UNNIYAPPAM

     Unniyappam is a Nadan Kerala Palaharam (Snack), prepared with Rice, Jaggery, Bananas/ Chakkavaratti (Jackfruit Preserve) along with bytes of Coconut Pieces and Sesame Seeds fried in Ghee and flavoured with Cardamoms.  Though it is widely called as Unniyappam, it is known by other names like 'Karallapam/Karayappam', when prepared with Ghee (Clarified Butter) it is called as 'Neyyappam'.
     Unniyappam carries loads of memories for me.  Those tasty small appams remind me of Vishu, as it's a family ritual to prepare Unniyappams for the festival.  My MOM prepares it without bananas, and usually, she likes to prepare those disc shaped ones, rather than preparing them in Appa Chatti. I love the texture of those appams and the taste of those coconut bytes fried in ghee.
     Another memory is during our Temple Pooram in our home town in Kerala when my 'Salguna Velliamma' prepares these Unniyappams to cater to her guests.  Also, I love those tough and dark looking Unniyappams, they give as a prasadham in Coimbatore Sidhaputhur Ayyappan Koil. Those Unniyappams are hard to bite but are prepared to last for longer period of time, compared to homemade ones. I never used to miss a chance of buying them from the temple counter during my childhood days.  Smell, taste and flavours take a long nostalgic journey along with us - just those wonderful memories to hold on!
    Today is my MIL's birthday, to commemorate the date I am posting one of her recipes - Unniyappam.  This is her recipe, and she is very good at making them.  I have always helped her to fry these Unniyappam when we were all living together.  But then, it had never occurred to me to save the recipe.  Then during one of her visits to Malaysia, we prepared it together, and I quickly jotted down the recipe. This is a foolproof recipe and tastes great.  It can be prepared without adding bananas too.
    This batch of Unniyappams were made with the Bananas from our Banana Tree in our backyard.  And above all, my daughter fried (just the frying portion) the whole lot of Unniyyappams on her own, and it was her first trial in it.  Though I was worried a bit about her handling them in the midst of hot oil, I was awed by the way she turned it out with chopsticks and waited until it turned into perfect browny colours.

 

     "Updated 17th October 2020 (Just the pictures and a Letter from my daughter asking for this wonderful Kerala Palaharam" - Unniyappam

 

A LETTER FROM MY DAUGHTER

 

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Cuisine : Kerala (India)
Recipe : Snack
Difficulty : Medium
Yields: 45-50 Unniyappams
Author : SM

Soaking Time : 2 Hours
Preparation Time : 20 - 30 Minute
Leavening Time : 8 to 10 Hours
Cooking Time : 30 - 45 Minutes

 

 

UNNIYAPPAM

INGREDIENTS:

To Grind:

Raw Rice - 3 Cups
Melted Jaggery - 13/4 Cups
Cardamom - 6 Nos.
Banana  -  2–3 Nos.
Salt  -  a Pinch

For Unniyappam Batter:

All Purpose Flour/ Maida   -  1 Cup

Soda- bi-carbonate  -  1 Teaspoon

 

Add-ons:

Ghee/Clarified Butter  - 1 Tablespoon

Coconut Pieces - as Required (Optional)
Sesame Seeds - 2 Tablespoons (Optional)
 

For Frying:

Ghee/ Coconut Oil

 

METHOD:

• Wash and soak the Rice for 2 hours.
• Melt Jaggery in 1 cup of water by boiling it.
• Strain the Jaggery syrup and allow it to cool.
• Grind the soaked Rice with Jaggery syrup, Bananas and Cardamoms.
• It should be a thick batter.
• Leave this to ferment for about 8–10 hours.
• Once fermented & just before frying the Unniyappams, add All Purpose Flour (Maida) and Soda-bi-Carbonate to the batter and mix well.
• Fry the Coconut pieces and Sesame seeds in Ghee until golden brown and add it to the batter.
  
• Leave the batter aside for 10–15 minutes.
• Heat oil in an Appachatti/Paniyaram (pan), when the oil is really hot, reduce the flame to low-medium.
• Drop a small ladle full of batter into the slots in the pan.
• Let it cook on a medium flame for a few minutes.

 

• Keep turning the Unniyappams in between, till you get a golden-dark brown colour on both sides.
• Remove the Unniyappams from the pan and leave it on paper towels.
• Once cooled, store the Unniyappams in an airtight container.
  

UNNIYAPPAM

 

NOTES:

• The batter should be thick.
• Grinding the rice along with melted jaggery is to avoid the batter becoming watery. 
• Melt Jaggery and strain it for any impurities before grinding it along with the rice.
• For crispier Unniyappams, substitute Maida with Rice Flour. 
• If you like a dominant banana flavour, add extra Bananas.
• Adding fried Coconut pieces and Sesame seeds are purely optional.
• You can store it at room temperature for 2–3 days and can be refrigerated for about a week to 10 days.
• Microwave a few seconds before serving.
• Unniyappams made without bananas can be stored for a bit longer time.
• You can also make the unniyappam without the unniyappam/ paniyaram pan.
• Pour out a ladle of batter directly into the oil slowly and deep-fry them.
• They would look like small disc shaped appams.
• I have used Coconut Oil for frying the Unniyappams.
• Can fry the Unniyappam in Ghee or any other Vegetable Oil.