Indri Appam (Pesaha Appam)

We have entered the Holy Week. During this week, Christians recall the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. On Maundy Thursday (the Thursday just before Easter), Christian families remember the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples. In memory of this, we make unleavened bread and serve it with a sweet milk. In Malayalam, this bread is called Pesaha Appam or Indri Appam and the sweet milk is called Pesaha Paalu.

The word Pesaha means Passover. I have already shared the recipe for an easy to make Pesaha Paalu. The Pesaha Appam and Pesaha Paalu are served together. After dinner and prayers on Maundy Thursday, the eldest male member of the family cuts the indri appam, dips each piece in some pesaha paalu and distributes it among the rest of the family members, starting the oldest member. The appam which is cut will also have a cross on top, made of the blessed palm leaves received from the church on Palm Sunday. This Indri appam recipe is how I have seen my mom make and is steamed. There are also different versions made in other parts of Kerala, which is cooked on a tawa/pan on the stove top. Since I like the steamed one, I am sharing that recipe.

Hope you have a blessed Holy Week!

Indri Appam (Pesaha Appam)

Course: DessertCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Steamed Indri Appam recipe, the way my mom makes

Ingredients

• Urad Dal – 2 tbsp

• Grated Coconut – ½ cup

• Jeera – ¼ tsp

• Small Onions – 2-3

• Garlic – 2-3

• Rice Flour – ½ cup

• Salt – as per taste

• Water – 1/2-3/4 cup, adjust for a thick batter consistency

Directions

• Lightly roast the urad dal such that it doesn’t change its color.
• Soak this dal for about 2 hours. Once soaked, grind it to a coarse paste, add a little water.
• Grind together the coconut, jeera, small onions and garlic to a coarse paste with very little water.
• In a bowl, add the rice flour along with some salt. To this, add the ground urad dal and coconut and mix well.
• Grease a 6-inch dish. You can line the bottom of the dish with a parchment paper too.
• Add the batter to this and then steam it for 30-40 min on low-medium flame till done.
• cross made from palm leaves is usually added for one indri appam before it is kept for steaming and this is the one that will be cut by the head of the family after supper and prayers.
• Indri appam is served with pesaha paal as a tradition on Maundy Thursday.

Recipe Video