Idiyappam | String hoppers | Breakfast special

I'm a big breakfast girl . A healthy and hearty breakfast gives  me the energy for that day. Normally I prefer steamed and less oily kinda breakfasts along with a decent mix of some veggies and or some fruits.

Till I got married , idli with some chutney and idly powder along side a bit of curd had been the standard breakfast. I remember my mom telling us ' whoever didn't complete the breakfast will not go school today ' and we all will try to eat fast and complete. Now I do the same with my boy.

Apart form Idli , I make these idiyappam often with the processed rice flour which i get from my Mom. But now , after few trials and errors I have my recipe ready with store bought rice flour.They were absolutely soft and tasted as good as the ones that my mom makes it.

I would love to have them with coconut milk as well as a kuruma.This time I paired with a light kuruma. Yes, you heard it right. No coconut , no cahews , still a rich and creamy kurma. Well, that's the kurma you see in the picture.I like to soak my idiyappam in kurma for 5 to 10 minutes and then eat. That way the kurma drenched idiyappams will absorb all the goodness and turn out to be tasty and flavorful .

You might want to check  this Light vegetable korma for Idiappam 
Looking for some more breakfast idea ? Here is appam with vegetable stew

Ingredients

Rice flour ............................................. 1 cup
Rolling boiled water ............................ 1 1/4 to 1 1/5 cups
Salt ...................................................... to taste
Oil ...................................................... to grease ( I recommend coconut oil)


Method

• In a sauce pan,bring water to a rolling boil.
• Keep the steamer ready.
• Grease the steamer plates with some oil.
• In a wide pan , over a medium heat roast the rice flour 2 to 3 minutes.Try doing a small rangoli like (kolam) with that flour , it should flow smoothly, that's the consistency we are looking to achieve through roasting.
• Now carefully pour about 1 1/4 cup water to the rice flour and mix with a wooden spatula..
• Slowly knead the dough with hands , adding extra water if necessary.(I used 11/2 cups )
• The kneaded dough should be a soft and pliable one.
• Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
• Grease the innner walls of the Idiyappam presser.
• Take a portion of the dough and fill the idiyappam presser.
• Press gently over the greased plates.
• Steam for 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve hot with any kuruma of your choice or with coconut milk.

Notes

• The water has to be in rolling boil , this is the key. This helps the rice flour to get partially cooked.
• If the water isn't boiled well ,the dough will remain uncooked and greasy.
• while roasting the flour , do not over roast or change the color , these will result in a hard idiyappam.
• You can spread some grated coconut on the steamer plates and then press the idiyappam over the coconut to enhance the flavor and steam as usual. Sprinkle some sugar on top and serve .
• Alternately , squeeze some fresh coconut milk, add some sugar and crushed cardamom and enjoy with warm idiyappam.