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Rava appe (semolina vegetable dumplings)
Little round semolina and yoghurt bites with grated vegetables, cooked in an appe pan
Across Karnataka and Maharashtra, rava appe is a weekday trick for a quick breakfast or a lunchbox that comes back empty: semolina and yoghurt batter, studded with carrot, pepper and coriander, is cooked in a round-holed appe pan until the balls are crisp outside and soft inside, using only a little oil. Children eat them with a mild green chutney or ketchup. They contain gluten (semolina) and milk (yoghurt). Chef's tip: stir in the bicarbonate of soda only when the pan is hot and you are ready to cook, or the batter loses its lift.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz fine semolina (rava)
- 5 ½ oz plain yoghurt
- ¼ cup waterroughly
- 1 carrotfinely grated
- ¼ green peppervery finely chopped
- ½ onionvery finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh gingergrated
- 2 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz fine semolina (rava), 5 ½ oz plain yoghurt, ½ tsp salt and most of ¼ cup water into a thick batter. Rest for 15 minutes so the semolina swells.
15 minStep 2: Stir in 1 carrot, ¼ green pepper, ½ onion, 1 tsp fresh ginger and 2 tbsp fresh coriander. The batter should drop thickly off a spoon; add the rest of the water if it is stiff.
Step 3: Heat the appe pan over a medium heat and put a few drops of 2 tbsp sunflower oil in each hole. Only now stir ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda into the batter; it should turn light and a little foamy. The common mistake is adding the soda too early, so the batter goes flat before it reaches the pan.
Step 4: Spoon batter into each hole to just below the rim. Cover and cook for 3–4 minutes, until the edges look set and the underside is golden.
4 minStep 5: Turn each ball with a skewer, add a drop more oil and cook for 2–3 minutes more, until golden all over and a skewer comes out clean. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
6 minStep 6: If it is going in a lunchbox, let it cool completely first (no more than an hour at room temperature), close the box and pack it with an ice pack. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rava appe (semolina vegetable dumplings) take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain yoghurt?
- Greek yoghurt loosened with a little milk.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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