Kandarappam is a traditional Chettinad sweet appam made with rice, mixed dal, coconut and Jaggery as main ingredients. Crispy outside and soft inside, this snack is very easy to prepare as well as turns out tasty. Let’s see how to make Kandarappam with step by step pictures and video.
This delicacy is made often during special occasions and festivals like Karthigai Deepam. Makes a great evening snack or part of breakfast or dinner too.
Check out my Adhirasam recipe and Paal paniyaram recipe in this website.
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About Kandarappam
In Chettinad households, sweets like Kandarappam holds a special place. Often offered as prasadam, this sweet can be made for Skanda sashti, Deepavali, Karthigai Deepam etc. Kandan = Lord Murugan, so this appam is specially made for festivals worshipping lord Murugan.
Made with Rice and mixed dals like chana dal, moong dal, toor dal and urad dal, this recipe turns out fluffy inside, crisp outside from the caramelization of Jaggery. I add methi seeds for extra softness as well as a wonderful flavour.
Kandarappam Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make Kandarappam.
- Rice – Raw rice – I used Sona masuri. You can use other variety raw rice too
- Urad dal – For softness, add good quality whole urad dal
- Chana dal – Adds flavour, texture to the appam
- Moong dal – For softness as well as flavour
- Toor dal – Adds firmness and flavour
- Fenugreek seeds – Gives softness and flavour
- Cardamom – For flavour
- Jaggery – Sweetener in the recipe
- Coconut – Fresh grated coconut is main ingredient for fluffy, soft results.
- Salt – To avoid flat sweetness.
Please check my recipe card below for quantities.
Step by step images
Let’s see how to make Kandarappam with stepwise photos.
- Firstly, take levelled measure of 1 cup rice.
2. Then top it with whole urad dal heaped over the rice, like a mound.
- Take the rice, urad dal, chana dal, toor dal, moong dal and fenugreek seeds in a bowl.
4. Wash and soak for minimum 3 hours.
- Once soaked, drain water completely.
6. Then take the soaked items, cardamom, coconut, jaggery in a mixie jar.
- Grind without water to a smooth batter.
8. After that, add salt to the batter. You can add while grinding itself.
- Then mix the kandarappam batter well.
10. Heat oil in a kadai, once hot, lower the flame. Then pour a ladle full of kandarappam batter to it.
- Let it cook and rise then flip it.
12. Then let it turn golden on either sides and drain from oil.
- Repeat the same to finish all the batter. Let the oil temperature be low in heat or medium in heat through out. Regulate the heat accordingly.
14. Cook kandarappam sweet patiently so that it gets cooked inside and get a fluffy texture.
Substitutions & Variations
- There are many variations to this Traditional recipe as it varies from household to households. I referred to Solai Achi’s Kandarappam and few other recipes and made it. This is so similar to the sweet paniyaram my mom makes. So it was very easy for me to adapt.
- Some recipes use both raw rice and parboiled idli rice, you can use idli rice alone too.
- Use only urad dal and make it. You can add the dals according to it’s availability.
Top tips
- Oil level also can be just enough for shallow frying. This way, kandarappam will be in right shape. You can use more than one kandarappam at a time if you use broad, flat bottomed kadai.
- Flat bottomed kadai also tends to give broader appam (authentic shape) than round ones.
- If water content is less, it will be dense. Add a tablespoon of water in batter and mix well to fix this.
- Temperature of oil should be maintained in medium heat, otherwise the appam shape will be uneven.
- Use a ladle that is big enough for one appam, do not pour in spoons more than once.
My notes
- I ground in mixie, but grinding in wet grinder can give more smoother batter. But my batter also gave a great texture to the kandarappam.
- Toor dal and methi seeds adds a wonderful flavour, so do not skip it.
- Adding mixed dal give beautiful even colour, flavour, taste as well as texture.
- I poured the oil over the appam while it was cooking to fluff it up. But if you want more flatter version and crispy towards the edges, you can leave as such and flip and cook.
Shelf life
Chettinad Kandarappam stays good for couple of days in room temperature. The batter needs no fermentation, so you can make as soon as you grind the batter or within 3 hours. In case you are in hot region and want to avoid fermentation which may alter the taste, you can keep inside water to slow down the fermentation.
If you want to refrigerate the batter, use it within couple of days. Otherwise it will start fermenting.
FAQ
My Kandharappam goes out of shape, puffs unevenly, why?
If the oil is too hot, or the batter is on watery side, this happens. Reduce oil temperature and add a tablespoon of wheat flour or Maida to troubleshoot.
Kandarappam dissolves in oil, why?
Too much jaggery or if the batter is not ground smoothly and there is too much water in the batter. Add flour and try again.
How to fry Chettinad Kandarappam?
Use a deep ladle to pour one appam at a time. Use less oil than you use regularly for deep frying, to get the authentic Chettinad style appams with edges distinct.
My Kandarappam is too dense, why?
Water is less in the batter, add a tablespoon of water and mix well to get soft pillowy spongy inside appams.
Recipe card
Kandarappam Recipe | Chettinad Kandarappam
Kandarappam is a traditional Chettinad sweet appam made with rice, mixed dal, coconut and Jaggery as main ingredients.
Cup measurements
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw rice
- 2 tablespoon Urad dal
- 2 teaspoon Chana dal
- 2 teaspoon Moong dal
- 1 teaspoon Toor dal
- â…› teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- 1 cup Jaggery
- ½ cup Coconut
- 2 Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
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Instructions
-
Firstly, take levelled measure of 1 cup rice.
-
Then top it with whole urad dal heaped over the rice, like a mound.
-
Take the rice, urad dal, chana dal, toor dal, moong dal and fenugreek seeds in a bowl.
-
Wash and soak for minimum 3 hours.
-
Once soaked, drain water completely.
-
Then take the soaked items, cardamom, coconut, jaggery in a mixie jar.
-
Grind without water to a smooth batter.
-
After that, add salt to the batter. You can add while grinding itself.
-
Then mix the kandarappam batter well.
-
Heat oil in a kadai, once hot, lower the flame. Then pour a ladle full of kandarappam batter to it.
-
Let it cook and rise then flip it.
-
Then let it turn golden on either sides and drain from oil.
-
Repeat the same to finish all the batter. Let the oil temperature be low in heat or medium in heat through out. Regulate the heat accordingly.
-
Cook kandarappam sweet patiently so that it gets cooked inside and get a fluffy texture.
Video
Notes
- If water content is less, it will be dense. Add a tablespoon of water in batter and mix well to fix this.
- Temperature of oil should be maintained in medium heat, otherwise the appam shape will be uneven.
