You can see the updated version of this recipe (step by step pictures included) here.
Easter is almost here and those who are on lent will be desperately counting the days.Usually Easter is celebrated in the months of March and April, which is the school summer vacation time in India. I've very fond memories of Easter during my early school years and the most important one is the Pesaha appam murikkal (breaking of unleavened bread) on Maundy Thursday. During my early school years we celebrated the Pesaha appam murikkal at my amma's place, in Cochin itself, and for Easter, we used to go to my appa's place at Changanacherry. Now those of you who don't have any clue about Maundy Thursday and Pesaha appam murikkal chadangu, please read on.
Maundy Thursday is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It has a great significance in Christian faith because of three major events happened on that day. Those events are:
Maundy Thursday commemorates the institution of the Eucharist. Jesus had his last supper with disciples on this day. According to the old testament, this supper was the Passover Meal – a meal at which Jews remembered the covenant (agreement) God had made with them when they were released from captivity in Egypt. At the supper, Jesus passed round the bread to his disciples and said “this is my body, take it and eat it” and gave the cup of wine and said “this is my blood, take it and drink it”. This was done to mark God's NEW covenant, and that, whenever we ate or drank in this way we were to remember Jesus and what he did for us. This is the basis of the Holy Communion service in a Christian Church (sometimes called the Eucharist, Lord's supper or Mass)
During the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples' feet. He performed this humble task to remind them that they were to serve each other with love just as he had loved them. Even today this ritual is followed on Maundy Thursdays, where Priests wash the feet of 12 parish members, representing the twelve apostles.
Also, the night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. During the rest of the night and through the night up to Good Friday, he stood trial under the High Priest, Herod, and Pontious Pilate, before being crucified on the Friday morning.
Back home in Kerala, on Maundy Thursday morning, we go for mass, during which the priest wash the feet of parish members and also start the preparations for the Good Friday & Easter. In the evenings, we have appam murikkal, which is celebrated to commemorate the last supper of Jesus. We make special unleavened bread (which is known as Indri or Pesaha appam) and Paal (jaggery drink/dip), in which the appam is dipped for the occasion. The entire family will come together for the appam murikkal. The eldest member will lead a short prayer and then distribute the appam and paal to all members in the family.
The making of pesaha/indri appam (unleavened bread) is a special ceremony and is prepared with much respect and special care. We usually place the palm leave (which we get from church on Palm Sunday) in the form of a cross and make the appam and paal. This appam is made only on Maundy Thursday. Usually the appam is cut on Maundy Thursday evenings and the leftover will be the breakfast on Good Friday mornings. Since we are obliged to fast on Good Friday, that will be the only solid food that we have till evening. So usually the demand for Appam & Paal is more on Good Friday :)
Though I've made appam on all the four Pesaha (passover) we celebrated after wedding, I never took a picture . The one above is my mother in laws'. This recipe is my maternal grandmother's recipe, which I got from my aunt, Tesschechy. I guess, there are different ways of preparing it and this is how we prepare it at home.
Here is the recipe:
You can see the updated version of this recipe (step by step pictures included) here.
Ingredients
For Appam
- 1 cup Rice powder
- 1/4 cup Urad dal (uzhunnu)
- 1 cup heaped Grated Coconut
- Garlic – 1 if it is big and 2 if its small
- 3-5 Small onion / Pearl onion
- A pinch Jeera
- 1 - 1.5 cups Water
For Paal
- 400 gms Jaggery
- 3 cups Medium thick coconut milk
- 1 cup Thick coconut milk
Instructions
- To Make Appam:
- Soak urad dal for 2 hours and grind it into a smooth paste by adding little water. Grind coconut with garlic, small onion and jeera with little water, until everything is combined well. Add salt & keep the water to boil, when bubbles start appearing add rice powder, little by little (vattikuzhakkuka) , making sure its not watery. The dough should be soft. Add urad dal paste and coconut paste. Combine everything well. The consistency of batter should be same as that of Idli batter. Transfer the batter to a well greased steaming tin. Place the cross made with palm leaves on the middle of the batter. Cover the tin with aluminium foil. Steam in appachembu/steamer for 18 – 23 minutes. Let it cool for sometime and then transfer to a serving dish. Use the same flame till the end, ie if you are using medium flame, cook on medium flame through out.
