Monday, July 6, 2009

Idiappam/Steamed Rice Noodles



Idiappam or Steamed Rice Noodles is a popular breakfast dish of Kerala cuisine. Made with rice flour, salt and water this forms a great combo with both veg and non-veg curries. Idiappam-stew is a heavenly combo and is commonly served during traditional occasions. Idiappam is also known as Nool Puttu(Nool-String)/String Hoppers.


How to make Idiappam?
To make Idiappam you need an Idiappam mould, Idli tray and a Steamer/Pressure Cooker. The Idiappam mould has three parts- The presser, the mould and a perforated lid. The Idiappam dough is placed inside a cylindrical shaped mould closed with a perforated lid at the bottom. The presser is then fitted to the top of the mould, the handle of the presser is rotated compressing the dough that passes through the perforated lid transforming it into strings which are placed on the Idli tray kept below. The Idli trays containing the dough are then steamed using either an Idli steamer/pressure cooker for about 10-12 minutes.


Tips for making soft Idiappam
Certain steps have to be followed for making soft idiappams. The rice flour should only be mixed with salted boiling water. The boiling water is slowly added to the flour with continuous stirring. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before kneading to make a smooth dough. The dough should be made with right amount of water for obtaining the right texture of idiappams. Addition of ghee/oil to water also aids in making soft idiappams.


Serving Idiappam
Idiappams form a great combo with either of the following dishes: Lamb Curry, Kadala curry, Spicy Potato Stew, Ishtu, Mutton stew or Chicken curry. It may also be served with dry dishes like: Egg Roast, Kerala Beef Roast, Beef Ularthu(Roast) or Chicken Ularthu.


Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 2 cups
Boiling water - 2 cups(approx)
Ghee/Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Grated coconut

Method:
  • Dry roast the rice flour at low-medium heat for about 8-10 minutes with continuous stirring. Do not allow the colour of flour to change. If you are using store bought puttu flour/idiappam flour you may skip this process of roasting. Keep roasted flour aside.
  • Bring water to boil in a vessel, add enough salt and ghee/oil.
  • When water starts boiling, turn off heat and immediately add it to the flour and stir so that the water gets incorporated well.
  • Stop adding water when you see that the flour has enough moisture to be made into a non sticky dough.
  • Let it cool a little and make a smooth dough with slight kneading. The dough shouldnt be sticky.
  • Grease the idli trays well with ghee/oil.
  • Fill the dough in the idiappam mould fitted with the perforated lid at the bottom. Place an idly tray below.
  • Close the mould and rotate the handle so that the presser moves downwards compressing the dough forcing it to pass through the perforated lid in the form of strings.
  • When a thin layer is formed place some grated coconut and continue to make another layer of strings.
  • Continue this process until all the moulds of the idli trays are filled.
  • Stack the trays one above the other, keep it in a pressure cooker filled with enough water for the steaming process and steam for about 10-12 minutes. The process I followed was-cook on high heat until steam starts coming out of the nozzle of the cooker, reduce heat to low-medium and continue steaming process for 10-12 minutes.
  • Unmould the idiappams from the idli trays.
  • Serve hot.
Pooja.

You may serve Idiappam with:

Potato StewKerala Kadala CurryIshtuMutton StewLamb CurryChicken CurryBeef RoastBeef UlarthuChicken UlarthuEgg Roast

99 comments:

Dhanya Ganesh said...

Awesome Idiappam's Poojs. My favourite:).

Pooja said...

Thanks Dhanya :) Mine too!

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Awesome Idiappams. I have to find a kerali friend to make it for me now...

Pooja said...

Thanks HCOF :) Hehe actually you can make it..its easy once you have all the required utensils!

Bhawna said...

Hi Pooja,
Idiappam looks good,Kids will definately love it due to its noodle texture.

Padma said...

Delicious Idiappam Pooja... one of fav dish ... usually make both sweet and savory ... yours has come out perfect and nice step by step details for making them :)

Mangala Bhat said...

WoW! awsome ..One of my friends Soumya ./she makes this all the time ..R u Mangalorean ?

Gita Jaishankar said...

Nice pictures Pooja...can you pls pass me on that plate of idiyappam and chicken curry :)

Vrinda said...

Idiyappam looks just perfect Pooja..As u mentioned in our area its known as Nool puttu but i am not good in making this,my hubby makes nicely,his fav too..

Pooja said...

Thanks Bhawna :) You are right dear! I used to love this a lot when I was a kid and if you have big idli tray then you can make it more bigger and flatter :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Padma :) Yes my mom makes the sweet ones too but I prefer savoury ones with spicy curries :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Mangala :) No dear..am a Keralite :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Gita :) Sure you are most welcome!

