Nei Appam is a traditional & festive sweet made by blending rice flour with powdered jaggery and simmering it in ghee molds. Nei Appam is a popular delicacy in Kerala and is commonly made for Karthigai Deepam across South India. How to make Nei Appam is explained in this post with step by step pictures.
Nei Appam Recipe with step by step pictures and video. This sweet nei appam is made for different occasions and one of the most liked items at home.
About Nei Appam Recipe
I have tried the instant nei appam too which is quick and needs no soaking.But this is the traditional method which we use to make for festivals or any special occassions.
Karthigai Deepam is one of the few festivals I look forward each year. Lighting diyas and collecting new ones each year has always been special to me.Now clicking each diya has also been added to the list. Lets get on to learn how to make nei appam recipe.
If you are reluctant to use soda then add a banana while grinding for softer nei appam. You can even use wheat flour if the batter becomes runny instead of rice flour. I love the coconut flavour and the slight crunch in every bite so do not skip it.
This has become mittus recent favorite that I am making more often for her after school snack.I love her reaction when I say neiappam and enjoy watching her gobble it.
About Nei Appam Recipe
Make jaggery syrup: Take jaggery and water in a pan, strain to remove impurities with no consistency checks.Again add it to pan and heat it up for making jaggery syrup.
Soak and grind: Soak raw rice and grind to a thick batter.
Make batter ready: Add jaggery syrup,coconut, cardamom powder,salt and make batter ready.Make sure the batter is not too runny.
Make appams: Add batter to paniyaram pan drizzled with ghee(nei), make nei appam ready.
Variations
- You can either use paniyaram pan or deep fry them.
- Use instant version nei appam if you don’t have time for soaking and grinding.
- In addition you can add coconut bits or nuts for extra crunch.
Storing and Serving Suggestions
These appams keeps well in room temperature for 2 days.You can keep in fridge and extend shelf life for another 2 days. No freezing recommendation.
Related recipes
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📖 Recipe Card
Nei appam Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw rice
- 3/4 cup jaggery
- 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cooking soda
- a pinch cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut grated
- ghee for deep frying
Instructions
- Mix jaggery with water and heat it up for few mins until it is slightly thick (no consistency needs to be checked). Heat it up until jaggery gets dissolved.
- Strain the syrup to remove impurities, collect it in a bowl.
- Heat it up and cook for few mins to make the syrup thick like honey in consistency.
- Soak rice in water for at least 3 hours.
- Drain water and grind rice with very little water to a fine paste preferable in grinder because it minimizes water.
- Now add this jaggery syrup to the rice paste.
- Keep mixing to make a flowing slightly runny batter.
- Add cardamom powder, coconut, cooking soda and mix well.
- If you do not want to add baking soda skip it and Set the batter aside for another 2 hours for fermentation.
- Then heat paniyaram pan , add a teaspoon of ghee / oil in each hole.
- Pour a ladle full of the batter in each hole. Cook covered for a minute.
- When cooked on one side , carefully flip to other side - add oil / ghee if required. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Remove and serve hot!
- Serve Nei Appam hot!! The aroma of ghee with the appams is special about this nei appams.
Notes
- If you dont have paniyaram pan then you can deep fry them by pouring a spoon full of the batter and deep fry them until golden brown.
- I soaked rice morning and this was ready for snack time.
- If the batter is too runny then it will drink more oil so adjust accordingly.
- You can also use half oil and half ghee to fry the appams.
- As we are addding jaggery the neiappams get a deep reddish brown.
- The color of the appams depends on the jaggery variety and color.I used paagu vellam.
How to make Nei Appam
- Mix jaggery with water and heat it up for few mins until it is slightly thick(no consistency needs to be checked).Heat it up until jaggery gets dissolved.
- Strain the jaggery syrup to remove impurities, collect it in a bowl.Heat it up and cook for few mins to make the syrup thick like honey in consistency.
- Soak rice in water for atleast 3 hours. Drain water and grind rice with very little water to a fine paste preferable in grinder because it minimises water.Now add this jaggery syrup to the rice paste.
