Nei Appam (Ghee Appam)

Category: Indian Sweets / Festival Recipes
Preparation Time: 15 mins + 3 hours soaking + 1–2 hours resting time
Cooking Time: 15–20 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Festivals are always a great excuse to make some of our traditional homemade sweets, and Krishna Jayanthi is one of my favorite occasions to prepare simple, delicious treats at home.

Nei Appam

This Nei Appam is one such easy festival recipe made with raw rice, jaggery, coconut and ripe banana. There is no refined sugar here, and the natural sweetness from the jaggery and banana makes these paniyarams absolutely delicious.

The batter is made by soaking raw rice and grinding it along with jaggery, coconut, banana and cardamom. I usually prefer using pure jaggery powder, which makes the process even easier. If your jaggery has impurities, simply melt it with a little water and strain it before adding it to the batter.

I like to let the batter rest for an hour or two before making the paniyarams. A small pinch of baking soda is added just before cooking, which helps make them soft inside.

These are cooked in a paniyaram pan with ghee, so they develop a beautiful golden-brown crust on the outside while staying soft and flavorful inside. They are best enjoyed warm!

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Jaggery powder - 3/4 cup (I used pure jaggery powder)
• Fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
• Well-ripe banana - 1 no
• Cardamom - 1 no
• Baking soda - a pinch
• Salt - a pinch
• Ghee - as needed

Method:

1. Wash and soak the raw rice for at least 3 hours.
2. Drain the water completely from the soaked rice.
3. Add the drained rice, cardamom, jaggery powder, coconut and ripe banana to a blender.
4. Grind everything together to make a smooth batter. Do not add excess water. Add only a little water if absolutely needed to help with grinding.
5. Transfer the batter to a bowl and let it rest for 1–2 hours for best results.
6. When you are ready to make the paniyarams, add a pinch of salt and baking soda to the batter and mix well.
7. Heat a paniyaram pan over medium-low heat. Add about 1 teaspoon of ghee into each cavity.
8. Pour the batter into each cavity, filling it about 3/4 full.
9. Cover and cook on low flame for 1–2 minutes.
10. Once the bottom starts turning golden brown, gently turn the paniyarams using a paniyaram skewer or spoon.
11. Add a little more ghee around the edges if needed.
12. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, adjusting the flame to medium, until the paniyarams are evenly golden brown and cooked through.
13. Remove and transfer to a serving bowl.

Enjoy these warm, soft and delicious Nei Appams!

They make a lovely Krishna Jayanthi / Gokulashtami offering and are also perfect for making whenever you have a ripe banana at home. The combination of jaggery, coconut, banana and cardamom gives these paniyarams a wonderful traditional flavor.