Idiyappam or string hoppers are popular South Indian breakfast dish made of very few ingredients like rice flour and water. In Kerala, these are usually served with vegetable stew. In some parts of Kerala, these are called nool puttu, while in Tamil Nadu, sevai is a popular breakfast dish. I’ll give you plenty of tips and tricks to make your family go ‘wow’.
Ok, let’s do this. Start with the number one tip.
1. Use good quality rice flour
If you really want to make idiyappams that taste great, you need to buy good quality rice flour. Classic idiyappam recipes call for raw rice flour. And that’s exactly why you must visit your local Indian grocery store. Raw rice flour is totally different from the regular rice flour you buy from other grocery stores.
2. Roast the flour
Roasted rice flour is readily available from Indian chops. Look for “idiyappam podi, appam podi” etc. If you can’t find roasted rice flour for your idiyappam recipe, buy regular rice flour and roast it at home. All you need to do is lightly fry it over low flame. Don’t forget to stir continuously.
3. Use boiling water
It is important to allow the water to come to a boil before adding it to rice flour. Warm water is not enough if you want soft and delicious idiyappam.
4. Don’t let dough cool completely
Well, this is obviously a very important tip. While you’re pressing the idiyappam, the dough needs to be slightly warm. That way, idiyappam remains soft and holds it's shape really well.