
Yogurt acts as an acidic agent that imparts a slight tang and makes appe soft.
Baking soda is the best alternative to eno. You could add a dash of lemon juice to imitate the flavour, but skip it if you use sour yogurt.
More south Indian recipes
Kothu Parotta: An incredibly popular street food in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
Chilli Parotta: A classic spicy street-side dish from Tamil Nadu. Parotta cut into bite-sized pieces are tossed with onion, mixed peppers and spices.
Sweet Pongal: Sweet dish prepared with rice, moong dal, jaggery, dry fruits, and ghee, and flavoured with cardamom and edible camphor.
Bisi Bele Bath; Delicious one pot meal made of rice, lentils, vegetables and a special spice blend.
Tomato Bath: Vegan, gluten-free and flavourful rice dish made with tomato, coconut, herbs and spice-based ground masala.
Appe Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Paniyaram pan
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon ; 1 Teaspoon =5ml
- 1 cup Fine semolina (rava)
- ¼ cup Yogurt
- 1 Teaspoon Eno fruit salt
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Water
- 1 + 2 Tablespoon Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 Onion chopped
- Few Curry leaves chopped
- 4 Green chilies chopped
- Handful Coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a kadai or skillet over medium flame.
- Add mustard, cumin and let it splutter.1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds, 1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
- Add onion, green chilies, saute and cook for 3-4 minutes or until onions turn soft and translucent. Add curry leaves and turn the heat off.1 Onion, 4 Green chilies
- In a wide bowl, combine semolina, yogurt, cooked onion mixture, coriander, salt, eno fruit salt, water as required and mix until everything is well combined without any lumps.1 cup Fine semolina (rava), ¼ cup Yogurt, 1 Teaspoon Eno fruit salt, 1 Teaspoon Salt, ½ cup Water
- The batter should neither be too runny nor too thick. It should be of pourable medium thick consistency.
- Heat appe pan or Aebleskiver over medium heat, add 1/4 tsp oil in each mould and grease with a brush.1 + 2 Tablespoon Oil
- Once the pan is hot, pour the batter about 3/4 full in each mould.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes until edges become firm.
- Gently flip each appe over with a skewer, chopstick or wooden spatula. Cook for another 2- 3 minutes or until other side cooks well.
- Remove appe from pan. Repeat the same procedure for rest of the batter.
- Serve hot appe with chutney and/or sambar.
Notes
Nutrition
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make this easy and tasty instant rava appe recipe. I love hearing from you all. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or in the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online.
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