Mappilai Samba Appam/Bridegroom Pancake

This week, it’s going to be the third edition of the theme-Indigenous/traditional rice varieties of Tamilnadu, where we are going to celebrate and honour Mapillai Samba rice which is adorned with the name, Bridegroom rice in English.

Last 2 weeks, we took a journey on our traditional rice varieties namely Poongar/Women’s rice and Karuppu Kavuni/Black Rice. We prepared Aval Kesari/Rice Flakes Pudding and Healthy, soft and spongy idlis and restaurant-style Tomato Red Chutney with these kinds of rice respectively. This week, it’s going to be Mapillai Samba Rice, which is a traditional unpolished red rice variety of Tamilnadu. It’s similar in its appearance to other traditional rice varieties of Tamilnadu, like Poongar, Karunguruvai, Kullakar rice. These rice varieties are available in the market as hand-pounded, boiled, and raw. It varies in their way of processing and milling.

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Samba rice varieties are grown during the samba season, which spans from August-January, in the southern states, especially Tamilnadu. They are grown for a longer duration than any other rice. These indigenous rice varieties are sturdy and can withstand any harsh weather conditions and environments. It doesn’t require any pesticides and fertilizers. It’s environment and farmer’s friendly as they improve water retention and fertility of the soil.

Why this rice is claimed to be Bridegroom rice? 

In our Tamil folklore, it’s a custom for the groom-to-be or newlywed bridegroom, to exhibit his valor and virility to the bride-to-be or the wife and her folks. He needs to lift a heavy round rock in the mid of the village to prove his prowess. To accomplish this ritual, he’ll be fed with this Samba rice variety to boost energy and stamina. It also strengthens and builds his muscle to lift that rock. This is how the rice derived its name Mappillai Samba which defines as Mappillai for Bridegroom and Samba for the season it’s grown.

This rice abounds in nutrients and health benefits. Let me run through it briefly.

1) Energy rice– this rice is named so as it has abundant Manganese which is a vital nutrient to produce energy in the body. It provides instant energy and helps to sustain it for a longer duration, thus improving strength and stamina.

2) Controls Paralysis– Vitamin B6 and Magnesium are key nutrients for our nervous system. Since this rice is abundant with these nutrients, it strengthens nerves and muscles. This in turn controls nerve weakness and paralysis.

3) Prevents Anemia– this rice is a rich source of Iron. Iron aids in the production of hemoglobin and myoglobin. Both these proteins transports and stores oxygen to tissues and muscle cells. Due to its high iron content, this rice increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood and prevents anemia.

4) Curbs Diabetes– this traditional rice has a low glycaemic index (GI), which regulates the blood glucose level in the system. Mappillai samba is also surplus in Magnesium content. Magnesium is instrumental in maintaining blood glucose levels, regulating heart rate, and helping in the production of energy and protein.

5) Strengthens Digestive system-since this indigenous rice is abundant in fibre, it helps in digestion and clears the gut efficiently. It also deals with Gastrointestinal problems like diarrhoea,  constipation, and gastritis.

6) Develops immunity– this rice is affluent with Zinc. Zinc is the key nutrient in maintaining the body’s defence mechanism. It also speeds up the healing of a wound, enhances insulin action.

7) Delay ageing-this rice is a huge source of anti-oxidants. These antioxidants prevent cell and tissues damage which in turn delays aging and also protects from premature aging.

8) Lowers Cholesterol-this rice is loaded with pro-anthocyanins, which regulate the bad cholesterol (LDL). Plaques are the build-up of fats and cholesterol in the artery walls. Since Mapillai samba rice reduces Cholesterol levels in the blood, it indirectly reduces the risk of atherosclerosis-plaque build-up.

9) Helps Child Health-it aids in the brain development of growing young children. Thus helping the growing kids to attain good health and nutrition.

After enumerating the health benefits, I’m sure, you’ll be at the doorstep of the supermarket to get your Mappillai samba rice…. 😀😍😍.

Coming to this week’s recipe, I prepared Appam which is a South Indian pancake. Preparation somehow replicates the idli, but with a slight variation.  You can segregate the process into 3 parts before cooking, namely-

1)         Soaking– wash and soak the rice and dal mixture together with fenugreek seeds overnight.

2)         Grinding-grind the soaked mixture into a fine batter in a mixer or grinder.

3)         Fermenting-let it ferment for 8-12 (or 15 hrs) depending upon your kitchen temperature.

