Idiyappam (String Hoppers)

- Submitted by Dahlia

(Indian Rice Noodles, Noolappam, Nool Puttu)

Idiyappam is a Kerala dish which is also called noolappam. It is also famous in Tamil nadu. It is basically rice noodles served with sweetened coconut milk. Traditionally it is a time consuming process wherein the rice is soaked, ground , sieved and then idiyappam is made. Nowadays idiyappam flour is readily available in the market which has made this one of the easiest recipe for a hearty breakfast or a quick dinner. It is also special enough for any parties. Since idiyappams are very easy to digest, it can be given to infants, old people or sick people. 

In south indian homes, usually a big batch of rice flour is made at home. I will share the procedure for making this soon. This flour is used to make puttu, idiyappam and kozhukattai.  Nowadays, you can easily find idiyappam flour in supermarkets. You can also make other variations of idiyappam like ragi idiyappam, millet idiyappam, atta idiyappam etc. Idiyappams need a special equipment to make them. It is called the murukku press. You can steam the idiyappams in specially designed idiyappam plates. As a substitute, you can also use dhokla stand or idli plates for making idiyappams. It is usually served with sweetened coconut milk or just some grated coconut with sugar. In Kerala, the grated coconut id added on top of the idiyappams while steaming itself.

Recipe for Kerala Idiyappam

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 3

Ingredients

• Rice flour/ Idiyappam flour - 1 cup (You can also use the same recipe with ragi flour, millet flour etc)
• Water - 1.5 cup app.
• Salt - as needed
• Oil - to grease the idli plates
• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Method

1. Bring the water to a boil. Add 1 tsp of oil and some salt to the boiling water. 
2. Add this water to the rice flour little by little and mix it. You may or may not need the entire water. It usually takes between 1 1/4 cups of water to 1 1/2 cups depending on the quality of the flour.
3. Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes. When it is warm and comfortable to handle, knead it to form a smooth dough.
4. Grease the idiyappam press. Add little of the dough to the idiyappam press.

   

5. Grease idli plates or the idiyappam plates with few drops of oil. Press some of the dough onto the idli plates/ idiyappam stand. You will get noodles out of the dough. The above image shows idiyappams made using iidiyappam stand while in the below image, the idiyappams were made using the idli plates.
6. Add some grated coconut on top (optional). Steam for 8-10 minutes over medium high flame.
7. Once done, wait for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a hot box to keep it soft until ready to serve.

Serving Idiyappam

• The most common way of serving idiyappam is with sweetened coconut milk or with some sugar and grated coconut.
• Other popular spicy combinations are sweetened coconut milk, coconut milk chutney, chicken kurma, mutton curry, veg kurma, fish molee, beef stew, potato stew  or any other gravy.
• You can add a seasoning of mustard seeds, dry red chilies and curry leaves to the idiyappam. After that mix it with grated coconut to make coconut sevai, add some lemon juice to make lemon sevai or add vegetables to make idiyappam kothu. 

Variation

• Use other flour like ragi flour, wheat flour or bajra flour to make healthier variations of idiyappam. I have shared the recipe for making ragi idiyappam in detail here.

Other Indian Noodles Recipes

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