Appe/ Paniyaram/ Vitumbua

A recent trip to Thailand introduced us to a lot of street food that we had never seen before and were eager to try.  During an early morning walk we found several vendors along the side walks selling various hot items that were prepared and served along the streets.  One in particular looked like a teeny saana and tasted very much like one.  The batter was poured into a large hot griddle-pan that had small semi-circle indents in them. The batter once poured was covered and then scooped out when done. I could not communicate with the vendor to get an accurate description but the English speaking daughter of the vendor explained that the batter was made of rice flour and coconut milk. Needless to say we went back every morning for our serving of these saana- like delicacies.  The video below is of one of the Thai street vendors serving Khanom Kruk, a breakfast food that has no rising agent.

Upon returning to Canada I did some research to quench my curiosity because I was sure this breakfast food had to have origins in India. I was fascinated to find that in Goa these small semi-balls are called Appe. In other parts of South India they have many variations and are called Paniyaram.  In Thailand these popular delicacies are called Khanom Kruk, and all the way out in Coastal East Africa, Zanzibar they appear as Vitumbua. The common ingredients in this bite-sized food is usually rice flour, coconut and coconut milk, with the occasional rising agent of toddy, yeast or baking soda. In addition there are many different ways to prepare these appe - from savory to sweet, and with a variation of grains.

Vitumbua is made with a rising agent so the batter rises to form a nice ball when cooked, and the the sweet smell of yeast arouses the senses as the vitumbua rise and eventually cook.

My first course of action was to find the appropriate pan which I found on Amazon. Although there are various Indian non-stick Paniyaram Pans I ended up with a Japanese electric non-stick pan called a Takoyaki Pan which is convenient and easy to use.

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups thick coconut milk ( I used canned coconut milk - not the light version)
1 and 1/2 cup rice flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fine unsweetened desiccated coconut (optional)
1 tablespoon quick acting yeast
2 teaspoons fresh ground cardamon

Method

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a whisk so that all the ingredients are well blended.

Heat the coconut milk preferably to a temperature of 50 -55 C ( no higher or the yeast will be killed), I do this in the microwave and use a baking thermometer to gauge the temperature.

Add the coconut milk to the dry ingredients and mix well until a smooth batter is formed.

Leave the batter in a dry warm location for about an hour, covered with a dish cloth until it has doubled in size. I put mine in the oven and use the bread proof feature (100 F)

Heat the appliance.  Brush the appliance well with oil, or use a cooking spray in each mold. I used a cooking spray.

When hot pour the batter until 3/4 full.  Do not overfill because the batter will rise. I used a cooking vessel cover and covered the pan for a half a minute.

Vitumbua risen in pan after a minute

When the batter is firm and brown around the edges, use a toothpick or plastic spoon to flip it over and cook for a few more minutes.  My pan cooked the batter very fast and by the time I had finished pouring the batter the first one had already browned on the bottom.  Do not be alarmed if the color is a little dark because they all tasted fantastic.  Crispy on the outside and firm on the inside.

We enjoyed this for tea time but they are also a great breakfast food.
I got 72 vitumbua from this batter.

Tips:
1. The batter cooks quite fast so I had to pour quite fast since I had 18 slots on my appliance. The batter takes about 2 minutes to be ready to be turned.
2. The easiest way to flip the item in the pan is by using two toothpicks, one on each side of the item and pushing it over. It becomes easier after you have done a few.
3. Although my appliance did not have a cover I used one of the rounded lids from my cooking pans.

Approximate Nutrition Values

72 Servings

Amount Per Vitumbua

Calories 30.5
Total Fat 0.6 g
Total Carbohydrate 6.0 g
Sugars 2.9 g
Protein 0.3 g