Then prepare the pancake by diluting the batter to thin pouring consistency and swirling them in an appam pan. Close and cook on one side. Appam is ready to serve with any spicy Indian curry or with sweet coconut milk.

Here, I transformed the regular appam, into Mapillai samba appam to turn into a Healthy and nutrients filled tiffin.

I replaced half of the idli and raw rice with this healthy rice and the result was amazing. Appams were so soft in the middle and crispy on the corners, serve these curved beauties (healthy ones are always curved and beautiful, aren’t they… 😉😍) with Kori ghassi /Palak Chicken for non-veg options or Tirunelveli Sodhi/ Thanjavur kadappa for veg options. Here,I served with Kori ghassi and Chinthamani chicken.

Now let’s get into this recipe-

Measure and add 1 cup of Mappillai samba/Bridegroom rice.

To this add ½ cup of Idli/Parboiled rice, ½ cup of Raw rice, ¼ cup of Urad dal, ¼ cup of Rice flakes (White/Red), 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds together in a wide bowl.

Wash it thoroughly 3 times with tap water to remove the dirt. Then completely drain the water and add usable water to soak the rice till it gets immersed well (add roughly 3 cups).

Let it rest for overnight or 8-12 hrs. This long hour soaking helps to ferment the batter in cold regions and weather. This Mappillai samba rice also needs those long soaking hours.

After the given soaking time, run the grinder with little soaked water.

And add all the drained rice mixture. Keep the remaining soaked water for later use.

Every 4-5 minutes, sprinkle some soaked water.

And push the batter with your hand, now and then.

After 15 minutes, the batter would have turned smooth. Now add ¼ cup of cooked rice (White/Red), which is purely optional (refer notes).

After a few minutes, once the rice is ground well with batter, switch off the grinder.

Transfer the batter into a wide bowl (refer to notes).

Add required salt and mix it with the batter well.

Keep it aside. Let it ferment for 8-12 (or 15 hrs) depending upon your kitchen temperature (refer to notes).

After the given fermentation time, the batter would have doubled.

Add roughly 1 and a half cups water to dilute the batter.

Then add 1 tbsp powdered sugar.

The consistency of the batter should be runny as shown in the pic and video (refer to it).

Heat the appam pan and drop a dollop of batter.

And immediately lift the pan and swirl it to spread the batter evenly to the edges (refer pic and video).

Close and cook for a minute.

Then open and let it roast for less than a minute (refer to notes).

Remove the appam from the pan. Repeat the process for the remaining batter.

Crispy edges and spongy, soft-centered Mappillai samba Appam is ready to serve with spicy Kori ghassi /Palak Chicken for non-veg options or Tirunelveli Sodhi/ Thanjavur kadappa for veg options. Appams were so soft in the middle and crispy on the corners, look at these curved beauties, healthy ones are always curved and beautiful, aren’t they… 😉😍

Recipe card

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking time: 1-2 minutes (each appam)

Cuisine: South Indian

Category: Tiffin

Serves: 6-8 persons

Author: Manimala

Ingredients:

Mappillai samba/Bridegroom rice – 1 cup

Idli/Parboiled rice – ½ cup

Raw rice – ½ cup

Urad dal – ¼ cup

Rice flakes (White/Red) – ¼ cup

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tbsp

Cooked rice (White/Red) – ¼ cup (optional)

Instructions:

1. Measure and add 1 cup of Mappillai samba/Bridegroom rice, ½ cup of Idli/Parboiled rice, ½ cup of Raw rice, ¼ cup of Urad dal, ¼ cup of Rice flakes (White/Red), 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds together in a wide bowl.
2. Wash it thoroughly 3 times with tap water to remove the dirt. Then completely drain the water and add usable water to soak the rice till it gets immersed well (add roughly 3 cups).
3. Let it rest for overnight or 8-12 hrs. This long hour soaking helps to ferment the batter in cold regions and weather. This Mappillai samba rice also needs those long soaking hours.
4. After the given soaking time, run the grinder with little soaked water and add all the drained rice, dal mixture. Keep the remaining soaked water for later use.
5. Every 4-5 minutes, sprinkle some soaked water and push the batter with your hand, now and then.
6. After 15 minutes, the batter would have turned smooth. Now add ¼ cup of cooked rice (White/Red), which is purely optional (refer notes).
7. After a few minutes, once the rice is ground well with batter, switch off the grinder.
8. Transfer the batter into a wide bowl (refer to notes).
9. Add required salt and mix it with the batter well.
10. Keep it aside. Let it ferment for 8-12 (or 15 hrs) depending upon your kitchen temperature (refer to notes).
11. After the given fermentation time, the batter would have doubled.
12. Now add 1 tbsp powdered sugar and roughly 1 and a half cups water to dilute the batter.
13. The consistency of the batter should be runny as shown in the pic and video (refer to it).
14. Heat the appam pan and drop a dollop of batter and immediately lift the pan and swirl it to spread the batter evenly to the edges (refer pic and video).
15. Close and cook for a minute, then open and let it roast for less than a minute (refer to notes).
16. Remove the appam from the pan. Repeat the process for the remaining batter.
17. Crispy edges and spongy, soft-centered Mappillai samba Appam is ready to serve with spicy Kori ghassi /Palak Chicken for non-veg options or Tirunelveli Sodhi/ Thanjavur kadappa for veg options. Appams were so soft in the middle and crispy on the corners, look at these curved beauties, healthy ones are always curved and beautiful, aren’t they… 😉😍

