Vattayappam or Steamed Rice Buns are delicious breakfast items from the state of Kerala in India. Popular among the Christian community of Kerala, these buns go through the process of fermenting and steaming the dough. It is customary to make Vattayappam for Easter and Christmas.
Not only are these healthy due to fermentation, they are also oil free, Vegan and Gluten Free.
Vattay means round in Malayalam language and Appam means pan cake. So Vattayappam translates to Round Pancakes.
Popular across Southern India for centuries, fermenting has made a fashionable comeback as a provider of ‘good’ bacteria that contributes to a healthy digestive system. you may check here to understand what the process of fermentation does.
If you are interested in some more breakfast items from Southern India, please check below posts of mine.
NO-FAIL RECIPE FOR INSTANT OATS RAVA IDLI
MOONG PALAK DHOKLA, LENTIL SPINACH STEAMED CAKE
Please try this easy recipe for Vattayappam or Steamed Rice Buns from Kerala and leave your comment to let me know how you liked them.
Key Ingredients required
Rice Flour is the key ingredient for this recipe. Many a times, for making vattayappam, people use fresh rice after soaking and grinding. But here, the readymade rice flour is a replacement to fresh rice. You can use the same rice flour which is used for making idiyappam or other snacks.
Fresh coconut is another main ingredient which lends not only an amazing flavor, but also gives a pristine white color to the Vattayappam.
Instant yeast helps to quickly ferment the dough. Depending on the climatic condition, the fermenting may require anywhere from 2 hours to 5 hours.
If you want to consume Vattayappam as a breakfast item, then you may make it sweeter by increasing the quantity of sugar. But if you consume it as a side dish with some curry, then it is normally less sweet.
Vattayappam, Steamed Rice Buns from Kerala
Equipment
- Vitamix High Speed Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup White Rice Preferably use Sona Masoori Rice or any other good quality white rice.
- 1 cup Freshly Grated coconut
- 1 cup Cooked Rice Preferable cook and use Idli Rice. If it is not available, then you can use any other white rice cooked.
- 1 cup Coconut Milk
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Yeast
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Nos Cardamom If using a heavy duty blender, then you can use the entire pod. Otherwise use only the seeds.
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
- Soak Rice for 4 hours.
- Once soaked, wash multiple times till the water becomes clear.
- Strain and add to a Blender Jar.
- Add all other ingredients to the jar.
- Blend everything to make a fine paste.Transfer this batter to a large vessel. Make sure to use a large vessel since the batter will double up once fermented.
- Cover and let ferment. Depending on the climatic conditions, it may take anywhere between 2 to 5 hours. I used Instant Pot for fermenting. It took me 2 hours when the normal temp outside was around 40°F/4°C.
- Fill Water into a steamer pan and keep it on heat.
- Generously grease a round pan and keep that also when you are pre steaming the container.
- After 5 minutes, open the lid, pour batter to fill just 3/4th of the pan.
- Cover and first steam on high for 5 minutes. If you want to arrange any nuts on top of vattayappam, then at this stage arrange them. If you do it initially, the nuts may go down.
- Then lower the flame and steam for another 20-25 minutes.
- Check with a skewer if the vattayappam is cooked from all sides.
- Turn off flame and let the vattayappam cool completely before unmolding.
- Once cool, gently pull from the edges. It will automatically leave sides.
- Slice and serve as a healthy tea time snack.
Nutrition Facts
10 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories175
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
4.46g
7%
- Saturated Fat 3.91g 20%
- Sodium 174.7mg 8%
- Potassium 85.2mg 3%
- Total Carbohydrate
31.87g
11%
- Dietary Fiber 1.36g 6%
- Sugars 11.24g
- Protein 2.23g 5%
- Vitamin C 1%
- Calcium 1%
- Iron 11%
- Magnesium 3%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.