Happy Birthday, Dad. I cannot believe you are 65 already. You look young, dashing, energetic - our superhero. I love you for who you are: a man with few words, away from all controversies, simple living, your belief in god, kind & loving, helpful to all. You are all in one, and I cannot explain how lucky we are. Words are not enough to describe you. Today, I really have nothing to give you except loads of love and respect. But I wanted to make your 65th Birthday special & memorable for you and all of us.
Food being my main focus now & always, I wanted to prepare a dish, especially for your Birthday. Vedu kept saying Appu 65, Appu 65, and this is how it all started. Your grandkid already gave the name for the dish - all we had to think was what would be that dish. Whenever we made appo (paniyaram) at home, I always remember that you kept saying, “today I am for breakfast,” in a funny way. For all those you don’t know my dad, Appu has been his pet name since childhood, and he is called appu, appumam, appubhavaji, appuajja, etc., by most friends and relatives and grandkids. So, this made my task easier. Simple traditional appo tossed with 65 masala, and here you go. And yes, now that you have also turned into a vegetarian, the dish below - Appu 65 - would be a good substitute for chicken 65 and a perfect accompaniment for beer. I hope you will love it.
Appu 65 for your 65th Birthday, and we will remember this for the rest of our life. We all wish you a very happy and healthy Appu 100 soon. Stay happy, healthy, and keep smiling always. Cheers!!!! Back to the recipe, soft appes are first cooked and then fried in flavored batter. Finally, fried appes are tossed in an aromatic seasoning and served. I bet you can’t stop after eating one.
Ingredients for APPU 65 (PANIYARAM 65 OR APPE 65)
3 cups Dosa batter (I have all in one dosa batter , idli dosa batter & benne dosa batter that you can use to make appos. Use any one batter of your choice or even store-bought idli-dosa batter works well for this dish) Oil, to cook appe ¼ cup Rice flour 2 tablespoon Cornflour 1 tablespoon Curry leaves 1 teaspoon Garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon Ginger, chopped 1 teaspoon Red chile powder ½ teaspoon Garam masala powder ½ teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste Water, as needed (approx half cup) Oil for frying 1 tablespoon Oil 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds 2 tablespoon Garlic, finely chopped 2 sprigs Curry leaves 3 Green chilies, slit ½ teaspoon Red chile powder or paprika 1 tablespoon Yogurt or Curd ¼ teaspoon Salt
How to make APPU 65 or PANIYARAM 65 or APPE 65?
Heat appe pan or paniyaram pan on medium heat. If it is a nonstick pan, no oil is needed. Else, drizzle oil into each hole or mold while the pan heats up. Once the pan is hot, pour the batter into each hole, drizzle some oil, cover with a lid and allow it to cook for two to three minutes. When cooked on one side, flip and cook on the other side until golden brown. Drizzle some more oil if needed. Repeat the process for the remaining batter.
I have fried the cooked appes to get that crispy coating on the outside resembling chicken 65. If you do not want to fry, you can simply skip and toss it in the seasoning given below. The taste, texture, and appearance will vary accordingly. In a bowl, add rice flour, cornflour, curry leaves, garlic, ginger, red chile powder, garam masala powder, and salt to taste. Now add water little by little and mix to form a medium thick batter. Check out the video here. Heat oil in a pan for frying. Once hot, dip each cooked appe in the batter and drop them in oil. Fry six to eight appes depending on the size of the pan. Cook on medium flame till it turns crispy on all sides. Transfer it to a paper towel. Repeat for remaining appes.
In a pan on medium flame, add oil. When it is hot, add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds. Now add garlic, curry leaves, and saute for 2 minutes or until it becomes light golden. Next, add green chilies, chile powder, yogurt, salt, and mix. Finally, add the fried appos and toss until combined. Switch off the flame. Appu 65 is ready. Serve hot and enjoy!!!!
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