ഇടിയപ്പം - rice noodles

 

Also known as noolputtu or noolappam. Our favorite is idiyappam with sweetened thick coconut milk. 
INGREDIENTS: makes 18-20 small idiyappams

1. 1 cup appam/idiyappam powder( I have used store bought flour)
2. 1-1/4 to 2 cups boiling water (just hot water is not enough; it should be boiling)
3. 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp salt

METHOD

• Oil idly moulds. Take out the idly steamer and fill it with water.
• Take the flour in a bowl suitable for withstanding hot water. I use store-bought flour. Different packets require different amounts of water. So, if you are opening a new packet, start with 2 cups of boiling water. After making it into a dough, you will get an estimate of how much water is required for flour in that packet.
• Stir in salt into the flour. 
  

• Use the tip of a ladle to mix the boiling water into the flour. 
• Add boiling water to the flour. Don't add all of it at once. As you add the water, keep stirring the flour with the back end of the spoon or ladle. The flour will start to come together into a dough. When the dough is wet and there's no dry powder at the bottom of the bowl, you can stop adding the water.
  

• At this point, you can either wait for the dough to cool down a little bit (about 5 minutes) and knead it, OR you can start making the idiyappam by pinching out a small part of the dough, making it into a smooth ball, putting it into the idiyappam achu right away, and starting pressing. 
• I have used idily moulds to press the idiyappam into.

• Put the steamer basket with water to boil. After the water boils and steam comes out, reduce the heat to medium-high and steam the molds containing the idiyappam for 5 minutes.

• Transfer the idiyappams to a hot pack immediately. If you keep it in moulds even for a short time, the idiyappams will start sticking to them. Serve with stew or sweetened coconut milk.
  

NOTES

• How do I know that the water is sufficient? Add water until no more flour is left at the bottom of the bowl. And when it is made into a dough, it shouldn't stick to your hands. That means the water added is just the right amount. The right amount of water makes a very smooth, non-sticky dough.
• Making idiyappams with just 1 cup is easy. You can do it alone with a maximum of 2 cups. But with 3 cups or more, ask for help pressing the idiyappams in the idiyappam achu.
• It is easier to squeeze the idiyappams when the dough is warm. As the dough cools down it becomes hard to press. 
• When making in bulk, I like to work on smaller portions. 2 cups of flour at a time. 
• Idiyappam squeezed using the smallest holed mold makes the softest, melt-in-your-mouth idiyappam, but pressing requires a little more effort.
• Sometimes, pressing the idiyappams in the press can be frustrating. I tried pressing it very slowly and moving the rod very gently. It worked. Pressing it very slowly does the trick, unlike being in haste and doing it fast. Sometimes, squeezing in the idiyappam press is very tricky. It's like taming a wild beast.
• If too much water is used for the flour, the idiyappams tend to shrink after steaming. If very little water is used for the flour, the idiyappams will be very coarse after steaming, and also, while pressing the idiyappams, the strings won't fall smoothly. 
• The little bit of dough that's left can be rolled and shaped into tiny vada/doughnut shapes and steamed.
• The idiyappam presses available in stores are very difficult to pipe compared to the old ones. They require a lot more effort and muscle power to press. I ask my husband to help me with the pressing, or if I am doing it alone, I add a little bit of dough, press, and repeat. Doing it little by little works for me.
• When the dough is hot, it's not sticky, but it tends to be sticky when it cools down.  I tried adding oil to the rice powder before mixing, but it did not really work. 

SWEETENED COCONUT MILK

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 cups grated coconut
2. 3/4 cup lukewarm water
3. 2 Tbsp sugar

METHOD

• Put the coconut and 1/2 cup water in a mixie and blend until the coconut is nicely pureed. Now, pour in the rest of the water and blend nicely. Using a sieve, squeeze out the milk into a bowl. Squeeze to yield 1 cup of thick coconut milk.
• Add sugar and stir.