Instant appe/paniyaram with vegetables; Diabetes Friendly Thursday.

It is that time of the week again! It is time for Diabetes Friendly Thursday! All the lovely ladies are bringing  their appe ( Aebelskiver) pans out. We will be sharing with you a whole variety of delicious food recipes that can be cooked using the appe pan and are something that people with diabetes can enjoy as well.

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Did you know that appe pan has been a staple in South Indian homes. I have the traditional iron one too. Now a days we get non-stick ones in the market. We Mangaloreans call it appe or Appo  whereas in Kerala and Tamilnadu, they call it paniyaram. The traditional appe can be sweet or savory. The sweet appe are usually made as an offering to Lord Ganesha during certain religious days. This sweet appe is made using wheat, banana and jaggery. You can find the recipe here.Traditionally, the savory appe are made using leftover dosa or idli batter and is served with chutney. Now what does one do if one has no ready or leftover batter to make appe and you feel like eating appe? Well, do not fret. I am going to share with you a super-easy recipe for making instant appes without any kind of overnight fermentation!! How cool is that? It also is perfect for those days when you cannot think of what to make for breakfast. You can rustle this up instantly.The idea for this came from a recipe I happened to come across a few months ago, on Konkani Amchi Food, a food group that I belong to on Facebook.The recipe was shared by Garishma Ravi. I was intrigued. I tried it and liked it. I have modified her recipe to make it more wholesome by adding some vegetables in it. It is even more tastier now. You can sneak in vegetables to your kids without them even realizing! It is also perfect for tiffin or the lunchbox . Do try it and let me know your thoughts.

Servings: 3-4 ( serving size per person: 4 appes) ; makes about 14-16 appes.

Ingredients:

Rice flour: 1 cup
Sooji( wheat farina): 1/2 cup
Plain yogurt: 1/2 cup
Baking soda: 1/2 tsp
Water: 1 cup .
Salt : to taste
Spring onion: 1 , chopped fine( optional)
Green chilli: 1 chopped fine ( optional)
Carrot: 1 small, grated ( optional)
Curry leaf: 1 sprig ( optional)
Fresh coconut pieces: 1 tsp ( optional)
Oil: for greasing the appe pan

Method:

Take all the able ingredients listed above except the oil and mix to make a nice thick batter. The consistency of the batter should be not too thin or not too thick.

Heat the appe pan. Grease it with oil. Using a tablespoon drop the batter into the appe pan.

Cover and cook until the batter changes color around 2-3 mins on low flame.

Flip the appe and cook from the other side for 2 mins.The appe should come off the pan easily to flip. Don't force them.

Serve hot with chutney. 

I have served them with my favorite ridge-gourd peel and pomegranate peel chutney. Both ridge gourd peel and pomegranate peel are great for digestion.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

These appe can be made even more healthier by making it with matta rice (red rice)powder. This is usually easily available in Kerala stores and some Indian stores and is known as puttu or idiappam podi.

Plain appe without vegetables with ridge gourd peel chutney

The appe are very versatile in the fact that you could use any or all of the vegetables that I have used or swap and use some other veggies or even make it without vegetables. I of course, like to make it with vegetables, but if you are in a rush, well skip them or better yet, make the batter and while you are waiting the 15 mins for the batter to ferment a little, chop the veggies that you wish to add and they can be added even at the very last minute just before putting the batter in the appe pan. I would recommend not waiting for too long once the veggies have been added as they tend to leave water and therefore make the batter thin.

Foot Notes (Tip for healthy living):

We all know the health benefits of eating vegetables. That is why it is essential to include them / sneak them everywhere possible! Carrots are a great source of vitamin A and are rich in fiber.
I have mentioned this before, carbohydrate per day is not the enemy for diabetics. It is which kind of carb and how much of it that is consumed that is the problem. Right amount of the right carbs are not harmful. 

Disclaimer:
I am not a nutritionist or dietitian. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietitian before making any changes to your diet.

Do check out all these other wonderful recipes that you would never think of making using the appe pan!

1 Shailja's Ram Ladoo

https://shailjatomar.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/delhis-famous-ram-ladoo-in-appe-abelskiever-pan/

2 Swati's Spinach Pakoda Kadhi

http://www.letscookhealthytonight.com/spinach-pakoda-kadhi-made-in-appe-pan/

3 Anu's Quinoa Lentil veg paniyaram

http://easybitesonline.com/quinoa-lentil-veg-paniyaram/

4 Sri's Multigrain paniyaram

http://www.vidhyashomecooking.com/2015/05/20/multigrain-paniyaaram-with-veggies-dft/

5 Apsara's Minty Falafel.

http://eatingwelldiary.com/2015/05/20/minty-falafel-bites-in-appepaniyaram-pan-for-diabetes-friendly-thursdays/

6 Prachi's Mixed lentil falafel koftas.

http://divinespicebox.com/2015/05/20/mixed-lentil-falafel-koftas/

7 Chahat's Shaam Savera

http://gorgeandserve.com/2015/05/20/shaam-savera/

8 Sonal's Vegetable Manchurian balls in hot garlic sauce.

https://simplyvegetarian777.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/vegetable-manchurian-balls-in-hot-garlic-sauce-diabetes-friendly-thursdays/

Food for thought:

The first wealth is health. Ralph Waldo Emerson.