- Keep mixing so that jaggery is evenly mixed.Make sure to make a flowing slightly runny batter.
- Add cardamom powder, coconut,cooking soda and mix well. If you dont want to add baking soda skip it and Set the batter aside for another 2 hours for fermentation.Then heat paniyaram pan , add a teaspoon of ghee / oil in each hole.
- Pour a laddle full of the batter in each hole.Cook covered for a minute.
- When cooked on one side , carefully flip to other side – add oil / ghee if required.Cook until both sides are golden brown.Remove and nei appam is ready! Similarly repeat to finish the batter.
Serve hot!! The aroma of ghee with the appams is special about this neiappams.
Expert Tips
- If you dont have paniyaram pan then you can deep fry them by pouring a spoon full of the batter in heated oil and deep fry them until golden brown.
- I soaked rice in the morning and this was ready later for snack time.
- If the batter is too runny then it will drink more oil so adjust with flour accordingly.
- You can also use half oil and half ghee to fry the appams.
- The color of the nei appam depends on the jaggery variety and color.I used paagu vellam.
- You can use jaggery directly too without making syrup, in that case use clean jaggery free from impurities.
FAQ’s
1.What if my nei appam batter goes too runny?
Add little rice flour or wheat flour to make batter consistency as needed but do not add more.
2.Can I deep fry nei appam?
Yes you can fry them in ghee – use a small kadai add little ghee and shallow fry it.IF you want to deep fry then use half and half of oil with ghee, use deep curved laddle and pour into hot oil.Fry until reddish brown on both sides.
3.Can I make nei appam without soaking, grinding?
Yes you can try my instant nei appam recipe.
Sobha Shyam
perfect and delicious neiappams, looks yummy dear !!
Valarmathi Sanjeev
wow….neiappams looks so tempting and delicious… inviting clicks, wish i could grab some.
Shanthi
Looks tempting and wonderful clicks.
Prathibha
nicely done appam..looks delicious
Vardhini
Neyyappam looks inviting and gorgeous clicks Sharmi.
Vardhini
Event: Sinful Delights
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Radhika | Just Home Made
Sharmilee,
Nei appams look too yummy..
Karthigai Deepam wishes to you too..
Aarthi
nei appam looks so good.happy karthigai deepam wishes dear…I will surely try it..
sangee vijay
Neiappam looks perfect and inviting…great clicks!!!
Cham
The sweet looks very delicious. Nice picture!
Paaka Shaale
The neyappam looks delicious Sharmilee. It has come out just perfect 🙂
M D
Sharmi, this looks divine! Could you parcel some to me please! I am drooling over this. 🙂
Kadhyaa
these are one of my all time favourite 🙂
Reva
Looks super good..:) Karthigai deepam is one of the most loveliest of festivals … I just love it but missing the occasion so much:( Love to be in India and enjoy the festival..:)
Lovely recipe and beautiful clicks..:)
Reva
Priya
Nei appams looks absolutely cute and fabulous..
An Open Book
this is probably the prettiest neyyappams i ahve seen..soo soft it looks that i wish i had some just here..
Priya's Feast
Nei appam luks so yummy…happy Karthigai deebam..
faseela
perfectly done neyyappams
Rumana Rawat
Wow!!! i love the dish:)
RAKS KITCHEN
Makes me instantly hungry, wonderful clicks!
Rachana
A great recipe and wonderful clicks!!!
Shabs..
Wow!These are my favorites!!!!!looks so good sharmee!
Tina
cute and lovely lovely neyyappam….
Anu
perfect and mouth watering appam
Nalini's Kitchen
Delicious neiyappam…..
Laavanya
Perfect golden colour.. for a minute i panicked thinking I missed karthigai.. but i just googled and found that it is on the 8th 🙂 I also make these for karthigai.
Kalpana Sareesh
simply awesome .. perfect for deebam..
