Vattayappam/Vatteppam - Kerala Special Steamed Rice Cake For ICC March 2011

Indian Cooking Challenge for March rightly matches Vishu - Malayalam New Year.Yes, this month we all enjoyed making this Fluffy, Spongy,Kerala's Queen of Steamed Rice Cakes - Vatteppam/Vattayappam!!!!! Thanks to Srivalli for choosing this really Challenging Recipe. But its worth all the effort, When you see the White Fluffy, beauty out on the table, with nuts & raisins popping out!!!! Ooohhlalala!!! you don't mind doing it again!!! :) :)

Soak rice for 6-8 hours. Drain and Grind it to a Coarse Paste with as little water as possible, that enables the mixer to run. Take 2 tbsp of Coarse paste for making the Porridge/thari kurukku. Add Coconut to the remaining batter and grind it to a smooth paste.Towards the end, add cooked rice and make a smooth batter. Leave the batter in the mixer and let it cool down to room temperature.

Now, comes the next important step of Yeast-Proofing. Warm 1/3 cup of water, add yeast and sugar and leave it undisturbed. More important, that the water should be Warm, Not HOT/Neither COLD!!!!!!!! Let it sit there for 20minutes. By this time, it must have foamed up well.

While the yeast is trying to work out, lets make the thari kurukku/Rice Porridge. Mix the 2 tbsp of Coarse rice Mixture with water,Bring it to a boil, Keep Stirring, until it reaches a thick paste consistency. Take it off the stove and let it cool completely.

Add 4 tbsp of Rice Porridge/Thari Kurruku to the Fine batter Kept in the blender and Blend it one more time. Add the yeast mixture and pulse 2 or 3 times for the mixture to blend well together.

Transfer the Batter into another Vessel and let it sit for 6-8 hours/Overnight and Ferment. Take care, as the batter doubles during the ferment process. So, make sure the vessel is large enough to hold the batter, So, you don't have to wake-up to a messy scene of over-flown batter on your Kitchen Table!!!!!! :)

Once the batter doubles-up, add Sugar and Mix gently and let the batter sit for 2 more hours on the table.

Meanwhile, heat ghee in a pan and roast raisins and cashews. Add roasted nuts and crushed cardamom to the batter, just before steaming it.

Grease a cake tin/cooker pan. Fill the pan to half its level with the batter. For steaming process, i used my pressure cooker. Filled 1/4th of it water, when the water starts to boil, Place the slotted disc, that comes along with your cooker and then place your cake tin/Cooker pan into it. Close the Cooker Lid, dont put the whistle. Let it steam cook for 15-20 minutes. I just left it to Cook in medium flame for 30minutes.

Once done, Take it out, let it cool. Run a knife around the edges of pan and carefully transfer the cake onto a plate. Cut them into wedges and Serve it along with your Tea/Coffee!!!!

Notes:As per the Original Recipe, the batter doubles during the fermentation process. But in my case, i left it to ferment overnight. The batter doubled after i added sugar, the next day morning. But still got a fluffy cake. The Smell of yeast was a bit dominating in the steamed cake, may be the next time, i would like to reduce the yeast and check!!!!!