KunjiKalathappam–A deep fried snack made of rice & coconut milk

This is a delicious snack from the northern part of kerala. I am not sure about how to translate the name in English. May be -- A yummy deep fried snack made of rice & coconut milk

Ingredients:

Ponni Rice         --   1 cup
Sugar                   --   2 cup
Coconut Milk   --   1 cup, thick coconut milk.
Fennel Seeds   --   1 tsp
Sa Jeerakam/Caraway Seeds --   1 tsp
Cashew Nuts   --   10 - 15, broken into small pieces
Salt                     --   a pinch
Coconut Oil     --   As required for deep frying.

Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice in water for one hour.

Sprinkle 2 - 3 tbsp of boiling water over 1½ cup of shredded coconut. Squeeze out the thick coconut milk from it and keep aside. You can also use canned coconut milk. But believe me, fresh coconut milk gives a special flavour.

Add half of the coconut milk to the rice and sugar and grind it. Add the remaining coconut milk little by little while grinding to attain the required consistency. I had couple of tbsp coconut milk left over after grinding. The batter should be smooth without any grainy effect and the consistency of the batter should be in between idly and dosa batter. Make sure that the batter is not too thin. So it is better to  start with a thick consistency and add more coconut milk if required.

Once the batter is ready, add the fennel seeds, sa jeerakam, broken nuts and salt and mix well.

Heat oil in a kadai/cheenachatti. Pour a ladle full of batter into the hot oil. Should not turn the appam upside down to cook. To cook the top part, with the help of a spoon, pour the hot oil from the kadai onto the top of the appam until it is cooked. The appam should be white in colour with a light brown bottom.

Serve with tea or keep munching any time J

Recipe Courtesy: Sabi Aunty