Nei Appam Recipe

Nei appam is a South Indian sweet recipe which is prepared during Karthigai Deepam. Traditionally nei appam is prepared using raw rice and jaggery. This recipe is an instant version of nei appam which is made with wheat flour, rice flour, rava, jaggery and it can be prepared in less than 20 minutes.

It is a perfect recipe to satisfy your sweet craving and you can also serve this for kids as an evening snack recipe. This is a simple and quick sweet recipe that you can make during any special occasions like Krishna jayanthi, Navrathri and Diwali. 

Nei Appam Recipe

Making nei appam can be time consuming, making the rice batter, fermenting it can be quite a big task. But this is a instant recipe made without banana and the ground up rice. This can be made in less than 30 mins. So give it a try and you will love it.

Jump to:

• About Nei Appam
• Ingredients
• Hacks
• Nei Appam (Step by Step Pictures)
• Expert Tips
• FAQ 
• Variations
• 📖 Recipe Card

The batter is made using wheat flour and it is pan fried in kuzhi paniyaram pan with less oil. So it is healthy and tasty too. These appam turns out to be super soft and fluffy.

About Nei Appam

Nei appam is also known as Unniappam. It is a popular sweet recipe in Kerala and it is served in Onam Sadhya. The authentic unniappam or nei appam recipe involves soaking, grinding and fermenting. The recipe I'm going to share today is an easy and instant version of nei appam which does not involve any soaking and fermentation. 

Instant nei appam is made with rice flour, rava, wheat flour, jaggery and coconut. These ingredients are mixed into a smooth batter using water. The batter is fried in paniyaram pan using a generous amount of ghee. It tastes so soft, spongy and rich in taste. I have used a non-stick paniyaram pan, as it consumes less ghee. You can also deep fry the appam. 

Nei appam is traditionally prepared and served on the occasion of Karthigai deepam. Karthigai deepam is a festival of lights celebrated in Tamilnadu during Tamil month of Karthigai ( november - december ) to worship Lord Shiva. On this day, a large flame is lit on the Arunachala hill in Tiruvannamalai.

It is believed that Lord shiva is appearing as a symbol of fire. Even every home is decorated with lamps, lights and we burn the leftover crackers in the evening. So try this instant sweet appam recipe for the upcoming festive occasions like Krishna jayanthi, Navrathri and Diwali. 

Similar Recipes

Banana Appam

Unniyappam

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS 

This is an instant version of unniappam so that it does not involve any long cooking process, just mixing and cooking, as simple as it is. It is perfect for beginners as it uses very basic ingredients like rice flour, wheat flour, rava and jaggery. And also cooking in paniyaram pan uses very little ghee compared to deep fried. 

More than a snack, this recipe has a lot of memories from my childhood. I'll be excitedly waiting for the day of karthigai deepam, to light up the whole house with mud lamps and decorate with lights and amma make this appam to offer as prasadam for Lord Shiva. My friends and I will burn all the leftover crackers from diwali. In the evening the whole vibe will look like another diwali of the year. 

Perfect for any occasion : The jaggery gives a natural sweetness, where the grated coconut gives a texture and a tropical flavour and the cardamom powder gives a warm aroma to the nei appam. When all these ingredients are combined together the nei appam gives a flavourful and a melt in mouth delicacy. It is perfect for any festive occasion and also for evening snacks. 

Ingredients

Wheat flour / Atta : Use fine quality wheat flour. It provides the structure and softness to the appam. Sieve the flour before using. 

Rava / Sooji / Semolina : I have used fine rava because it cooks faster and provides a slightly grainy texture to the appam.

Rice flour : I have used my homemade rice flour for making this instant version. It helps the appam to get crispy on the outside. You can also use store bought flour. 

Grated jaggery / Jaggery powder : Use powdered jaggery or grated jaggery. You can also substitute with palm jaggery or coconut sugar based upon your preference. 

Grated coconut : Use freshly grated coconut for the texture and flavour. You can also use frozen coconut but the taste and aroma will completely differ. 

Baking soda : Baking soda makes the appam to puff up and also provides an airy texture. 

