Orappam/ Traditional snack of Kerala

Orappam

Are you looking for a healthy snack? A snack that will make you nostalgic? Well, you have come to the right place. The recipe I am sharing today is Orappam, which is a traditional old fashioned snack of Kerala. It is one of the many traditional and forgotten snacks of Kerala. I love the simplicity of these traditional snacks made with locally available ingredients. Orappam is made with rice flour and coconut milk. Rice and coconut is a staple in all traditional Kerala snacks and sweets. The sweetener can be regular sugar or jaggery. It is gently laced with the flavor of cardamom and fennel seeds.

I don't even remember that this snack existed. It was my dad's childhood favorite and he has fond memories associated with orappam. My grandmother used to make this on all festive occasions like Onam, Vishu, and Christmas. It was also made for wedding parties and tasted just like halwa, but less sweet. Now trying to recreate a dish of my late grandmother from memories is quite challenging. My dad and his sisters came up with a recipe- a flavor here and a flavor there- needless to say, I was not much confident about trying this recipe. But when I finally made this snack, it brought back vague memories and taste from my childhood. This snack will surely make you nostalgic.

Orappam is made just like a halwa and is time-consuming. But it is worth a try. It is crispy in the exterior and soft, moist, and fudge-like on the inside. It lightly baked to get the crusty crunch on the exterior. Since most homes did not have ovens in earlier days it was baked by closing the lid tightly and burning coconut shells or charcoal and placing it on top and bottom. I tried an easy version here by baking in the oven. You can also add an egg to this recipe. The color of the orappam depends on the rice and sweetener. You can use red rice or white rice flour. I am adding pictures of both. This recipe calls for peanuts or cashew nuts. If you do not wish to add nuts, try adding coconut bits for a sweet crunch. Give this recipe a try, you will surely love it.

Orappam Recipe

Cooking time- 1 hour
Recipe Type- snack
Cuisine- Kerala

Ingredients

Rice flour-1 1/2cups

Sugar- 1 1/2  cup

Coconut Milk thick- 2 cup
Coconut milk thin- 2 cup

Cashew nuts crushed or peanuts- 1/3 cup

Cardamon powder- 1/3 tsp (optional)

Fennel seeds- a pinch

Ghee-2 tsp

Coconut oil  1/4 cup

Roast rice flour finely till there is no moisture left. Idiyappam flour is perfect for this recipe.

Into the rice flour mix in sugar, coconut milk, fennel seeds and combine into a thin lump-free batter I have used the rose rice powder or matta rice.

You can also substitute sugar with jaggery. If you are using jaggery melt with a half cup of water and strain and add this to rice flour.

Heat coconut oil in a heavy bottom pan and add cashew nut and roast.

 Now slowly pour in the rice mixture carefully and stirring continuously till it is fully blended and starts thickening. Cook in medium heat and let it cook for about ten minutes or till it attains a thick consistency like halwa. Add ghee, cardamom powder and stir till the mixture becomes a thick lump and starts leaving the sides of the pan.

Grease baking pan and spread this mixture evenly in the pan with the help of a spatula. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake in 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or till it the top has slightly browned up. Let it cool completely and cut into desired shapes.

If you want the traditional method. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Add a little ghee or coconut milk around the edges. Cover the top with a lid, preferably an aluminum plate. Place the pan on burning red charcoal and place a few on the top of the aluminum plate. The heat from both sides will crisp the edges of the orappam. Just like the oven let it cool for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool slice and serve.

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Hope you will all enjoy.