Pesaha | Inri | Kurisu Appam & Paal (Unleavened Bread and Jaggery Syrup)

Each and every culture has its own Easter traditions. For Catholics in Kerala, the celebrations start on Maundy Thursday. In remembrance of the last supper, every household prepares unleavened bread (Pesaha appam or INRI appam) which is served with a very sweet jaggery and coconut milk syrup.

Not too long ago, I mastered this traditional recipe after numerous failed attempts. After all, failure is the stepping stone to success.

I grew up watching my mom prepare this special bread and sweet syrup every year. The whole house was tidied up before making this holy bread. The preparation of jaggery syrup requires constant stirring to make sure coconut milk doesn’t boil and split. I was the ‘stirring’ helper. While stirring, I used to get constant reminders from my dad telling me not to forget to stir to the right and not to the left. Sweet memories!!

In the evening, everyone in the family gathers around the dining table. After a short prayer, the head of the house cuts the bread and distributes it among the other members of the family.

Yield: 2-3

Pesaha | Inri | Kurisu Appam & Paal (Unleavened Bread and Jaggery Syrup)

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Traditional recipe for unleavened bread and jaggery syrup.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

For Appam

• 1 ¼ cups rice flour, lightly roasted
• ¼ cup skinless black gram (urad dal or uzhunnu), soaked for 3-4 hours
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1 big shallot
• 3 garlic pods
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• Water

For Paal

• 2 ½ cups grated jaggery
• ¼ cup thick coconut milk
• 1 cup thin coconut milk
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• A pinch of ground cardamom
• 2 tsp rice flour

Instructions

For Appam

1. Place black gram with water in the bowl of a small food processor, and process until a smooth paste forms. Set aside. Place grated coconut, cumin seeds, garlic shallot and enough water in the bowl of the food processor, and process until a very coarse paste forms. Set aside.
2. Place rice flour in a large bowl. Season with salt. Add black gram paste and coconut paste into the bowl. Mix well. Add enough hot water to make lump-free batter. The batter should have idli batter consistency. Set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Grease moulds with oil. Pour the batter in the moulds. Steam for 20-25 minutes.

For Paal

1. Melt grated jaggery with 2 cups of water. If there are any impurities, strain it.
2. Place the melted jaggery over low heat, and add thin coconut milk. Stir constantly for 10 minutes. Add thick coconut milk, and stir again for another 10 minutes. Add ground cardamom and ground cumin. Stir continuously for 5 minutes. Add rice flour, and stir constantly, for another 10 minutes, or until it reaches a syrup consistency.
3. Serve pesaha appam with paal.

Notes

You can use canned coconut cream to make the jaggery syrup. To make thin coconut milk, mix together ½ cup coconut cream and ½ cup water. You can use ¼ cup coconut cream in the place of thick coconut milk.

Nutrition Information

Yield

3

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 454Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 26gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 136mgCarbohydrates 225gFiber 5gSugar 20gProtein 8g

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