- To Make Paal:
- Melt jaggery with a little water. When it is completely melted, strain it. Add 3 cups medium thick coconut milk and stir continuously and when more than half of it is evaporated, add thick coconut milk and stir well. Do not boil once the thick coconut milk is added. For thickening the paal, take 1 or 2 tbsp rice powder and mix it with hot water and add to paal and cook for a few minutes.
Notes
Reference sites :
- http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/easter/maundythursday.htm
- http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_maundy_thursday_so_important_to_christian_religion
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday
Thanks Maria,
Made this for the first time and it tastes just right.Liked your precise tips,adding rice powder to the make the paal thick.Enough appam for Good Friday too. Shared your link and my appam n paal with my sister in US too.
Thank you so much Vanaja :) Happy to hear that it came out well for you. Thanks for sharing the recipe with your family too.
How many appam you can make roughly by using this much ingredients ,many thanks
Hi Laveena,
I usually make one big size appam with the above qty. You can also divide this for two small size appams.
Thanks for the recipe Maria, I’m trying out the recipe today. Wish you a blessed Holy Week
You are welcome! I do hope Appam and Paal came out well for you. Thanks for your wishes.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria,
is it possible to cook the indri appam in oven?
Hi Sismy,
I havent tried baking it yet, so I’m not sure. However, may be you can try baking it using Bain Marie technique, please check out the link here: http://www.thekitchn.com/technique-how-to-make-and-use-70190
Usually my wife makes the indri Appam at home. As she is working this time, I decided to try it first by googling the recipe. Yours was the first. The recipe combination appeared almost similar to idly mix. So tried that way. ( did not want to experiment on Maundy Thursday). One portion Urad dal, 3 portions raw rice, one portion parboiled rice, one portion grated coconut, salt, jeera to taste, 4- 5 shallots and garlic. Came out fantastic and soft.
Thanks for the recipe though.
Thanku Maria, made appan and paal and my inlaws loved it, love all your recipes:)…
You are welcome Rose :) Great to know that Appam n Paal came out well and your family liked it.
Thanks for sharing the pic.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria
Thnx 4 d recepi dear… bt I want 2 know whether dry fruits can also be added into it ?? And after adding banana how long it can be kept safe with out change in the taste ?
Saumya Karunakaran
Hi Saumya,
I haven’t added any dry fruits in it.. but I guess you can add cashew or raisins. You can store in fridge for 2-3 days.
Cheers
Maria
Thank you for the recipe Maria…I m trying it tomorrow
Thank you for the recipe Maria…I m trying it tomorrow
Dear Maria,
Happy Easter to you in advance…
Thanks dear :)
Thanks dear :)
Dear Maria,
Happy Easter to you in advance…
Hi, Please tell me the number of persons that can be served with the above mentioned quantity?
One suggestion regarding the milk.  Rice flour to thicken the Paal is added to the thin coconut milk and cooked for few minutes, then 3-4 yellow bananas finely sliced are added, and lastly, adding the thick coconut milk and powdered cardamon to complete.
Thank you so much Philip for your suggestion :)
thanks,pls tell whether to add raw rice powder or fried?
Hi Sini, sorry for the delayed rep :(. I use appam podi, so I think its fried rice powder.
Cheers
Maria
Maria,planning to make this for the 1st time.Can i use maggie coconut powder?will the taste be that good?also can u let me know the measurements required for med thick milk n 1st milk.Have a blessed holy week dear!!
Maria,going to make pesaha appam n paal for the 1st time.For paal can i use maggie coconut powder,will the taste be good?also can u let me know the measurements to be taken for thick coconut milk.Have a blessed holy week dear!!
