April 05, 2013

Watermelon Nei Appam / Watermelon Dumplings


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I prefer eating plain watermelon or watermelon juice. I had never even thought of using watermelon in any other form or a cuisine.
On seeing Sizzling Tastebuds' event Magic Mingle #16 (MM16) with main ingredients as Rice and Watermelon, is when I started to think how to use it with rice so that the flavor and taste of watermelon is not lost on combining with rice.
I finally decided to make "Nei Appam" using watermelon. The traditional Nei appam is made by soaking the rice and grinding it with jaggery and then pouring them in the paniyaram pan and cooking on slow fire.I tweaked this recipe a little bit to accomodate the flavor of watermelon.I was a little doubtful while making wondering about the taste and texture. To my surprise it turned out really well and the flavor and taste of watermelon could be felt in each bite.The softness of the appams was also retained.

Preparation Time : 2 hours
Cooking Time : 15 20 mins
Makes about 15-20 appams

Watermelon Nei Appam

Ingredients


1 cup raw rice
11/2 cups grated jaggery
8-10 medium sized chunks of watermelon
pinch of baking powder
pinch of baking soda
chopped cashew nuts and raisins (optional)
3-4 tsp ghee
small piece of banana

Method

  • Wash and soak the rice for about  45 to 90 mins
  • In a blender,first grind the rice,watermelon chunks and the small piece of banana to a smooth mixture.Banana is used for softness,use a small piece else the banana flavor will be dominating.
  • Add the jaggery and blend further.In case you feel you need more sweetness,add some jaggery and blend well.
  • Add the finely chopped dry fruits ,baking powder,baking soda and mix well. Set aside for about 5-10 mins.
  • Meanwhile,heat the paniyaram pan and drizzle about 4-5 drops of ghee in each of the hole .
  • Slowly pour the appam batter in each hole and cook well. Cover and cook for about 2- 3 mins.
  • Carefully flip over to the other side and cook well.
  • Serve hot.
  • Serving Suggestions : Drizzle a little honey over the appams and serve.

Linking to Magic Mingle #16 of Sizzling Tastebuds

5 comments:

  1. That is truly a very interesting appam!

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  2. Very interesting and definitely very creative nei appam.

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  3. Nice appam and it's different too. Thanks great post. I love different types of dishes. I searched here and found something different. For further assistance. ClickRe, Be, Ro.

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  4. Wow. What a twist. Sound delicious.

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