Think of this Keralite snack as a thick sweet steamed pancake! Vattayappam is made with a naturally gluten-free and vegan batter and then speckled with cashews and raisins and spiced with cardamom. It’s so perfect with a cup of chai. In fact, if you are thinking about having friends over for chai and snacks, this would be the perfect thing to make.
What is Vattayappam?
Vattayappam is made up of a rice and coconut based batter and is pretty unique in that the batter is first fermented and then steamed. This process results in a perfectly soft and slightly spongy cake. This sweet rice cake is a pretty popular snack in the Keralite Christian community, but anyone can make and enjoy this of course. My husband who is Keralite grew up eating this cake but out of the two of us, I love it more. That seems to be the case with all Keralite recipes though – I think I must have been Keralite in another life.
About the Ingredients:
The main ingredients in this cake are rice and coconut. I tried using shortcuts like making this with rice flour and canned coconut milk but ultimately I found that the best way to make this in an instant pot is to grind the rice and coconut yourself. I suggest using frozen grated coconut (easily found at any Indian grocery store) and basmati rice because it’s also easy to find. I typically use organic basmati rice from Trader Joe’s to make this dessert but any basmati rice will work. I know some people like to use different types of rice (like sona masoori or by adding a bit of cooked matta rice) and if you’re familiar with this dessert, go right ahead. I can only vouch for the recipe as written though. Once you blend the rice and coconut, you’ll add bloomed yeast to it which will help ferment the batter. Then you’ll pour the batter into an oven safe bowl and place it on a trivet in the instant pot. Press the “yogurt” button and after two hours, you’ll see that the batter has doubled in size! Then it’s time to make the cake: mix in sugar, cardamom and pour the batter into a cake pan. Sprinkle cashews and raisins on top, cover with foil and steam. I know it sounds like a long process but once you make it you’ll see how simple it really is. And the result? A thick, pillow-like sweet rice cake.
Prefer Savory to Sweet? Reduce the Sugar and Serve this with Curry!
You can reduce the sugar in this recipe (omit the ¼ cup of sugar at the end) and enjoy this as a savory cake/bread! Serve it with any Keralite curry (like this chicken stew, ground beef stew or this coconut egg curry). Let me know how you enjoy this cake and what you think of it! I suggest making and eating this on the same day as that’s when it tastes the best. Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board now so you will remember to make it later!
