What liquid is mixed with fermented rice batter to make appam?

Coconut milk is mixed with fermented rice batter to make appam.

Coconut milk gives appam a gently sweet, rich flavor and helps produce the contrast between its crisp-looking, lacy edges and soft center. The batter begins with rice, which is soaked and ground, then fermented before coconut milk is incorporated or used to adjust its consistency, depending on the recipe.

Appam is a staple associated with Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is also widely eaten in Sri Lanka, where it is commonly called a hopper. It is generally served for breakfast or dinner with vegetable, meat or egg curry. Coconut is central to the broader food traditions of these coastal regions, so coconut milk is both a flavoring and a culturally characteristic ingredient.

The liquid should not be confused with coconut chutney or a curry served alongside the pancake. Nor is coconut milk the same as dairy milk: it is extracted from grated coconut and contributes fat as well as aroma. Some recipes vary the leavening method, but the rice-and-coconut combination remains the defining traditional profile.