Notes:

• Wet grinder results have an extra edge over mixer grinder results. If you don’t have one, no worries, try the same recipe with a mixer grinder as well. For method and techniques check my Ragi Idli, where I prepared the batter both in wet grinder and mixer grinder.
• Rice flakes/aval/poha can be kept as an optional ingredient, but adding it helps to improve fermentation and results in soft, spongy appams. You can use white rice flakes or red rice flakes or Mappilai samba rice flakes, whichever is available.
• Adding cooked rice can be kept optional. You can also use, previous day rice. Just like rice flakes, you can use white, red, or Mappilai samba rice. But adding helps to improve fermentation.
• Soaking plays a crucial role in fermenting especially when you live in cold regions. The longer you soak the rice and dal, the quicker the fermentation. For hotter regions, reduce the soaking time. Say, it is summer, let them soak for a maximum of 6 hours. During winter, let the rice, dal, and fenugreek seeds soak overnight. Thus, you have to manoeuvre with the soaking time depending upon the temperature settings of your place.
• Don’t soak rice for a short duration as traditional rice needs a longer hour of soaking time to give the best results.
• Don’t discard the soaked water in the rice mixture,  use it while grinding. As rice-soaked water has all nutrients dissolved in it from rice, hope you do not want it to be discarded. Always wash and then soak rice, so you can utilize the water for cooking or grinding.
• Sprinkling water gradually in portions (in tsps) and beating with a hand or spatula helps to aerate the batter and result in smooth and fluffy appam.
• Don’t add all the soaked water in one go, while grinding rice mixture. It’ll turn the batter too thin. Add it in rations and intervals to get the desired consistency (refer to video).
• Do not use chlorinated water to soak or grind, as it’ll inhibit the fermentation process by killing the yeast.
• Don’t maintain the same fermentation and soaking time for the summer and winter seasons. You’ll require less fermentation and soaking time for summer and more time for winter. It also depends on the weather of the place where you reside. During summer, soak in the afternoon, grind it at night and ferment it overnight (fermenting time sums up roughly 8-12 hrs) whereas in winter soak overnight, grind it in the morning and leave for fermentation for the whole day to midnight (fermenting time sums up roughly 12-15 hrs), it needs such a long duration during winter.
• For tropical regions, ferment the batter at the proper room temperature, whereas in cold regions, keep the batter in the microwave oven (switched off) or in a preheated oven.
• Fermenting timing varies from place to place depending upon the seasonal and weather conditions of that particular place. It ranges from 8-12 hours duration. Give another couple of hours, if you live in colder regions, but don’t keep it anymore outside as the batter would have turned sour without rising. Do not panic, you can still make appams, if you feel the batter is too sour, add more sugar and salt to balance the taste.
• Airtight containers are not recommended during the fermentation phase, as the batter needs some air to grow. Preferably use a steel container or bowl and close with a plate to enable some air to flow around. After fermentation, storage can be done in airtight containers if you have space restraints in the refrigerator.
• Do not fill the full volume of the container as the batter needs some space to rise. Choose the container size according to the quantity of batter, it should have half-space left free for rising during fermentation.
• Here, I added powdered sugar to dissolve quickly. Adding it enhances the flavour.
• Cooking time is very minimal, it’ll take 1.30-2 minutes to close and cook. Open and check the centre if it’s still battery or cooked well. Accordingly, close or open the lid.
• Open cooking hardly needs less than a minute, just till it turns crispy and browny in the edges. You can see the appam start lifting off the pan, it’s an indication to remove the appam.
• The life of appam batter is 2 days, after which it’ll turn sour.