Pesaha Appam, Indari Appam, Inri Appam and Pesaha pal

Pesaha Appam, Indari Appam, Inri Appam and Pesaha pal

Pesaha Appam or Indari Appam is the unleavened bread served with Passover Coconut Milk called Pasaha Pal, prepared on Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday.  On this day, it is customary among most Christian communities to make a steamed, unsweetened cake from rice which is not parboiled, black beans, cumin, shallots, garlic, coconut and salt. A small cross made out of a piece of palm leaf sanctified from the church is placed on top of the cake. This cake is called by the name ‘Inri Appam’ or ‘Indari Appam’ in Malayalam language as it comes from the abbreviated inscription ‘I.N.R.I’ on the top portion of the cross. Grated jaggery is used in Pesaha pal for a sweet flavour and it combines well with the taste of dried ginger, cumin seeds and sesame seeds. Have a look at the list of ingredients used and the preparation of Pesaha Appam or Indari Appam and Pesaha pal.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Rice flour (it shouldn’t be roasted)
• 1¼ cup of Grated Coconut
• A handful of Urad Dal / Uzhunnu (Soaked in water)
• 2 cloves of Garlic / Veluthulli
• 5-6 medium sized Shallots / Kunjulli / Ulli
• ½ teaspoon of Cumin seeds / Jeerakam
• Salt for the taste
• Water as per the requirement

Method of preparation

• Take a wide open mixing bowl and add the rice flour, sprinkle some salt for the taste and mix it well.
• Use a grinder in grinding the soaked Urad dal (Uzhunnu parippu) along with some water to form a fine paste. Pour it to the rice flour.
• Also, grind the shallots and the garlic pieces to a fine paste, add it to the rice flour mixture.
• Take the grated coconut pieces and ½ teaspoon of jeera or cumin seeds in a mixer, grind it to form a coarse paste. Add this to the rice flour mixture.
• Mix all the ingredients added to the rice flour and make it to a thick batter (use some water so that we get a regular consistency. The consistency should be less than that of an idli batter.
• Keep the batter aside for half an hour to 1 hour, do not keep it further as it would start to ferment.
• Take out the steel plate and grease its inner side or line it with banana leaves.
• Now, pour the batter to the plate, spread it evenly with a ladle.
• Take out the palm leaves which were given on Palm Sundays, make a cross from this leaf and place it on the top surface in the middle of the batter.
• The appam with this cross on the surface is called by the name Kurishu Appam.
• In a steaming vessel (Appa chembu or Idli cooker), steam cook the Kurishu appam for 15 minutes.
• Once it is ready, take the plate from the vessel and keep it aside.
• Use the remaining batter in making appams without the cross.

Ingredients for making Pesaha Paal

• 3 cups of Coconut milk
• ¼ kg of Jaggery / Sharkkara (Use the dark brown coloured jaggery)
• ¼ cup of Rice flour (Roasted rice flour is preferred)
• ½ cup of Dry Ginger powder / Chukku podi
• ¼ teaspoon of Powdered Cardamom/ Elakka (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of Powdered Cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon of Black Sesame seeds / Ellu

Pesaha Pal Preparation

• Heat a half cup of water in a pan and add the jaggery, continue heating as the jaggery melts and forms a dark brown coloured solution.
• Use a fine sieve and filter the jaggery syrup.
• Heat the coconut milk in a pan, use a low flame and bring it to a boil. Continuously stir the milk.
• Now, slowly pour the jaggery syrup to the coconut milk and stir it for few minutes.
• Take little water in a mixing bowl and add the rice flour, mix it well and add this to the coconut jaggery solution.
• Mix it well as the mixture thickens and make sure that there are no lumps.
• Now, add the spice powders like dry ginger, cumin seeds and cardamom. Finally, add some sesame seeds to the milk.
• You can also add some pieces of palm leaves to the Pesaha milk.

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