Yerreappa are tasty dumplings that entice you with their visual charm, and are extremely popular across the southern part of India. This is one sweet dish which is relished during festivals such as Deepavali or Diwali. In fact, the cultural connotations of this gastronomic delight are quite profound. For instance, the delicacy is prepared as a part of naivedya, an offering to the Lord during poojas or prayers. The word yereappa means sweet dumplings, prepared with rice as its main ingredient.
This Yereappa recipe stores well. You can store it in a storage container and eat later, and it will still taste as delicious as freshly prepared.
Health Benefits
This yereappa recipe will result in delicious sweet appams that will leave you craving for more. It is a great source of minerals and vitamins thanks to the presence of rice. Coconut, another major ingredient in this recipe will add a host of vitamins including vitamins C, B1, B5, B6, B3, and E. Vitamins not only help promote eye health but boost the immune system too.
Ingredients
2 tsp urad dal
¼ tsp methi seeds
a pinch of salt
1 cup oil — for frying
1 tbsp beaten rice
2 to 3 pods of cardamom
2 tbsp jaggery
½ cup coconut — grated
1 cup rice
How To Make Yereappa recipe
- Soak the beaten rice along with rice in plain water for 1½ hours. Wash the rice and drain. Grind with coconut and beaten rice to make a fine paste.
- Combine with cardamom and jaggery. Grind for 2-3 minutes and add salt. Transfer the paste from the grinding jar to a bowl.
- Heat oil in a frying pan and add a spoonful of the ground rice paste when the oil is hot. Deep fry on both the sides while keeping the flame medium. Remove when golden red.
- Drain on kitchen tissue to remove excess oil.
Ensure that the dough is not watery. If it is, add some rice powder to thicken. This is because a watery dough will absorb a lot of oil. You could also add some cashew nuts to enhance the taste.
Trivia
Interestingly enough, rice is considered the oldest food still consumed today. In fact, archaeologists believe it has been consumed since 5000 BC! Furthermore, the Chinese are known to add rice to their building material to strengthen their structures.
There are over 40,000 varieties of rice. Among the most popular ones are the Italian Arborio, Basmati, and Thai Jasmine. More than 90% of the rice is produced in Asia alone! Among the world’s largest producers of rice are China, India, and Indonesia.
Many cultures around the world believe in showering newlyweds with grains of rice which are believed to foster prosperity and fertility.
Rice is grown across the world except for one single continent— Antarctica.