Unniyappam is a traditional Kerala snack. It’s a popular dish often prepared during festivals like Onam, as well as for special occasions and religious ceremonies.
Unniyappam is made from a batter consisting of rice flour, ripe bananas, jaggery (unrefined sugar), coconut, and a pinch of cardamom powder for flavoring. This batter is then poured into special molds or a frying pan with small depressions and fried in oil until golden brown and crispy on the outside while remaining soft and fluffy on the inside.
The distinctive shape of unniyappam comes from its cooking method. Traditionally, it’s made using a special pan called “appa chatti” or “unniyappam chatti,” which has multiple small, round molds. The batter is poured into these molds, giving unniyappam its characteristic round shape with a slight depression in the center.
Unniyappam is enjoyed both as a snack and as a dessert. Its sweet, aromatic flavor makes it a delightful treat for people of all ages.
- Roasted Rice flour- 1 cup
- Wheat flour- ½ cup
- Banana, ripe- 1 large-sized (if using small bananas add 2)
- Jaggery, grated- ¾ cup (dissolved in ½ cup water)
- Coconut slices chopped- ¼ cup
- Black sesame seeds- ½ tbsp
- Ghee- 2 tbsp
- Water- ¾ cup
- Cardamom powder- ¼ tsp
- Baking soda- ½ tsp
- Oil- for frying
- With this recipe you'll be able to make 21 unniyappams.
- For making more you can double the recipe.
- I've taken ¾ cup grated jaggery. If you like very sweet unniyappams add 1 cup grated jaggery.
- Frozen coconut slices are available in Indian stores. If they're large sized sliced, chop the slices.
- Place a saucepan over medium heat, add jaggery & ½ cup water, let the jaggery melt in water & come to a boil.
- Take the pan off the heat, let the melted jaggery cool down. If there are any particles in the melted jaggery, strain it.
- There will be ¾ cup of melted jaggery.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp ghee.
- Add chopped coconut slices, fry till light golden in color.
- Add ½ tbsp black sesame seeds, fry for a minute.
- Don't let the coconut slices turn brown, will be adding them to the batter & fried further.
- To a blender jar, add rice flour, wheat flour, banana, melted jaggery & ¾ cup water.
- Blend to a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter to a large bowl.
- The batter shouldn't be too watery, should be similar to dosa batter consistency.
- Add the fried coconut slices & sesame seeds to the batter.
- Combine well.
- Add cardamom powder & baking soda, combine well.
- Allow the batter rest for 30 minutes, don't skip this step.
- Unniyappams are fried in a special pan that has cavities in it.
- Place the pan over medium heat.
- Add oil to each cavity, fill half of the cavity with oil.
- Let the oil turn hot.
- Using a spoon pour 2 tbsp batter to the oil in each cavity.
- Fry for a minute.
- Using a skewer flip over the unniyappam & fry till all the sides have turned brown in color.
- Transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen paper towel.
- Unniyappams can be enjoyed warm or after they have cooled down.
- These snacks are enjoyed as it is.
- Leftover unniyappams can be stored in an air-tight container for 2 days.
