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Unniyappam
Banana and rice fritters
ഉണ്ണിയപ്പം: Vishu's little rice, banana and jaggery dumplings fried in an appam pan (soak 4 hours, rest 1 hour)
Unniyappam are small, round sweet dumplings that Kerala families make for Vishu and Karthika, and they are a well-known temple offering at Guruvayur and Sabarimala. A batter of ground rice, ripe banana and jaggery, studded with ghee-fried coconut bits and sesame, is fried in the round hollows of an unniyappa chatti until crisp and dark brown outside and soft and spongy in the middle. They keep for a couple of days in a tin and are perfect with tea. Chef's tip: let the batter rest for an hour; it softens and puffs a little, giving lighter unniyappam.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the batter
- 7 oz raw ricesoaked 4 hours
- 7 oz jaggerygrated
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 3 tbsp fresh coconutcut into tiny bits
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
For frying
- ¾ cup coconut oilor ghee, or a mix
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Melt 7 oz jaggery in ½ cup water over a low heat for 4–5 minutes, then strain and leave to cool until lukewarm.
5 minStep 2: Drain 7 oz raw rice well. Grind it with 2 small ripe bananas (poovan or palayamkodan) and the jaggery syrup to a thick, slightly coarse batter that drops off a spoon in a ribbon, like idli batter. Add a little water only if the blender stalls.
5 minStep 3: Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan over a medium heat and fry 3 tbsp fresh coconut for 2–3 minutes until golden, adding 1 tsp black sesame seeds for the last 20 seconds. Stir them into the batter with ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 pinch salt. Cover and rest for 1 hour.
3 minStep 4: Just before frying, stir in ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda. Heat an unniyappam or appe pan over a medium heat and fill each hollow halfway with ¾ cup coconut oil. Wait until a drop of batter sizzles immediately.
4 minStep 5: Spoon batter into each hollow almost to the top. Fry for 2–3 minutes, until the edges are dark brown and the tops look set, then turn each one with a skewer and fry another 2 minutes. Common mistake: starting in oil that isn't hot. They soak up oil and come out heavy and greasy.
20 minStep 6: Lift out onto kitchen paper, top up the oil and repeat. Unniyappam should be deep brown and crisp outside and spongy inside; cool before storing in an airtight tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does unniyappam take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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