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Kerala / South India · Indian

Appam with Vegetable Stew (Kerala Lacy Rice Hoppers)

Kerala's soft, lacy-edged fermented rice-and-coconut hoppers, served with a gently spiced coconut-milk vegetable stew. A breakfast-table classic of the Malabar and Travancore coasts — pillowy in the centre, crisp at the rim.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 24, 2026

Two soft white bowl-shaped appams with thick spongy centres and lacy golden edges on a banana leaf, beside a bowl of creamy coconut-milk vegetable stew with carrots and potatoes.

Appam — a fermented rice-and-coconut pancake, bowl-shaped with a thick spongy centre and lacy crisp edges — is a cornerstone of Kerala's breakfast and feast tables, cooked across Hindu, Christian, and Muslim kitchens alike. It is most beloved alongside a mild coconut-milk stew (ishtu), a dish that shows the Malabar coast's love of coconut and whole spices over chilli heat.

Yield
Makes about 10 appams; serves 4
Prep
20 min (plus 8 hr fermenting)
Cook
30 min
Total
About 1 hr active
Difficulty
Intermediate

Appam with stew is the gentle, coconut-scented heart of a Kerala breakfast. The appam itself is a small miracle of texture: a fermented rice-and-coconut batter swirled in a bowl-shaped pan so it sets thick and spongy in the middle and thin, crisp, and lacy at the rim. Alongside it goes ishtu — a mild stew of vegetables simmered in coconut milk with whole spices and curry leaves, with not a chilli’s worth of fierce heat in sight.

The batter is everything

Appam lives or dies on its batter — smooth, pourable, and properly fermented until frothy. The coconut gives it tenderness and a faint sweetness, the fermentation gives it lift and a clean sour note, and a little cooked rice guarantees the soft centre. Give it a full overnight rise; a sluggish batter makes flat, dense appams.

A stew, not a curry

Kerala’s stew is deliberately pale and delicate. You sweat the aromatics in coconut oil without colour, simmer the vegetables in thin coconut milk, and finish with thick coconut milk off the boil so it stays silky. The result is soothing rather than spicy — the perfect foil for the appam’s crisp edge.

Getting the shape

Pour a ladle of batter into the hot pan and immediately swirl, tilting so a thin film climbs the sides while a pool stays in the centre. Cover, cook on one side only, and lift out. The first one is always a practice round.

Hungry for more of the coast? Browse the full recipe collection or read the South Indian cooking guide.

Ingredients

Makes
10

For the appam batter

  • 1.5 cups raw rice (or idli rice) Soaked 4–5 hours; sona masuri or any short/medium raw rice works.
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice Helps give the soft, spongy centre.
  • 1 cup fresh grated coconut (or thick coconut milk)
  • 1/4 tsp instant yeast Traditional cooks use toddy or a little extra batter; yeast is the reliable modern shortcut.
  • 1–2 tsp sugar
  • salt, to taste

For the vegetable stew

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 inch ginger, julienned
  • 2 green chillies, slit
  • 8–10 curry leaves
  • 3 cups mixed vegetables (potato, carrot, beans, peas) Cut into even chunks so they cook at the same rate.
  • 1.5 cups thin coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup thick coconut milk Added at the end and never boiled hard, or it splits.
  • 4 whole spices: cloves, cardamom, a small cinnamon piece, peppercorns

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Soak the raw rice 4–5 hours, then grind with the cooked rice and coconut to a smooth, slightly thin batter. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in a little warm water, stir in, add salt, cover, and leave to ferment 8 hours or overnight until frothy and risen.

    Why: Fermentation is what gives appam its sour-sweet depth and the bubbles that create the lacy edge; the cooked rice and coconut make the centre soft.

  2. Start the stew: warm coconut oil and gently soften the onion, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves, and whole spices without browning.

    Why: Kerala stew is pale and fragrant, not browned — keeping the colour light and the spices whole keeps the flavour delicate.

  3. Add the vegetables and the thin coconut milk, season with salt, and simmer until just tender.

    Why: Cooking the vegetables in thin coconut milk infuses them while keeping the gravy light.

  4. Lower the heat, stir in the thick coconut milk, and warm through without boiling. Taste for salt and switch off.

    Why: Thick coconut milk added off a hard boil stays silky; boiled hard it curdles and turns grainy.

  5. Cook the appams: stir the batter (it should coat a spoon and pour easily; loosen with a little water if needed). Pour a ladle into a hot, lightly oiled appam pan or small kadai, then immediately swirl so batter climbs the sides.

    Why: The swirl is the technique: a thick pool settles in the middle while a thin film sets on the sloping sides, giving the signature thick-centre, lacy-rim shape.

  6. Cover and cook on medium for 1–2 minutes until the edges are golden and crisp and the centre is set and spongy. Lift out — appams cook on one side only. Serve hot with the stew.

    Why: Covering steams the soft centre while the base crisps; flipping would flatten the airy middle.

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Variations

  • Chicken or egg stew

    Swap the vegetables for bite-size chicken or add halved boiled eggs at the end for the non-vegetarian version served at feasts.

  • Quick yeast-free

    Blend the batter with a little cooked rice and a pinch of baking soda just before cooking if you're short on fermenting time — less complex, but it works.

  • Coconut-milk batter

    Use thick coconut milk in place of fresh coconut for an even richer, more tender appam.

Serving & Storage

Serve hot off the pan, lacy-side up, with the coconut stew ladled alongside. Appams also pair beautifully with egg roast, kadala curry, or a simple sweetened coconut milk.

Pairs with: Vegetable ishtu, Egg roast, Kadala curry, Sweetened coconut milk.

Storage: The batter keeps refrigerated for 2–3 days (it grows more sour). Cooked appams are best fresh; the stew keeps 2 days and reheats gently without boiling.

Nutrition

Per serving (2–3 appams with stew (1/4 recipe))

Calories
420
Protein
8 g
Carbs
62 g
Fat
16 g
Fiber
6 g
Sugar
6 g
Sodium
480 mg

Notable micronutrients: Manganese, Vitamin A, Potassium

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn't my appams get lacy edges?

Either the batter was too thick or the pan wasn't hot enough to set the thin film as you swirled. The batter should be pourable and the pan properly preheated; swirl immediately after pouring.

Can I make appam without yeast?

Yes — traditionally the rise came from toddy or from a spoon of already-fermented batter. A small amount of instant yeast is simply the most reliable modern method. Natural overnight fermentation also works in warm climates.

What's the difference between appam and a regular dosa?

Appam batter includes coconut and is fermented to be airy and slightly sweet, and it's cooked in a bowl-shaped pan so it has a thick spongy centre and thin crisp rim — quite different from the flat, crisp dosa.

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