Skip to main content

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.

You might also like
Kinnathapam
Kaya Pola
Pazham Pori
Unni Madhuram
Sweet Kozhukatta
Apple Kums/Pola

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy.

Comments

  1. We do similar appam too, urs looks very yummy and droolworthy...feel like having some..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very nice appam , feels like to taste it now..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Quite similar to the Malaysian one, looks great dear....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Njan angottu varatte..loooks so yummy!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. enthammo ! enganai kothipikkallai!superb!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Adipoli orappam, etra naal ayenno ethellam kandittu thanne...oru titanic odikanulla vellam und epol...Vayil!!!

    Love
    Suji

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks delicious...I never heard abt orappam before..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Interesting halwa , sounds delicious..

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow, a great recipe, will try sometime, beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  10. that is new n interesting.. never heard about it.. sounds delish though.. wonderful presentation dear.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! That looks so yummy. Thank you so much for sendis=ng this delicious sweet to my event:-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sweeeeetttttt .......... looks so delicious !!

    Cheers n Happy Cooking!
    Satrupa

    http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. That is a very new snack. Never heard about adding eggs in indian sweets, or may be it is just new to me, looks good :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks all for the sweet comments.
    Sarah,sure you are welcome
    Umm thanks dear
    Priya..it is definitely sweet to taste, but it is actually cut and served as a tea time snack:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. very intresting orappam.. luks delicious and tempting...

    ReplyDelete
  16. my mom makes this too but without eggs and with jaggery....wil psot my version soon......lovely pics and mouthwatering dish....looks tempting and yum..perfect pieces

    ReplyDelete
  17. enikku ithu ippum venee....Wish you were staying next door...:-) Looks perfectly yumm

    ReplyDelete
  18. never had this before,luks very tempting and delicious...

    ReplyDelete
  19. orappam is my fav. my aunt makes them. i have never tried it. now since i have the recipe i will surely try it. thanks Suja.

    ReplyDelete
  20. kandittu kothi avunu... yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear, plz do collect an award for you from mine :).. happy blogging :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. suja my favorite one.. amma used to make the same.. we love to have it at anytime..amma's recipe she donot use the egg.. looks good really enjoyed seeing the pic..

    ReplyDelete
  23. seriously new to me. but looks inviting....

    ReplyDelete
  24. OMG this looks sooo delicious. Liked your first click very much
    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

    ReplyDelete
  25. kothi akkunnu....adyamayittu annu kelkkunnathu...

    ReplyDelete
  26. have heard so much about it but have never tried it

    ReplyDelete
  27. havent heard of this.. sounds interesting n tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Nvere heard about this... But interesting one ad looks delicious..

    ReplyDelete
  29. Never heard of it before...seems to be tasty.

    ReplyDelete
  30. looks like a cake, looks nice as well

    ReplyDelete
  31. it really looks like a cake...looks very tempting.....

    ReplyDelete
  32. Lovely pics!! Never heard of orappam before..It looks very delicious, will surely give it a try sometime..

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks all for the sweet comments..happy that you all like this.
    Sanyukta and Prani thanks. Me too was first having doubt about adding eggs..but believe me it came out real tasty and the smell of eggs vanish after it was baked. But you can also make it without eggs and also with jaggery...
    Thanks all for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
  34. This is new to me but very interesting and sounds filling too.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thanks Pari for stopping by and the sweet comment:)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Orappam's history can be traced to the days when parts of Kerala, Goa were still under the portuguese regime..its not an Indian dish...it has Portuguese lineage..this is a dish that has been prepared in my family for ages...its an example of the influence of Portuguese culture in our daily lives..

    ReplyDelete
  37. Thanks Rejoy for stopping by..
    there are lot of Portuguese influence in Kerala Cuisine..especially in central Kerala. Did not know that Orappam's origin can be traced back to the Portuguese rule. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Orappam is nothing but a crude version of the Bebinca, which is found in Goa. It is an Indo-Portuguese dish. The Portuguese colonists who prepared it in Kerala used rice flour and local ingredients like coconut milk,while the Goan Bebinca got refined over the ages to such an extent that it is multilayered-21 to be precise.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Wow! this is awesome. My mother used to make it and now I will try it.
    I was too late to find this blog.
    Thumps up to u, suja. Doing a great job.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Wow1,Nice luking Rice cake .Very New to me Suja!.Luks spongy-good.BKMarking it.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thanks for the recepie

    regards
    Russell Harper

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thanks for the recepie

    regards
    Russell Harper

    ReplyDelete
  43. What abt the rest of the coconut milk......u only added thin coconut milk.....when to add thick coconut milk?

    Is it ok to add 1 egg??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shru, you can mix it together it the first stage itself. You can also add egg, sometimes I make orappam with egg and it is very tasty :)
      Thanks for visiting..hope you will like this recipe.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks

 12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks  Are you looking for some light bites to indulge during tea time? Well, you have come to the right place. Kerala cuisine has an exhaustive list of traditional tea-time snacks.  The list of ingredients is available in your pantry, making it possible to make these delicious snacks. Many of these snacks, can be quickly whipped up with rice flour, coconut, and jaggery. I am sharing a list of snack recommendations from Kerala that are easy to cook at home. These sweet and savory snacks are heartwarming and will make you nostalgic. It is by no means is a complete list. I am sharing some of the top picks of this blog in one space for easy reference. If you like to try, more recipes check my earlier post on 10 Quick and Easy Kerala Snacks/ Tea time snacks that you can make in under 20 minutes . Do you have any favorite snack that is simple and easy to make? I would love to hear about your favorite traditional snacks. Please share your idea

Kerala Black Halwa/ Karutha Halwa/ Rice Flour Halwa

Kerala Black Halwa/ Karutha Halwa/ Rice Flour Halwa December has finally arrived and it means it is almost Christmas time! How many of you look forward to the Season of Joy! My birthday also comes in December, so it is a double celebration for me :) How is the Christmas planning coming along for everyone? It is exactly three weeks for Christmas and I am planning to share a few recipes for the holidays this year. This is the first one I wanted to share with all of you -Kerala style sweet delicacy- a real nostalgia, the Black Halwa. Halwas has always amazed me with its simplicity, unique texture and taste. It is a gel-like sweet candy that you can never stop eating. When making halwa there is a time-honored cooking technique and halwa making is time-consuming. So people simply prefer to buy it from the shop. But making your own is a rewarding experience. Now many of the traditional sweets are forgotten or get overlooked for fancier ones in bakeries. But that is not the case w

10 Quick and Easy Kerala Snacks/ Tea time snacks

Do you often look for snack ideas? I like to try new snack recipes. Freshly homemade, tea time snacks appeals to all ages. There are comfort and joy in munching a delicious sweet or savory deep-fried snack with hot piping tea. Some recipes make you nostalgic, and we keep coming back to it time and again. Kerala has an exhaustive list of traditional tea-time snacks. You never get tired of eating them! So here is a list of family favorites. Today I am sharing a collection of 10 easy to make snacks that you can make under 20 minutes . Do you have any favorite snack that is simple and easy to make? Please share your ideas, leave me a comment below Want to try more Kerala snacks, check my post 12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks  Pazham Pori- Crispy Fried Sweet Plantain Pazham pori is a quick and easy tea time snack. It is made with ripe sweet plantains dipped in a batter and then deep-fried in coconut oil to crispy golden. Ingredients Ripe plantains - 3 medium Maida-1 1/