Instant savory appam

On my recent trip to India, I added a new item to my kitchen: an appam pan or aebleskiver pan. I'm loving it for it's so versatile and you can prepare so many items in the pan, which are healthy. That's because you can easily prepare food items which are generally fried in this pan, using just one drop of oil: so it's healthier on your body, healthier on your pocket (you save a lot of money on the oil too). Isn't that awesome?

So I couldn't wait to cook just about anything in my appam pan but at the same time also wanted it to be quick. So, over the weekend, I made these instant savory appams. I did not follow the traditional way but I just used the Gits instant mix for idli. You can also use the instant mix for dosa or uttpam for these, just add the spices according to taste. If using idli mix, you don't need to add spices but the dosa mix is bland so I did add salt, red chilli and garam masala. Explaining the step-by step process which will be helpful for the beginners.

Ingredients:

Instant mix (I used instant idli mix, you can use uttpam or dosa mix too): 1 cup
Beaten yogurt to soak the mix
Onions (finely chopped): 1
Green chilli (finely chopped): 1
Spices to taste
Little oil to season the appe pan

1. Soak the instant mix with yogurt and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. It will absorb the liquid and will become thick. 
2. After 15 minutes, add a little water if required to make a batter-like consistency so it's neither very thick nor runny. Add the onions, green chili and spices to taste. Mix well.
3. Heat the appe pan on medium-low heat: this is the most important part so I'm explaining in detail. I use a glass top electric cooking range. The temperature knob goes from 1-12, 12 being the highest temperature. I heat the pan at 4.5. 
4. After 3-4 minutes, lower the temperature to 3. Add a drop of oil in each mold. 
   
5. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into each mold. 
   
6. Cover and let cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove cover and turn with the help of a wooden chopstick. 
   
7. Cover and let cook for another 5-7 minutes till they become golden brown from both sides. Remove cover and check if done from inside by doing a toothpick test. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done. Turn off the flame. 
   
8. Serve hot savory appe with Restaurant style coconut chutney. 

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