Salt : A pinch of salt in any sweet recipe will enhance the taste and balance the flavours. 

Ghee / Oil : Ghee is used for frying the appam. Ghee gives a rich aroma and traditional taste.You can also use a mix of oil and ghee for frying. 

Water : Water is added to mix all the ingredients and helps to form a smooth batter. 

Hacks

Jaggery syrup : Melt the jaggery with some water. Once the jaggery is melted, turn off the stove and strain them using a strainer. It helps to remove any impurities in the jaggery. 

Spongy consistency : To make the appam more spongy texture, add a mashed ripened banana to the batter.

Added aroma : You can add a pinch of cardamom powder to make it more flavourful. And also saute the cashewnut and coconut pieces in ghee till golden brown and add it to the batter. 

Nei Appam (Step by Step Pictures)

Take all your ingredients

Expert Tips

• You can also use store bought rice flour. 
• Add 1 ripened banana for a soft, spongy nei appam. 
• Sift the rice flour, wheat flour to avoid lumps while mixing the batter.
• Don't add too hot jaggery syrup directly to the batter. 
• Always fill ¾ of the paniyaram pan as it helps to puff up while cooking and also easy for flipping. 
• You can also add a pinch of dry ginger powder for flavour.

STORAGE AND SERVING 

The nei appam stays good for a day at room temperature. You can store it in the refrigerator for a maximum of 1 to 2 days. Reheat using a microwave oven or in the paniyaram pan by brushing a spoon of ghee. 

You can serve the nei appam on the occasion of Karthigai deepam as a prasadam on a banana leaf. It can also be served as an after school snack for kids. While serving, you can also drizzle some condensed milk ( milkmaid ) or honey on top. 

I have seen in a reality cooking show that they served nei appam by soaking them in milk payasam / kheer similar to gulab jamun with rabdi. For this prepare a creamy milk payasam and soak the warm nei appam for 10 to 15 minutes. The appams absorb the flavors of kheer and turn too soft and juicy. Serve this appam with kheer warm or slightly chilled. 

FAQ 

Q. Can I make this with millet flour ?

Yes you can. To make it healthier, try with other millet flour options like foxtail millet, kodo millet, pearl millet of your choice. The texture and taste will differ so adjust the water and other ingredients measurements accordingly. 

Q.Can I deep fry the appam ? 

Yes, you can deep fry the appam in oil or ghee. Take a deep pan or vada satti, pour a mix of oil and ghee, use a ladle or ice cream scoop to pour the batter and fry until it is golden brown and crispy. 

Q.Can I add other sweeteners instead of jaggery ? 

You can substitute with other sweeteners like regular white sugar, coconut sugar, palm jaggery based on your preference. But the jaggery provides the color, aroma and rich taste to the traditional sweet recipes. 

Q. My appam is hard after frying ? What went wrong ? 

This is due to thick batter. The batter consistency should be like idli-dosai batter and also add baking soda or a mashed banana for softness. Allow the batter to rest for at least 15 minutes before frying. 

Variations

Unniyappam : Unniyappam is the traditional version of nei appam. It is made with raw rice, jaggery, banana, coconut and cardamom powder. The raw rice is soaked and grinded into a batter. To this batter, rest of the ingredients are added, mixed and let it ferment for 3 to 4 hours. The fermented batter is deep fried in a pan using ghee. Serve warm and enjoy. 

Jackfruit appam : Jackfruit appam is one of the traditional recipes in Kerala and Mangalore. This recipe is similar to nei appam / banana appam. The appam batter is mixed with jackfruit puree and finely chopped jackfruit pieces. It is then fried in oil / ghee. This is also perfect for any occasions.

More Appam Recipes

📖 Recipe Card

If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @aarthi198689@gmail.com and I'll help as soon as I can.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook,Pinterest ,Youtube  for more Yummy Tummy inspiration.

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR ANYTHING FROM YUMMY TUMMY, MAKE SURE TO POST IT AND TAG ME SO I CAN SEE ALL OF YOUR CREATIONS!! #YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI AND @YUMMYTUMMYAARTHI ON INSTAGRAM!

More Diwali Recipes