Hi Tina, hope you got my mail. I always use maggi coconut milk for making paal. thick coconut milk – 3 tbsp maggi powder and 1 cup water, med thick – 2 tbsp powder and 1 cup water, thin milk – 1 tbsp powder and 1 cup water. You can always adjust the qty to suit your requirements. Hope your appam and paal came out well.
Cheers
Maria
Maria..Easter preprations evide vare aayi?im going to make pesaha appam n paal for the ist time.for paal can we use maggie coconut powder?will the taste be good.med thick coconut mil measurements?do reply wen time permits..have a blessed holy week dear !!
Hi, Can you tell me the number of persons that can be served with the above mentioned quantity?
So sorry for the delayed rep :( You can serve around 6-7 people with this qty.
Cheers
Maria
great!!
Thanks!
thanks for the recipe. just one doubt wht is this paal is it something to pour on top of the appam. sry i hv never tasted this efore gng to try for first time
beenu
Hi Beenu,
This is something we make on Maundy Thursday, as part of our religious tradition. We dip the appam in paal and have it.
Cheers
Maria
hi maria,
tried ur pesaha appam receipe n it cme out well..thanx a lt…..
tessa
Hi Tessy,
Thank you so much :) Good to know that it came out well. Thanks for the comment too..
Cheers
Maria
I made this yest and I wanted to thank you for the recipe…. :)
Thanks Smitha for using this recipe & also for the comment :). Hope it came out well.
Cheers
Maria
Mariakuttyehh,….. :)
Happy Easter to you & your fly. One Q about the measurements.. Did you use U.S measuring cups for this for the appam? Thanks a lot dear…
Hi Sherin,
I know the reply comes late, but I use US measuring cups. I guess I’ve mentioned that to you in one of my previous emails :)
Hope you had a wonderful Easter!
Cheers
Maria
nannayitundu
Thanks :)
Daa..
Can we bake this appam in oven without steaming it? I don’t have a steamer :(
Hi Sherin,
I havent tried that way yet, but I guess you can do that. May be you need to use a water bath for that.
Cheers
Maria
BTW, i am a great fan of ur cousin annitas blog as well…but she has stopped blogging now…i was thinking of asking u,..is she working?…i just wish she continued…she was doing an awesome job…
i have heard about this appam from my xtian friend prathibha….i have never had it, so dont have a clue how its gonna taste…but ente kannu aa paalil aanu ketto…..vaayinnu vellam vannu poyi.sherikkum…I c
By the way the people who coiped teh recipe plus pic, that is still there…..give them a complaint maria…..
Maria followed your recipe today :)
Thanks Ancy, I hope you liked it.
Wish you all a Happy & Blessed Easter.
Regards
Maria
Looks like someone copied this recipe word to word in another site …
Hi Kashyap,
Thanks for letting us know about it. They have also copied a Fish recipe from here. Looks like they have copied recipes from other blogs too.
We have emailed and asked them to remove it. Hopefully they will do that.
Thanks once again…
Cheers
Maria
R u sure this is called indri appam?I think what u have described is kurisappam. At least that is what v used to call.
Hi Ksj,
Yes, this is kown as Indri appam at our place. May be its known in different names in different parts of Kerala.
Regards
Maria
Hi Anjali
I will try dry ginger & jeera combo next year, thanks for sharing it here :)
My mom puts dried ginger and jeera in the pesaha paalu for flavoring. Gives it that unique taste! :)
hi maria
This was my first easter after I got married. Came across your blog while searching for the pesaha appam recipe. Tried it with a little more cocunut. It came out really well (unlike many of my past attempts at cooking). Thanks a lot :)
Tried the paal with a few additions
– crushed jeera based on my mom’ s recipe
– pazham (cut into round slices) as per my hubby’s suggestion
Keep up the good work
achu
Hi Achu
Thanks a lot for trying out the recipe and very happy to know that you liked it. Thank you for letting me know about it. Hope you had a wonderful Easter.
Adding jeera to paal is new to me, I will give it a try next year. At my place also they add pazham to pal, I dont like fruits, thats why I dont use it.
