Unniyappam - A Traditional Kerala Snack
Good evening folks!
Unniyappam is one Kerala snack that I have faint memories of. The chewy outer layer and soft spongy like insides which gave in small pieces of ghee roasted coconut to munch on is something incredibly good. Though I used to dislike it as a child, I remember having my classmates and seniors bringing them to school when I did my schooling in Kerala; in these little steel dabbas that they would open and close with the utmost care and give you one if you are good friends with them. Aaaah memories! I used to always pass it on to the next person sitting near me as I hated wasting food and I didn't want to hurt by saying a no.
So one fine day, I finally happened to try it from one of my seniors and my bus mate. This particular unniyappam looked extremely appealing that I had to try it! Maaan, it would owe it her and her mom or whoever made that unniyappam.. big time! The unniyappam that she shared was undeniably so good, the color, the texture, yet the crunch from the ghee roasted coconut pieces made me fall for it. Neethu.. I hope you read this. :)
Alas.. if you happen to have had an aversion to a particular food once and you somehow think of them all to be the same. Been there. Lesson learned. Never said a no after that lol, unless the food is stale or disgusting. Well, at our place, we don't make unniyappam much. Most often it has been a delicacy only relished from bakeries etc. Always disliked theirs too as theirs seemed to be hard and not spongy. If you nail the technique and get it right.. I am sure it will stay soft in an airtight container well for at least 2-3 days. My hubster, who happens to dislike unniyappam too, he never bothered to try it. My daughter who usually has food aversion, kept grabbing one from the kitchen counter top. The Mister who got curious, tried himself and stuffed his face without a word. Haha. Not boasting but it really was yumm coz I like mine chewy, spongy and crunchy at the same time.
Recently I have been on an experimenting and inventing mode off, as I love to explore traditional food too.These are made using pachari (white rice), jaggery, small Kerala bananas*(4-5), ghee roasted coconut pieces, black sesame seeds and a pinch of cardamom. The ingredients sounds simple yea? Well, it gets done in no time too. One of the easiest evening snack you can make. Jutst prepare the batter in the morning and allow to ferment for a good 8 hours, or you may also grind and allow it to ferment right before you go to sleep (if waiting is not in your dictionary). For me, since it is winter here it took around 8 + hours, but if you are in a hot and humid country, your batter may get fermented even earlier. So, let's hop on to the ingredients. Shall we?
Ingredients:
- Coconut oil*
- 1 cup Pachari/ White Rice (soaked for 4-5 hours)
- 2 Robust Ripe Bananas
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 1/2 cup melted jaggery
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup small coconut pieces
- 3 large cardamom pods
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- Baking powder, a pinch
- Salt, as required
Instructions:
- Roast your coconut pieces in ghee and set them aside.
- Wash and grind your rice with water (be careful not to make too loose nor too tight)
- Next add in your bananas, cardamom pods and grind well and transfer to a large bowl.
- Now add in your melted Jaggery and your roasted coconut pieces, and salt and mix well.
- Allow to ferment for 8-9 hours.
- Now add in your baking powder, and black sesame seeds and mix well.
- Into an Appa Chatti with cavities, pour in your coconut oil.
- Once the oil is hot, pour in tablespoonfuls of the batter and allow to fry on medium flame and turn
- the unniyappams using a stick.
- Allow to cook well on both sides and transfer to a steel oil strainer.
- Allow to drain. Your favorite evening snack is now ready to devour.
Notes:
- Using Coconut oil gives you the best results and taste, nevertheless you may use any flavorless vegetable oil too.
- Usually, the small bananas are used for this recipe, if using the small Kerala bananas, you may use 5 of them. I had only robust bananas with me.
