Soak the rice overnight, and then drain completely. Make sure no water remains in the rice, and you can do this by leaving it in a sieve to drain for as long as you can.
STEP 1: Put the rice, coconut milk, yeast and cardamom powder into your blender and blend until completely smooth. This may take a while but stick to it. Keep blending for a full minute at a time, giving the blender a rest of a few seconds between pulses. Once you’re satisfied that the rice has been mashed completely and your batter is smooth, pour it out into a bowl, cover and set aside to rise for 30-60mins.
STEP 2: This is how thick the batter will look after 30-60 mins. Add the sugar and mix it in using your hand. Make sure you mix it completely such that no sugar granules remain.
STEP 3: Once the sugar is mixed in, the batter will become lighter and slightly more runny in consistency as shown in the pic.
STEP 4: If you have an appam pan like the one in the pic, use it for smaller sized vitumbua. Otherwise use the smallest karai that you’ve got. Add oil into it, half a tsp. per slot if you’re using an appam, otherwise more if using a bigger pan. Heat it up on medium.
STEP 5: Carefully, pour your batter into the pan. Do not over-fill.
STEP 6: As the vitumbua cook, you will notice tiny bubbles forming all over the batter in the pan. This is a good sign, it means your vitumbua will have the perfect sieve-like texture. Keep the heat on low so that the vitumbua cook through without burning
STEP 7: When you notice the vitumbua firming up and their bottoms look colored, gently turn each one over and cook the other side. You can use a skewer or flat wooden stick for this.
STEP 8: Cook the other side to a good golden color. Remove and continue this method for the rest of your batter. Of course if you are using a bigger pan they will be bigger, and that’s OK too! Serve warm! 🙂
