Vatteppam / Vattayappam – Kerala’s Steamed Rice Cake For ICC

When Srivalli announced the recipe for this months Indian Cooking Challenge, I was astonished to see the lengthy procedure.It looked very strenuous and time consuming.It looked like a real challenge had come by.But when I went through it for the second time, I found it similar to Idli, the only difference being the ingredients added to it.

The chosen recipe of this month is Vatteppam / Vattayappam , which is considered to be Kerala’s Queen of steamed rice cake!!I have never seen it, let alone taste it.So this was a real challenge to me.Well, Srivalli did point us to a beautiful Vatteppam from Shn’s- Mishmash! blog.One glance at the click was all that I needed to run to the kitchen to soak the rice.

Even though the procedure was lengthy Shn had explained it very well.When I set out preparing the recipe, it seemed so simple!

I read from Shn’s blog that it was usually served as a tea time snack with tea/ coffee and I wondered how mine would turn out.Would it be fit enough to come to the coffee table or will it land up in ‘another’ place?Only time could tell.

Without delay, I soaked rice as soon as the announcement was made and explained the steps to mom, who also seemed eager to see how it would turn out 🙂

Here is what I used for this recipe.Though idli ponni rice was used in the original recipe, I soaked the usual idli rice that I had at home.

The recipe also had active dry yeast as one of the ingredients .But all I had was this…

So here comes the step by step procedure to make spongy Queen Cake of Kerala – Vetteppam….

But before that let me tempt you with a click…….

I used:

For the batter

Idli rice – 1 cup
Fresh grated coconut – 3/4 cup
Steamed rice –  1/4 cup
A little water to grind the ingredients

Instant dry yeast – 1/2 a teaspoon [ See note below]

To prepare Thari Kurukku / Rice porridge:

Coarsely ground rice paste – 2 tablespoons
Water – 1/2 a cup

To sweeten and flavor:

Sugar – 3/4 cup [Adjust to taste]
Cardamom pods- 2, seeds removed and crushed
Almonds flakes -1 tablespoon
Raisins – 1 tablespoon
Ghee – 2 tablespoons

1. Soak rice for 6 hours

2.Drain and grind in a mixie or grinder.Since I used only 1 cup of rice, I used the mixie.Add very little water for grinding.Grind to get a coarse batter.

Hope this click gives a clear picture of the coarse paste.This is one of the ingredients listed under the ingredients required for Thari Kurukku / Rice porridge. Keep 2 tablespoons aside.

3.Grind the remaining batter to a fine paste.

4.Add freshly grated coconut

5. Add steamed rice

6.Grind to a smooth batter and let it cool.Grinding for a long time will cause the batter to heat,so it is advisable to let it cool before proceeding.

7.Meanwhile prepare the rice porridge.Heat water in a pan

8.When it comes to a rolling boil, add the coarse rice paste that was set aside in step – 2.

9. Mix well

My notes :

• In the procedure, we were asked to use rice that was less starchy.So if idli rice is not available, select rice accordingly.
• While grinding rice, add as little water as possible.If the batter is watery when you grind it , the end product will not have the desired result.
• If you use dry instant yeast reduce it to 1/4 teaspoon as against the 1/2 teaspoon mentioned in the procedure. I used 1/2 a teaspoon and the cake had a light ‘ yeasty’ odor.
• Add a teaspoon of sugar to the yeast before fermenting it overnight.
• Since I used Instant dry yeast , there was no need for proofing. In case you use active fry yeast, you need to proof it.Add 2 teaspoons of sugar to warm water and add 1/2 teaspoon of active yeast.Set it in a warm place for 15- 20 minutes till it create a ‘dome of foam’ on top of the mixture.Depending on the temperature, it may take longer than 20 minutes to foam up.Then add this to step – 11.
• Use a large dish to ferment the batter overnight.Take care not to let the fermented batter over flow from the vessel.
• Adjust sugar to sweeten according to taste.Add more if you have a sweet tooth
• Take the batter for sugar before steaming
• The original recipe calls for cashew as a garnish .I used almond flakes.
• While steaming take care to see that the water at the bottom of the pressure cooker does not bubble up and mix with the batter.
• You can add the raisins and almonds to the batter and mix well before steaming it for even distribution of garnish.I mixed half to the batter and added the remaining on top of the batter after steaming it for 15 minutes.
• Another suggestion while steaming this is to pour the batter in idli moulds / small cups instead of a large vessel.

Its a very easy yet delicious recipe though the procedure seems lengthy.I really enjoyed this ‘challenging’ steamed rice cake.

Since today we are posting for ICC challenge, the diabetic series will continue from tomorrow.

Check out what the Marathoners are doing in Season #4 of the blogging marathon hosted by Srivalli

Diabetes Diet/Management: PJ[That’s me]

Kid Friendly Recipes: Suma, Priya Suresh, Divya
Seven Days of Soup:Ila, Smita P
Seven Days of Indian Bread: Monika
Seven Days of Cakes:  Bhagyashri
30 Minutes Meals: Archana  
Seven days of Condiment: Kamalika, Srivalli