Orappam - Eggless - Rice Bread from Kerala - oven baked

I do not remember eating Orappam (which literally means one bread, presumably because the mother  of the house hold made the one bread that the whole family shared) at home - may be in my grandmother's house, but my mother never made it.  When my cousin Deeban told me I should make this for my children, I asked him for a recipe that I could use - since I knew this was a very traditional laborious process.  Deeban shared his memories of it - how his mom would cook it up and leave the hot coals  on the lid till it died down - and how it was the best ever breakfast to eat the next morning. Deeban is very much a foodie - so I have made this for him - though I cant possibly send it to him - seeing he is in India!  But anyway, the good thought is there! Love you, Deeban, this one is for you!  This recipe is modified to suit the things available for me in Melbourne - and from a couple of You Tube videos many thanks to Anu's Kitchen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUOyRRro6vU

 Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

200 to 250 grams jaggery

½ cup warm water

3 cups coconut milk

½ teaspoon Fennel seeds

½ teaspoon cardamom seed powder

½ teaspoon dry ginger powder

2 tablespoons sultanas – roasted in  ½  teaspoon ghee till they puff up

2 tablespoons cashew nuts – roasted  ½ teaspoon ghee  

1 cake tin greased with coconut oil

Coconut oil – about 5 tablespoons

Method:

In a saucepan, add water and jaggery.  Warm the water and continue to dissolve jaggery until it is completely dissolved.  Strain the liquid and keep aside to cool.

In another saucepan, add coconut milk and rice flour and keep stirring to ensure no lumps are formed.  Now add the cool jaggery syrup and mix well.

Keep this on a stove with the heat quite low and continuously stir until the flour starts to cook and leave the sides of the pan.  Add a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil and mix well.  

Next add the spice powders and mix well.  Add a couple more tablespoons of oil and mix well.  Lastly add the fennel seeds, cashew nuts and sultanas and mix well.

Transfer to the greased cake tin and bake in 180 deg C for 25 to 30 minutes till the top of the bread turns crispy.

Cool and cut to slices.