Pooja said...

Thanks Vrinda :) Frankly I messed this up the first time I made it and idiappams turned out rock hard. Learnt it gradually :)

Anonymous said...

These rice noodles sounds delicious - would love to try!

Sanghi said...

Tasty idiappams pooja, i use little small holes in the presser. Looks tempting with chicken curry dear! am drooling over them here ;)

Sanghi said...

Tasty idiappams pooja, i use little small holes in the presser. Looks tempting with chicken curry dear! am drooling over them here ;)

Priyameena said...

Wow...My Favorite...Looks great..The tips are really helpful..

Vibaas said...

i cant believe u made them from scratch. u r rocking! :)

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

It's been so long since I made idiappam. I love it but don't have the utensils here. Yum yum .....nice pics.

Sailaja Damodaran said...

nice combo...

Suparna said...

hi pooja,
Looks yummm...lovely pics, we make idiappams more or less he same way in konkani we call it sevai...I love home made hot sevai ....it's quite a task to make it! good job girlie :)
Enjoy!

Indian Khana said...

Looks awesome Pooja and nice detail recipe...I'll try for sure...

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi Pooja.
A good try indeed. I love idiyappam .A friend of our's used to saute it with onions and spices and they used to be really yummy.

Priya Suresh said...

Woww one of my favourite, feel like having rite now with coconut milk and sugar!!yummmm!!!mouthwatering!

Parita said...

hey pooja, another traditional dish from you :) never made these at home, hmm after ishtu this is on my to do list :)

Hari Chandana P said...

Woww... awesome dear.. simply superb.. nice clicks!!

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Idiyappam looks so tasty perfect. Looks great.

Shama Nagarajan said...

wow..looks yummy dear

Saritha said...

Delicious pooja,i remembered by school days when my friends used to get these with veg curry.

Doloncookbook said...

Heard about this bout never had this ... Looks so yummy & delicious ... After this recipe , will try now ....

Bergamot said...

looks just wonderful... this requires a lot of effort and skill. admire you for that. As kids we used to eat this doused in loads of elachi flavoured coconut milk sweetened with jaggery.

ARUNA said...

hey Pooja, u have a cute collection of utensils and idiappam looks good, never tried it!!!

Sarah Naveen said...

Wow!!!! Idiyappam is my favourite...its heaven with Mutta curry!!!
Nice picture too!!!

Ann said...

WOW~ this recipe reminds me of my childhood, I love to have this with milk and sugar :) Yumm

Pooja said...

Thanks Natasha :) Do give a try some time. You would love it :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Sanghi :) Idiappam with non veg curry is my favourite combo :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Priya :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Vibaas :) Its not difficult to make this if you follow the tips :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Smitha :) Yes I know..I bought these from my home town!

Pooja said...

Thanks Ms.Sailaja :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Suparna :) Nice to learn another name :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Priti :) Do try it!

Pooja said...

Thanks Pari :) Wow that would be really good. Frankly I have never had that way!

Pooja said...

Thanks Priya :) Yes its so tasty :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Parita :) Do give this a try too! It would taste great with ishtu :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Hari Chandana :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Valar :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Shama :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Varunavi :) Its a lovely combo :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Dolon :) Do give a try dear :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Bergamot :) Wow that is a tempting combo!

Pooja said...

Thanks Aruna :) You would love it!

Pooja said...

Thanks Sarah :) Yes its heavenly with mutta curry :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Ann :) Yes its so tasty!

VineelaSiva said...

Wow nice dish pooja.I never heard and taste this dish.I will defnetiely try this recipe.What else pooja?

Pooja said...

Thanks Vineela :) Do try it. Kids would love this with curries. And since its steamed its healthy too! Everything going on fine here dear! Hope your computer problem gets resolved soon!

Kitchen Chronicles said...

Idiappams look very beautiful.

Preeti Singh said...

Awesome looking idiappam Pooja....looks too tempting....

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow....looks yum.....

Pooja said...

Thanks Lakshmi :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Preeti :)

Yasmeen said...

I've all those equipment needed ,murruku maker and idli stand,will try these noodles for sure,looks yum with the stew.
About the event query,since we are making a complete meal,keep all the 3 courses(dishes) together in one post.any other questions ,do ask :)

Anonymous said...

oh, I have never tried or even heard of idiappams before! It looks like so much fun to eat!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

super.. the combo is a hit. ishtu and idiyaapam.... mmm yummy

Lena Jayadev said...

