Achappam - Rosette Cookies

Achappam is one of my favorite Indian Snacks. The " achu" ( achappam maker )has been sitting in my kitchen since the last 4-5 years... I have never once dared to make this thinking it was a herculean task. Recently I watched Lakshmi Nair making these and it looked very easy. So this has been on my mind since I saw her recent vlog.

This morning I woke up thinking about achappam, and I did not want to push it any further. I went straight to the kitchen and started prep work for achappam. I watched her video again to get the recipe ( I tried calling my mom but there was no answer and I had to make it NOW !!!); I tried the proportion she mentioned in her video and I just wouldn't get the desired batter consistency. **So I made some alterations to her recipe to get the batter to a smoother consistency.

Here's mine :

Rice flour -  4 cups ( used Idiyappam flour as this was all I had at home) - mine was roasted flour
Eggs -  4 eggs ( This makes it too soft, limit to two; I used 4 which made the achappams not as crispy )
Coconut milk - Roughly 2 cups ( used the milk of freshly grated coconut)
Sugar - between 1/2 - 3/4 cups
Salt - to taste
Black Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp

Mix well, till you get a nice smooth batter, not too runny.

Tips:

1. Heat oil really well. Let the achu maker be in the oil as the oil gets heated.
2. Dip the achu in the batter, DO NOT let it reach till the top of the achu, else it will not come off easily when you dip it in the oil.
3. Dip the achu with the batter into the oil and tap the achu with your other hand to facilitate the releasing of the achappam into the oil.
4. Take the achappam off from the oil and let drain the extra oil off.
5. Put the achu BACK into the HOT OIL and then dip into the batter for making the next one.
6. Be patient, you can only make them one after the other. Else you should be one of those experts, which I am not.

https://www.facebook.com/180823332274899/videos/564421070792932/?t=5
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**Notes: I figured out that when you use unroasted flour, you can stick to Laskhmi Nair's recipe as below:

Rice Flour unroasted -  4 cups
Eggs - 2
Sugar -  1/2 cup
Coconut milk - a little more than 1/2 cup
Salt  - to taste
Black Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
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Valsa aunty, made  achappams for Christmas and they were really good too. Here is her recipe:

1 and half cup of rice flour( She had only Puttu podi which is more of a coarse powder, she ground it in the coffee grinder and made it fine powder)

1/2 cup of Maida

Egg - 1

Sugar - per your taste ( 1/2 cup )

Coconut milk - 1 can