Appe, also called appo, paniyaram, appa, paddu, etc., is a popular South Indian recipe prepared as prasad or breakfast/evening snack in both sweet and savory versions. For sweet appe, wheat flour and jaggery are the main ingredients, sometimes with the addition of flattened rice (poha) or banana. For savory appe, rice (or semolina suji rava) and urad dal are the main ingredients. If you are from the coastal region of Karnataka (i.e., Mangalore, Udupi, and Kundapur regions), then you must be familiar with appo or appe. Appo is offered to Lord Ganapati (Ganesha) in the form of naivedyam during Sankashti, Ganesh Chaturthi (or Vinayaka chavithi), and during Ganahoma (or Ganapati Havana).
I have a popular appo recipe prepared using rice that is traditionally prepared for Ganesh Chaturthi. The recipe was given to us by a temple bhatmam (priest). The only change I made in the recipe is that instead of puffed rice (kheel or laayi), I used flattened rice or poha. When appes are cooked in the temple on a large scale, they use firewood as the source of heat, which gives the appes a unique smoky flavor. Use a good amount of desi ghee for cooking appes as this is what makes it more delicious. Also, note that the type of pan you use to cook appes (non-stick or cast iron) will determine the texture of the appes.
1 cup Jaggery 1 cup Whole wheat flour or Atta ¼ cup Puffed Rice (Layi or Kheel) or Flattened rice (Poha) ¼ to ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder ¼ teaspoon Salt Water (approximately 1 to 1.25 cups) Ghee for cooking In a blender or mixer, add poha or puffed rice and blend it to smooth powder. In a bowl, add jaggery, wheat flour, poha powder from above, cardamom powder, salt, and water little by little to form a smooth medium thick batter. Check the video here for the right consistency.
Heat paniyaram pan or appe pan on medium flame. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee to each mold/hole. Once the ghee is hot, drop batter in each hole, cover with a lid and cook until the bottom becomes golden in color. Using a spoon, flip and cook on another side until it is cooked through and the edges become crisp. Repeat the process for the remaining batter. For classic taste, dip each appe in ghee and enjoy. Tip: To make it complete temple style, I have not added baking soda. If you want a little puffed-up appes, add a pinch of baking soda to the batter.
Recipe card
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