Please do try other recipes also when you’ve time.
Cheers
Maria
Crispus – thank you, hope your appam came out well :)
Divya – thanks a lot dear for trying this out. Am really happy to know that it came out well. Anyways I will pass on the credits to tesschechy :)
Hey maria,
Ur Indriyappam & paal came out good.I was trying this for the first time.Thanks dear.
Thank you Maria
You are really helping many people around the globe. I forgot to ask my mom the recipe yesterday. Today I thought I am not going to make it but your site made the whole difference.
Priya from California.
Hi Priya
Thanks for dropping in the blog and writing to me. Hope your appam came out well. Also hope that you had a wonderful Easter with your family.
Cheers
Maria
thanks for posting this recipe..handy for today maundy thursday.
Hi Priya
This is a special dish made by kerala christians. Hope you’ve some kerala christian neighbours :) or you’re welcome to make a quick trip to Bahrain :)
Tina – so sorry to hear about your grandmother. saramilla, you can have it next year :)
Thanks Ria and waiting to hope to see your post by today evening :). Btw, I also didnt like it when I was small, but now I love it :)
Thanks Ann. Hope you will be able to make it this year :)
Ammu – Happy easter to you and Prethesh also. I will try to take pics this time :)
btw..the jeera u hav mentioned here is cumin or fennel?
Hi Ammu,
Cumin is used for making pesaha appam.
thank u for sharing the know how of indri appam
Hi Mathew
Thanks for dropping in.
Happy to know that you find it informative.
Wish you and your family a happy easter!!
Take care
Maria
Dear maria
hi. thanx a millon for ur recipe .i am going to make right now.as i have to take it to church in the evening.i too enjoy cooking but since i am working i have to have less time consumming recipies.
with love and prayers
sangeeta
Happy Easter
Hi Sangeeta
Hope your appam and paal came out well. Please go through my old recipes, I’ve some simple, less time consuming recipes :). Hope you find that interesting.
Happy easter to you and your family too.
Cheers
Maria
hi …
i was jst surfing the net to find how to make the indri appam and pesaha paal..and i am really lucky to have found ur site..thks a ton and now i am sure i can make the appam and paal this yr..every yr for easter we r at our hubbys place and amma will make it but this time cldnt make it to india so i will be preparing it..i will surely let u know how it turns out..thks again dear..
Hi Sindu
Very happy to know that you find this useful. Hope the appam and paal comes out well. Please do let me knw about it.
Wish you and your family a happy easter!!
Take care
Maria
hi maria
thks a ton cos the pesaha appam and paalu and came out really great.i was really doubtful as to how my first attempt wld be but everyone liked it..thks to you and ofcourse to my mother – in law also….thks a lot..
Hi Sindu
Very happy to know that your appam came out well. Thanks for letting me know about it dear. Hope you had a wonderful Easter with your family.
Take care
Maria
Maria, thanks a lot :) will do this thursday..
Happy Easter
God Bless!!
Hi Minu
Happy easter to you and your family too :)
Take care
Maria
wonderful . Thanks a mil for posting the Indri appam recipie.
we will be making it as you dircted it .
love you for this
Happy easter from Texas
Hi Annamma
Really happy to know that you find it useful and thanks a lot for writing to me.
Wish you and your family a happy easter!!
Cheers
Maria
Dont forget to take pic this time!! Happy Easter..Thanks for posting this recipe..I was abt to call home n ask :)
Informative post maria..Havent tried pesaha appam till now..would love to..
Maria,
We do have things in common.. this was going to be one of my post for this week :) Your indri appam looks yum ( I must admit I rarely eat it though :D )
Very well explained post :)
Happy Easter!!!
Hugs!
daaaaa……
iyyyyyyoooooo last year my grandmother passed away……so eee pravashyam palu kachan okkillaaaaa….
hmmmmm enikkum vene……..
This is a completely new dish to me and looks delicious Maria… I wish I could taste it once! :)