Lacy, soft, spongy with crispy edges and a touch of tanginess, Vellappam is more than just a pancake; it's a cherished part of South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine. Also known as Vellayappam, Appam, or Palappam, this traditional pancake pairs beautifully with spicy curries or sweetened coconut milk to bring warmth, comfort, and tradition in every bite.
In the past, this dish was traditionally fermented using palm toddy, a natural fermenting agent. These days, yeast has become the more common choice. Growing up, we called it Vellappam at home-a name likely inspired by its white color, as "vella" means white in my native language, and "appam" refers to pancake.
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Why will you love this dish?
- This fermented pancake is going to be a new favorite in your kitchen if you're a fan of comforting, flavor-packed meals.
- Made with a naturally fermented batter, the pancake turns out soft and spongy with a beautifully porous texture, perfect for soaking up all the deliciousness of your favorite curries or stews. Every bite bursts with flavor, thanks to the way it absorbs the spices and sauces of whatever you serve it with.
- One of the best parts? Once your batter is ready, making the pancakes is incredibly quick and easy. Plus, the batter keeps well in the fridge for up to 5-6 days, just like the South Indian Masala Dosa, so you can enjoy fresh, homemade pancakes throughout the week without starting from scratch each time.
- This dish is wonderfully versatile. You can serve it with sweetened coconut milk for a mild, comforting breakfast or pair it with hearty mains like coconut milk chicken curry, mutton stew, egg curry, vegetable stew, crab masala curry, or black chickpeas curry. Serve this along with mutton biryani made with the delicious goat biryani recipe, and you have a satisfying lunch or dinner.
Ingredients to make Vellappam
Vellapam needs very few simple ingredients, all present in your kitchen pantry.
- Raw rice, soak it in plenty of water.
- Fresh or frozen grated coconut thawed to room temperature.
- Leftover Cooked rice.
- Yeast in a little lukewarm water mixed with sugar, and salt.
How to make Vellappam or Vellayappam?
Making the Batter
Ensure the rice is soaked in water for about five to six hours. 1 -3)Grind the soaked rice with just enough water to a fine paste and transfer to a container. 4) Add grated coconut and grind again until a smooth paste is formed.
5-7) To the coconut batter, add cooked rice and continue grinding until well-combined. Transfer the contents to the container with the rice batter.
8 -9) Prime the yeast in a sugar solution and add it to the batter. You can also use active instant yeast. Keep it in a warm place for fermentation. An oven with a light on is a good place to ferment this batter.
10) The batter should rise in 4 to 5 hours or even earlier. 11-12) Pour a ladle full of batter and turn the Appam chatti or maker in a clockwise motion, circling it so it forms a round shape.
13) A pancake shape is formed. The pancake will be fluffy in the center if you pour extra batter. If you prefer a thinner, less fluffy pancake, use less batter. 14-16) Cover with a lid and cook on medium flame, the pancake will be ready after 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with your favorite side dishes.
The appam is fluffy in the center and crisp around the edges, with many pores. It appears almost like a laced "dosa". This is usually a great breakfast, but can be a good lunch or dinner as well. It best goes with vegetable or chicken stew curry, egg curry, spicy kadala curry with coconut, or even simply with sweetened freshly squeezed coconut milk.
Here are some other breakfast items that you may love: Puttu with kadala curry, Ari Pathiri are some great recommendations. Do check it out.
Recipe FAQs
Raw rice or short-grain rice like sona masuri is used to make Appams. A combination of idli rice and raw rice can also be used. A little cooked rice is also added.
We make this pancake in a pan that resembles a small flat wok called "Appa Chatti". I have a picture below if you are curious. To make it, pour a ladle full of batter into the center. Turn the pan with the batter in it around in a full circle in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, and make a full circle to get the unique shape. Cover with a lid and cook till done.
Vellapams can be served with a variety of dishes like any Stews, Egg curry, chicken curry, mutton curry, Kadala curry, Vegetable Kurma, or just plain coconut milk and sugar.
Useful Tips
- You can use either instant yeast or active dry yeast to ferment the batter. If you're using active dry yeast, you'll need to prime it first-dissolve it in lukewarm water with about 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar, and let it sit until frothy before adding it to the batter. Instant yeast, on the other hand, can be added directly to the batter, although you can choose to prime it as well if you prefer.
- Make sure to use a large container for fermenting, as the batter can rise and overflow if there's not enough space. Keep an eye on it, especially in warm conditions.
- The batter should have a flowing consistency, not too thick and not too watery. Add just enough water during grinding to reach the right texture.
- For softer appams, consider adding a small amount of cooked rice while grinding the batter. This is optional, but it's a great way to use up leftovers and enhance the texture.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Vellappam Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing from you!
