Made with four different types of dals/lentils, this is a very healthy,high protein appetizer that’s made in just a spoonful of oil. Though its low fat, its definitely not lacking in flavor! The tarka/tempering of mustard seeds,curry leaves and green chilies provides a boost of flavor. The chopped onions,ginger and cilantro takes the simple appe to a whole new level.
After I made my super soft and delicious Instant Mixed Dal Idlis-No Rice No fermentation, I decided to try making appe out of the same batter. How cool is that- Idlis and appe out of the same batter! I also make an Instant Mixed Dal Dosa- No Rice No Fermentation which happens to be the most tried,tested,shared and searched recipe on my blog.
As you have figured out by now, I love low fat, high protein dishes that are also easy to make and relatively fuss free. Dals/lentils are an excellent source of protein, very cheap, very easily available and very versatile to cook with. I use my appe pan a lot to make Moong Dal Appe, Pesto Moong Dal Appe, Lauki ke Appe and Oatmeal Avocado Appe.
I have added onions, cilantro, green chilies and ginger- feel free to experiment with finely chopped colored peppers,spinach or any other vegetable. You could also try peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and coconut. I generally like to make these appe in coconut oil. Cooking in coconut oil is an acquired taste and in the case of these appe it tastes delicious made in coconut oil. if you absolutely don’t like coconut oil,just make it in any oil, it will still taste awesome!
Here is the written recipe followed by the step by step pictorial one-
Mixed Dal Appe-South Indian Style
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup White Urad Dal
- 1/3 cup Yellow Moong Dal
- 1/3 cup Arhar/Toor Dal
- 1/3 cup Chana Dal
- Salt as per taste
- 1 1/2 tsp Eno/Fruit salt divided
- Water as needed for grinding
for Tarka/Vaghar
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp White Urad Dal
- 3 Green chilies chopped
- 10-12 curry leaves torn
for Appe
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1/3 cup cilantro/coriander/dhania finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 3-4 green chilies finely chopped(optional)
- Oil for greasing appe pan
Instructions
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Wash all dals together till water runs clear and soak overnight.
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Grind the dals with some water till smooth(Don’t add too much water, just enough to make a smooth batter)
for Tarka/Vaghar
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Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan.
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Add Mustard seeds and urad dal and cook till Urad dal turns golden(You may have to cover the pan as mustard seeds will crackle and splutter)
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Add chopped green chilies and curry leaves and stir.
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Add the tarka/vaghar to the dal batter
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Add salt and water as needed to make batter of dropping consistency
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Add onions,ginger,cilantro/coriander/dhania and green chilies
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Heat the appe pan and once heated, add a few drops of oil in each cavity
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In 1 cup batter add 3/4 tsp Eno, you will see the batter beginning to froth
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Put batter in the cavities, cover and cook on medium low flame
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Flip when you notice the underside turn golden brown
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Cook the other side as well and serve with chatni.
Notes
Here is the step by step pictorial recipe-
Ingredients-Moong,Chana.Urad and Arhar/toor/tuvar
Wash and soak the dals/lentils overnight
Grind the batter with little water till smooth
In pan heat oil and add mustard seeds and urad dal and cook till the dal turns golden in color
Add curry leaves and chopped green chilies,stir and add to ground dal
Add chopped onions,cilantro/coriander, green chilies and minced ginger
Meanwhile heat up your Appe pan and add some oil in each of the cavities
Add Eno(you will see it froth up) and mix well
Put a spoonful of batter in each cavity
Flip them over when one side is golden brown
Enjoy with Cilantro Green Chatni and Instant Tamarind Chatni made with Apple Butter
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Pam
Sorry, I’m not familiar with ‘dal’.
Would I find this at a specialty store?
I’d love to make these, they sound delicious!
Thank you,
Pam
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Pam, dal is the Indian term for lentils/pulses. They are available in all Indian grocery stores and on Amazon. On Amazon search for ‘dal’ all varieties will show up. Thanks for visiting my blog, hope you find the lentils and get to try out the recipe.
Sangeeta Sethi
Fabulous delicious healthy preparation .
Aanchal Gupta
Thank you so much Sangeeta di
Soujanya
hello, what’s the purpose of eno salt. Can it be skipped
Aanchal Gupta
Hi soujanya, Eno makes the appe soft, so I would not skip it. If Eno is not an option, use a pinch of baking soda, though I have never made without Eno. Thanks for visiting my blog, please share your feedback.
Sreedevi
Today i prepared this and it was a big hit in my home. Thanks to you for such a wonderful healthy recipe.
Aanchal Gupta
Thanks Steedevi, so happy to know that your family enjoyed the appe. Really is a healthy and delicious recipe.
Pramila
Thanks for the appe recipe, what is eno?
Aanchal Gupta
Thank you. Eno is fruit salt,generally used for digestion. Since it’s fizzy it helps to make dhoklas, appe etc soft.
Poornima
Can we ferment it ?
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Poornima, it’s an instant recipe so I have never fermented it. But I think if you ferment it, it will turn out soft. Then don’t add Eno.
Pratima
Tried this recipe. Loved it.
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Pratima, thanks for trying out my recipe and sharing your feedback. So glad that you loved the recipe.
Roger beauchemin
I have some Citric Salt, could i use in replace of Eno.
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Roger, I have never tried or heard of citric salt. Does it froth like Eno when mixed with water. If it froths up, then it’s ok to use it. That’s what makes the Appe soft. Otherwise it would be dry and hard.
Amit Choudhary
If we don’t add onion then will it give good taste?
Aanchal Gupta
Yes, you can certainly make without onion, it will still taste good.