Amma’s Appom: Cheap mini b’fast sets with thosai, idli, halwa & fluffy appam

Stumbling upon Amma’s Appom was an incident of fate. 

My original plan to visit Yuhua Village Market & Food Centre was to try a “Chinese-style curry prata” that I’d heard about a while ago. So you can imagine my dismay when I turned up to find it closed, probably due to an extended Chinese New Year break.

You can tell my craving for Indian food wasn’t going to let itself go unnoticed, because Amma’s Appom, which I had passed by earlier, came to mind. The caption on their signboard read “A Homemade Tradition”, and it got me curious about how the supposedly authentic appom recipe would taste.

Sadly, I didn’t get much of an opportunity to speak to the lady in charge of the stall. Despite this, from the limited interactions we shared, I figured she was a very sweet and easygoing person. She informed me that the stall was open every day from 6am to 9pm.

Based on observation, the appoms are cooked fresh to order, so they are served while still steaming hot off the stove. 

What I tried at Amma’s Appom

I ordered the dish that stood out the most to me on the menu – the Mini Combo Breakie (S$4.50). I’ve got to admit, the plate looked so much better than I expected. Not that the menu photos were underwhelming; they just didn’t seem to have captured the fullness of the actual dish.

In addition to a plain thosai and the usual chutneys, the Combo included an iddly, a vadai, some halwa and a scoop of what seemed like potato-egg salad. 

There was so much to take in that I simply did not know where to start. To make things easier, I dived for the most noticeable component, which was the thosai. A normal-sized plain Thosai would’ve cost S$2, but this was a mini version that sat perfectly within the plate compartment.

As a thosai lover, the tanginess of the fermented rice batter felt like home. There was a slight butteriness present, but it didn’t feel as sinful as if I were to pick something such as, say, prata (not available here), which is usually oilier. 

Similarly, the pillowy iddly possessed a sourdough-like taste but was slightly saltier than the thosai, and wasn’t oily as it is steamed. It soaked up gravy like a sponge, capturing the essence of the spices despite not being seasoned with any on its own.

Amma’s Appom’s Vadai, though somewhat greasy, was a doughnut-shaped piece of deep-fried fluffy goodness. Carrots, onions and curry leaves were integrated into the dough, which contained strong notes of cumin.

While the coconut chutney was more watery than I expected, it was delightfully creamy and nutty. Dal sambar is a fragrant classic that doesn’t disappoint, but this one’s texture wasn’t as fun as I’d hoped since the lentils were all mushed into the gravy.

Some veggie chunks, mostly radish, were included, making it light and refreshing. The last dip (which I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t name) was creamy, but the heat of blended chillies crept up on me, triggering some momentary sneezing. 

While ordering, I thought I heard the second male vendor mention over the bustling chaos of customers that the mysterious scoop next to the vadai was masala. However, when I approached my Indian peers for confirmation, they simply answered “egg salad”.

It tasted like a cross between egg mayo salad and mashed potato. As a more neutral-tasting component, it balanced out the stronger spice of the accompanying chutneys and went well with the thosai.

I have a sweet tooth, so the halwa was easily my favourite part of the Combo. The small, slightly misshapen dessert slice looked simple but tasted very pleasant. The slightly grainy yet soft sago-like texture of the sweet semolina, together with raisins and chopped cashews, was strangely addictive. 

Amma’s Appom definitely get its name for nothing. The Appom which comes as Plain (S$2), Egg (S$2.70) and Cheese (S$3) had buttery and crispy edges, while soft and pale in the middle. While overall a very toothsome dish, I felt that there wasn’t enough of the fluffy centre or browning at the sides. As you can tell, I’m a fan of getting the best of both worlds.

The best part was eating the appom with the shredded coconut and red sugar. The Plain one went with the mixture marvellously, but the Egg Appom felt more suited to savoury palates, so the sugar seemed a little out of place here. Still, I would highly recommend anyone to give this dish a try.

Final Thoughts

Talk about value for money! I loved how the Mini Combo Breakie included a mini version of every kind of food. It was perfect for someone like me who likes trying a variety of foods at one go without the fear of overeating. The Appom had more potential, but it’s still something I didn’t regret buying.

Amma’s Appom was a very unassuming stall, but I can wholeheartedly say that the food didn’t disappoint, and I can see myself returning to this stall if I ever do pass by again.

Expected damage: S$2 – $7.50

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