Unniyappam – Kerala Sweet Rice & Banana Fritters

Unniyappam (ഉണ്ണിയപ്പം) are small, sweet fritters of rice, jaggery and ripe banana, cooked in a special pan with round moulds until crisp outside and soft within. They are a fixture at Kerala temple festivals, at Vishu and in the evening tea-time tin.

Tips for soft unniyappam

• Use really ripe bananas – they add sweetness and keep the inside soft.
• Don’t skip the 2-hour rest; the batter needs it to rise slightly.
• Keep the heat at medium so the centre cooks through before the outside darkens.

Lakshmidevi Nair

Unniyappam (Kerala Sweet Rice & Banana Fritters)

Soft, golden unniyappam made the traditional way, with soaked rice ground into a batter, sweetened with jaggery and ripe banana, and cooked in ghee in an unniyappam pan. The perfect companion to evening tea.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Soaking & resting 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 25 unniyappams

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Kerala

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup raw rice pachari
• 1 cup idli rice parboiled rice
• 250 g jaggery grated or melted
• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds til / ellu
• 1 tbsp small coconut pieces
• 1 pinch ajwain seeds
• 1 pinch salt
• ghee or oil for frying

Method

 

1. Wash both rices and soak them together in water for 4 hours.
2. Drain and grind the rice with a little water into a thick, smooth batter.
3. Add the jaggery, mashed banana, sesame seeds, coconut pieces, ajwain and salt. Mix well.
4. Cover and set the batter aside for 2 hours.
5. Heat the unniyappam pan and add a little ghee or oil to each mould.
6. Pour batter into each mould and cook on medium heat until golden underneath, then turn each one and cook the other side.
7. Lift out, drain and serve hot with evening tea.

Notes

No unniyappam pan? An appe / paniyaram pan works the same way.