Idiappams looks so soft...this is my all time fav to hav wth chicken curry.. :) snap is just superb.. :)

the comment you posted was really nice..im so sorry that i missed sm of ur posts..bt u knw that mostly im d one who posts fst comment for ur each post.sorry for the delay of 2weeks i made to peep into ur blog..actual reason was something else..was taking bed rest for 2weeks..i didn want to include it in my blog entry so thought of telling here..im fine nw..n expecting for mini Lena / Mini Rashmin in another 7months.. :) lol..so nw i think, u wl excuse for my delay..this comment became like an essay..i wl catch u in orkut..so v can chit chat.. :)

lissie said...

Pooja, this is my favourite! idiyappam with chicken curry looks so tempting! nice post...

Anonymous said...

Pooja,first visit to your blog.How are ya doing ?
hey,your blog looks gorgeous...adding you.expect me here soon..

Shri said...

It looks so good.I have always wanted to make Palappam and Idiappam but they never turn out well.Well,will try this recipe out.Yours looks delish.

Muneeba said...

I need to just go and LIVE in south india for a while, just so I can work my way through all the delicious food! You've shown me yet another dish that I've never seen before. Now I'm mad that we don't have proper south indian restaurants around here ... I mean the ones that sell something OTHER than idlis & dosas! Therez obviously so much more they could be offering!

Pooja said...

Thanks Yasmeen :) And do try this..you would really love it! And thanks for clearing my doubt. Will send in something for the event!

Pooja said...

Yes it is indeed Sophia :) Soft n spongy it was a favourite right from my childhood days :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Mahimaa :) Yes they go together!

Pooja said...

Thanks Lena :) Hey I'm so happy for you! That is really great news! Congrats! Hope you are doing good and take good care of yourself! Reg: commenting on blog I dont have a prob dear..I know how hard it is to keep up with the updates when life is so busy. It takes a lot of time n patience! So dont worry about that! Enjoy and devote much time to yourself. I need to create a new orkut profile which I'll be doing soon(I had deleted my old one due to unwanted interferences) and will give you a friend request :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Lissie :) Idiappam with non veg curries is my favourite too!

Pooja said...

Thanks a lot Ann for dropping by :) Will see you!

Pooja said...

Thanks Shri :) Yes I understand..I too had a siilar problem when I started cooking. Lots of tales to tell..hehe..dont worry..it would work out fine!

Pooja said...

Thanks Muneeba :) Actually some breakfast dishes like Idiappam, Appam are Kerala specialities and I know how difficult it is to find a South Indian restuarant outside the state that offers these!I have never found one in US that has Idiappam/Appam in their menu other than idli dosa. Craved a lot for it at that point of time that I decided to make it myself :)

Srilakshmi said...

Never tried Idiappam even though I visited Kerala couple of times! This looks delicious. Being a veggie, Can't comment on the Chicken dish though :-D

Preety said...

i saw these on many blogs so many times but don't have all the tools to make it :(..but looks so delicious..

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

Hat's off to you Pooja for making all these at home-your hubby probably doesn't miss Kerala at all!Lucky hubby :)

Pooja said...

Thnaks Srilakshmi :) Oh then you should try this! You would definitely love it :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Preety :) Yeah this cannot be made without those utensils :(

Pooja said...

Thanks Sweta :) After coming here we used to miss the traditional dishes a lot until I learnt n started making. There is only one Indian restuarant in our place and that too we dont get Kerala dishes other than the South Indian dosa/idli. For me having these makes me feel closer to home :)

Sushma Mallya said...

my all time fav idiappams...just love it...looks soft and good pooja....

Ammu said...

Lovely idiyapams pooja. Amma used to do this. I never tried this. Will try ur version. Looks superb.

Pooja said...

Thanks Sushma :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Ammu :) Do give a try sometime!

mathew said...

ente ponne!! its sheer torture for me to see through these pics...idiappam is easly one of my fav breakfasts....there is a homely feel to this dish coz u dont get often in restaurants too..

Rekha said...

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Pooja said...

Thanks Mathew :) Yes my favourite too and since I dont find it in any restaurant here I started making it myself..trials n errors inte tale vere :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Rekha for the invite :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Rekha for the invite :)

Rahin said...

looks very authentic pooja

webay said...

Looks awesome Pooja and nice detail recipe...I'll try for sure...

Vikis Kitchen said...

Idiyappam with that spicy curry makes me drooling:)

Pooja said...

Thanks Rahin :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Webay :)

Pooja said...

Thanks Vicky :) My favourite combo!