Vellappam
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice soaked in water
- ¾ cup coconut grated
- ½ cup rice cooked
- ¼ tsp yeast soaked in luke warm water
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Wash and soak 2 cups of rice in enough water for about 6 hours
- Grind the soaked rice with little water
- Add the grated coconut , cooked rice and continue to grind till you get a smooth batter
- Add yeast to luke warm water with the sugar dissolved in it.
- Add salt to taste.
- Keep in a warm place and wait for the batter to ferment.
- After about 4 to 6 hours (depending on the humidity of the place you live in) the batter would have risen up.
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator to use later.
- To make the pancake, heat up the Vellapam pan.
- Pour a ladle of batter in the center.
- Turn around the pan in a full circle so that it gets it's unique shape.
- Reduce heat ,cover with a lid and cook until done.
- The appam will have a fluffy center with many pores and a crispy edge around it.
- Serve with stew or egg curry or coconut milk. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can use either instant yeast or active dry yeast to ferment the batter. If you're using active dry yeast, you'll need to prime it first-dissolve it in lukewarm water with about 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar, and let it sit until it becomes frothy before adding it to the batter. Instant yeast, on the other hand, can be added directly to the batter, though you can also prime it if you prefer.
- Make sure to use a large container for fermenting, as the batter can rise and overflow if there's not enough space. Keep an eye on it, especially in warm conditions.
- The batter should have a flowing consistency, not too thick and not too watery. Add just enough water during grinding to reach the right texture.
- For softer appams, consider adding a small amount of cooked rice while grinding the batter. This is optional, but it's a great way to use up leftovers and enhance the texture.
Lovely texture and Clicks 😍
Thanks a lot Ramya!
Wow I have never heard of this before and it sounds and looks amazing!
Thank you Diane, I'm pretty sure you will like it it's almost like a soft bread or pancake !
The appam looks mouth watering. I have had it with sweet coconut milk/korma, egg curry sounds amazing with it too .. Beautiful pics
Thank you Neetha, they are all excellent combinations .I love them all 🙂
That looks yummy 🙂
Thank you Joshi, appreciate your comments!
Oh I love these, we call them hoppers. Just delicious dipped with curry. They look great Nisha. Also I have participated in the Quote challenge. Thanks again for the nomination my friend. Check it out here. Xx
Thank you dear Lorelle , absolutely right dipped in curry it's just awesome . Happy to hear you participated in the quote challenge tag and I loved your post 🙂
👍🏼❤️
Looks amazing!!!....though I too make these and is relished by all my family...courtsey one of my friend from kerala 😃
Wonderful to know that you got introduced to it by your Keralite friend and that you enjoy it! Thank you for stopping by and the comments.
Wow.. A beautiful spongy appam! Love it! 🙂
Thank you so much , it was indeed spongy .
Or blini in our language ;))) looks amazing💐
Ah! I see that's nice to know .Thank you for the lovely comment!
Gah! They're so pretty! 😀
Thanks a lot for the lovely comment and stopping by!
This is my Hubby's favourite.. He loves to have it with coconut milk..
Yes indeed coconut milk is a great combination. Glad to hear and Thank you for stopping by!
Such spongy and perfect vellappams 😋 Will try them soon!
Thank you Smitha, I'm sure you will love this dish!
I've never had rice pancakes, but they look so delicate. Will have to give them a go as they look simple enough for even me (disaster in the kitchen) to try. x
They taste good , the process of soaking, grinding and fermenting may sound like a bit of work. I know it took me a while to make it myself when I moved out of home and I had the excuse of not having a pan in the beginning :). But once I figured it and got good results, there was no looking back 🙂
Love this beautiful spongy appam, thanks for sharing the recipe !
Thank you Megala, it is spongy in the center and the pores soak up all the curry making it even tastier!
You know, nothing better than an appam and stew for a meal. I have been wondering about how to make them and getting that particular wok. I shall have to try your recipe. Looks fabulous and perfect! xx
Thank you for stopping by Dippy, nice to hear from you!The Vellappam stew/egg curry combination is very popular especially at get-togethers or occasions back in my home town. The wok should be available online or even in Indian groceries.It's very easy to make once you have that and hope you try it sometime 🙂
I will have to 🙂 I love appams. It is healthy too. xx
Lovely to hear that, yes it does not use much oil and fills you up quickly so healthy indeed 🙂
I loved this so much as a child! Thanks for posting!
That's wonderful to know that you have had it! Thank you for stopping by!
Yes, I used to have it more as a dessert with sweetened coconut milk. Thanks for bringing back sweet memories.
I love that combination as well , am so glad it brought back sweet memories 🙂