ANU
wow awesome dear….luv the perfect appams…they luk like gold…love the presentation and clicks too…
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Vanamala Hebbar
wonderful appam….nice pics..
karthigai wishes to you and ur family…
soujanya
Vowwwwwww!!! simply superb!!!!!
mouthwatering appams..
divya
Tempting appam…I am drooling over ur clicks…
FoodEpix
Looks delicious. Would love for you to share this with us over at foodepix.com.
Swathi
Nice appam looks delicious.
Meenal Mehta
Looks delish and beautiful:) first time here , hope to hear from you as well!
Sushma Mallya
This has come out lovely …I also prepare this by using semolina ,….will post my rec soon:)….Shanthi has got a lovely collection of recipes !
Uma
Truly divine. Looks wonderful
Archana
Beautiful appams.
Vaishali
These look golden and just perfect.
Suganya Harisudhan
nei appam looks yummy.. it remembers me my mom s appam… 🙂 nice…
Suma Gandlur
Perfectly golden and look yummy.
Sarah
i love neiappam! and these look divine! thanks for the step-by-step pics!
Shabitha Karthikeyan
Awesome clicks..truly festive.I love these appams and do it the same way !!!
Reshmi Mahesh
Neiappam looks super..Feel to take some from the pics….
indianspicemagic
lovely pics.superb
Nupur
it looks so delicious and inviting .. sweet balls dripping with taste !..
Nupur
UK Rasoi
Hema
The honey-color of the neiyappams looks so good, so perfectly done..
lollymurali
Nice dish. I tried and comes good. Thanks
Priya
Hi Sharmi, When you say raw rice is it normal cooking rie or boiled rice the one we use for idly?
Sharmilee! :)
@Priya: Raw rice is called pacharisi in tamil
Priya
Sharmi, Thanks for your immediate response. U R Rocking.
Lakshmi Kesavan
Hi
I followed your recipe but my appam turned out to be a little harder. How to make soft appams. I did not directly deep fry in oil. I used paniyaram pan like yours. Thanks.
Sharmilee! :)
@Lakshmi : The batter should be of right consistency and also the resting time should be given accurate for the appams to be soft.
S&Scancook..!!
thanks and awesome snaps..so useful for rookies like me….
I am gonna try this tomm..and surprise my mom..
S&Scancook..!!
Thanks for the nice writep with snaps/…
m gonna try it out tomm
S&Scancook..!!
Hi can i use boiled rice instead of regular rice
Sharmilee! :)
@Scancook: Use pacharisi(raw rice)
anj_rac
hey i live ireland ,so i wanted to know if the 2 hrs fermenting is for Indian conditions?
Sharmilee! :)
Yes its for indian summers…
Enlivening Self
Hi ,
I have a sillly question here.
Could you tell me the brand of the rice used.(raw rice).
I am not sure which is raw rice here in US indian stores.
Thanks,
Please reply.
SHARMILEE J
I actually get rice from Nilgiris Supermarket so its their brand. Not sure of the brands there in US…sorry
someone2share
The "Laxmi" brand of Ponni Raw Rice is really good, have been using it for 4 years now. Its available all over the US. Comes in a white bag with green and red lettering. Hope you can find it
Vidya Mohan
How do we add banana? Do we need to slice or smash them or as a whole one.
Thanks
Vidya
SHARMILEE J
You can mash and add it but I haven't added it when I updated the pictures
someone2share
Mash it up and mix well with the batter.
lalitha
Hi Sharmi
Been visiting your site since last week, and tried this nei appam today. I got it as a semi circle with hollow part instead of fluffy round ones. The taste was good though, what would have gone wrong.
thanks.
SHARMILEE J
If it does not rise the appams will not be fluffy and will fall flat one side….This means you batter is not fermented well, the fermentation time depends on your location's climatic conditions.
Nithu Roy
hi sharmilee…:)
am a gr8 fan of urs, pls tell me whether i can use rice powder for making nei appams or i have to soak-gring the grain?
SHARMILEE J
You can but the taste n texture will differ
sujatha sivaramkumar
Even if we add baking powder, fermentation is must… isnt?
SHARMILEE J
Yes its needed else it will become hard
Amitha
So fluffy