"Kayappam" or undampori is a delicious deep-fried South Indian sweet fritter made with humble ingredients that turns into a delightful treat. It is a common evening snack at home, often whipped up to rescue bananas on the verge of being tossed. It gets its name from "Kaya" and "appam," which means banana and pancake (or fritter, as it is deep-fried), respectively. It's best enjoyed with a steaming cup of tea or coffee; it's a simple pleasure that never goes out of style!
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Why will you love Kayappam, the banana fritters?
- Kayappam is simple to make-you only need a few basic ingredients from your pantry.
- Perfect for surprise guests, this quick and easy snack comes together in no time.
- Craving something sweet? Kayappam is a delightful treat that satisfies your sweet tooth with rich, traditional flavors.
- The frying of these appams fills the house with such an awesome aroma, and it's hard to resist having them!
- It tastes delicious and stays fresh for up to three to four days when stored properly.
- Like most jaggery-based sweets, kayappam gets even better the next day, as the flavors deepen and blend in beautifully.
Ingredients
The main ingredients are overripe bananas, all-purpose flour or wheat, cardamom, rice flour, and jaggery (brown sugar).
How to make Kayappam?
Steps 1-2) Start by making the jaggery solution: Firstly, heat jaggery with a small amount of water over a low flame until it melts completely. Let it cool before using.
Steps 3-4)Once cooled, add mashed bananas and all-purpose flour.
Steps 5-8)The batter should have a medium consistency-neither too thick nor too runny. Add rice flour for a slight crispiness and powdered cardamom for a pleasant aroma and flavor. For a smoother texture, you can blend the batter in a mixer jar before frying.
Steps 9-12)Heat the oil, then use a large spoon to drop spoonfuls of batter into it. Fry until golden brown on all sides and crisp. Transfer to a container lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
Useful tips to make Kayappam
- Choose Overripe Bananas: Use overripe bananas for the best flavor and sweetness. Ripe plantains are even better if available, as they bring a more authentic taste to the dish.
- Baking Soda is Optional: Baking soda adds extra fluffiness and is helpful if you're short on time. However, you can skip it and let the batter rest longer to naturally develop softness. This is a more traditional and wholesome approach.
- Timing for Baking Soda: If you're adding baking soda, mix it into the batter just before frying. This helps maintain the fluffiness and prevents the batter from becoming too airy.
- Check Batter Consistency: Aim for a medium-thick batter-neither too runny nor too stiff. The right consistency ensures the fritters hold their shape and cook evenly.
- Melt Jaggery with Minimal Water: Use just enough water to melt the jaggery. This keeps the batter from becoming too thin. You can adjust the consistency later, but starting with less water gives you better control.
- Control the Oil Temperature: Fry the kayappams over medium heat. Too much heat can burn the outside while leaving the inside undercooked. Consistent medium heat ensures even cooking and a golden-brown crust.
- Add Rice Flour for Crispiness: Mixing rice flour into the batter enhances the crispiness of the kayappams, giving them a pleasant texture.
- Flour Alternatives Work Too: While all-purpose flour is commonly used, you can substitute it with wheat flour for a healthier option. It slightly alters the texture but still results in delicious kayappams.
Some other snack treats that you can make with bananas are banana bread with walnuts and moist chocolate banana bread. Another variation of kayappam, which you can try, is unniyappam using the foolproof unniyappam recipe and neyyappam using the recipe for neyyappam with detailed steps. They are all awesome.
Recipe FAQs
Use avocado oil or any other vegetable oil of your choice. Some folks also use coconut oil to fry them.
A pinch of baking soda added to the batter just before frying makes the texture and taste awesome.
Kayappams stay fresh for three to four days when stored in air-tight containers and will stay fresh longer when refrigerated.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Kayappam Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing from you!
Kayappam
Ingredients
- 4 small bananas ripe mashed
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour or Maida
- 2 tbsp Rice powder
- 7-8 tbsp molasses Jaggery (brown sugar)
- 1 cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda optional
- 4-5 cardamom crushed and powdered
Instructions
- Boil a cup of water with jaggery and make sure it melts well.
- Once the solution is completely cooled, add the ripe mashed bananas.
- Add in the combination of flour and wheat, rice powder, and mix the batter well.
- Add the powdered cardamom, pinch of salt, and mix well again.
- Add baking soda(optional) if using.
- Let the batter sit for 1 to 2 hours ( or you can immediately use it as well.)
- Take a spoonful of batter and drop it in the oil and deep fry until dark or golden brown.
- Kayappam is ready. All you need is some tea or coffee to go with it!
Video
Notes
- Choose Overripe Bananas: Use overripe bananas for the best flavor and sweetness. Ripe plantains are even better if available, as they bring a more authentic taste to the dish.
- Baking Soda is Optional: Baking soda adds extra fluffiness and is helpful if you're short on time. However, you can skip it and let the batter rest longer to naturally develop softness. This is a more traditional and wholesome approach.
- Timing for Baking Soda: If you're adding baking soda, mix it into the batter just before frying. This helps maintain the fluffiness and prevents the batter from becoming too airy.
- Check Batter Consistency: Aim for a medium-thick batter-neither too runny nor too stiff. The right consistency ensures the fritters hold their shape and cook evenly.
- Melt Jaggery with Minimal Water: Use just enough water to melt the jaggery. This keeps the batter from becoming too thin. You can adjust the consistency later, but starting with less water gives you better control.
- Control the Oil Temperature: Fry the kayappams over medium heat. Too much heat can burn the outside while leaving the inside undercooked. Consistent medium heat ensures even cooking and a golden-brown crust.
- Add Rice Flour for Crispiness: Mixing rice flour into the batter enhances the crispiness of the kayappams, giving them a pleasant texture.
- Flour Alternatives Work Too: While all-purpose flour is commonly used, you can substitute it with wheat flour for a healthier option. It slightly alters the texture but still results in delicious kayappams.
Wow! the banana fritters look irresistible and they look moist. It has been years i had them. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you so much Pavani! This popular snack from my hometown does have an exceptional taste and quite easy to make as well.
These banana fritters looks so good. Am planning to try them out this weekend!
That's awesome Jacqueline, hope you like it as much as we do! Thank you for the wonderful comment.
These sound like delightful little donuts. Yum~~
Thank you so much Larena for the wonderful comment, they indeed are super yum!
I can almost smell the banana and cardamom as these fritters are frying - what a lovely combination.
Exactly Right Beth , the aroma of the banana, cardamom and jaggery batter frying is so heavenly . It tastes awesome as well and even better the next day !