Unniappam or Unniyappam are sweet fritters, a very popular sweet dish from my hometown in Kerala. It was one of the sweet dishes I made for my little nieces visiting, as they love this dish. It had been a while since I made this dish, and I had to get the latest reliable recipes from my sister and mom, who had made it recently. They turned out just perfect.
Although the process of making the batter and frying is a bit tedious, it is indeed worth the effort, and the result is awesome. Some other variations of this appam are the delicious Kerala Neyyappam and Kayappam.
Why you'll love Unniappams?
- They taste delicious and get tastier the longer you keep them on the shelf.
- They can be kept for about 8 to 10 days in a closed container and do not require refrigeration.
- A quick snack for kids and adults and can be easily carried on road trips.
- They are very addictive as they taste so good.
Ingredients Needed
- Soaked rice ground with melted and cooled jaggery solution.
- All-purpose Flour.
- Nuts, raisins, and black sesame seeds fried in ghee.
- Bananas or Plantains that are over-ripe and sweet.
- Cooked rice, baking soda, and salt.
- Jaggery is the sweetener that is used.
- Cardamom for flavor and aroma
How to make Uniappam?
You will need an appe pan to make this delicious dish. It is a pan with small little molds, refer to the picture of the appe-pan below. The main ingredients are soaked rice, jaggery, and banana which is ground into a semi-coarse batter. It is important to get the right consistency and to use very little water while making the batter. Some folks use rice flour to make the batter but I prefer to grind the soaked rice with the melted jaggery. The ingredients and the complete recipe are below. Hope you like it. Enjoy!
Useful Tips to Make Unniappam:
- Use overripe bananas so the appams get the authentic taste.
- Let the batter ferment for about six to eight hours before you start frying so that all the ingredients mix well.
- The batter consistency should be thick, like the idli batter.
- Use very little water while mixing the batter and making the jaggery solution so you get a thick batter.
- Cool the jaggery solution before mixing it into the batter.
- Add baking soda to get fluffy appams.
Some other snacks and sweet treats made with bananas that you may enjoy are kayappam(bonda), easy banana nut bread with walnuts, and chocolate banana bread. They are all delicious. If you are fond of deep-fried sweets, do give deep fried modak recipe or mawa gujiya a try.
Unniappam - Sweet Fritters
Ingredients
- 4 cups rice raw soaked in water overnight
- 8 -10 jaggery 1 inch cubes
- 1 ½ banana use over ripe ones , small bananas also can be used
- 3 -4 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ½ cup rice cooked
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Fried ingredients
- ½ cup coconut thinly sliced
- ½ cup cashews and raisins cut into small bits
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Wash and Soak the rice in water overnight or for about 6 to 8 hours
- Melt jaggery with very little water in a pan on a stove top. It is important to use as little water as possible . Once jaggery is dissolved Cool the solution to room temerature
- Take blender , grind the rice , ripe banana and jaggery solution .If needed add water only if the consistency is very thick
- Next add the all purpose flour, salt and cooked rice and transfer contents to a fermenting bowl
- In a small pan heat ghee
- Brown the cut coconut pieces, sesame, nuts and raisins
- Add it to the batter along with the baking soda and mix well
- Let the batter ferment for about 6 to 8 hours
- Heat the appe-pan with medium flame and add oil to the little moulds ¾ way up
- Add a spoonful of batter and turn over when it seems cooked and you get a nice dark brown color
- The appams are ready to be enjoyed .It tastes even better the next day just like with any sweet dishes made with jaggery.
Notes
Make sure the batter is fermented for at least 6 to 8 hours.
The consistency should be in between idli and dosa batter.
Nutrition
My granny alwayss do this for me😋😋😋
oh! how sweet , that must be really special. Thank you so much for stopping by!
You're welcome 😍
The pics are sooo tempting, makes me feel like grabbing one right out of the screen 😛 😛 I tasted this too, so can vouch for the yummy taste 😀 Kids, of course, loved ALL the delicious sweets and treats made by their sweet and adorable aunt who left no stone unturned pampering and spoiling them 😀
Awww, Thank you so much dear sis for such a wonderful comment, it made my day :). Thanks for also sharing the recipe. Yes of course, I just love pampering the sweet little angels !
The post is a killer Nisha. I adore uniappams and being a Palakkad Iyer, this is one major weakness in terms of regional dessert that I have. Cannot simply stop at one. Beautiful clicks.
Thanks my friend appreciate it! I completely understand and with you on that.. as I can’t stop at one as well. They are simply irresistible .
Nostalgia overloaded! Reminds me of those good ol' festive seasons!
Thank you so much for the wonderful comment and glad it brought back memories .Yes indeed, it is a popular dish during the festivals !
Yes :):)
These look so gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the authentic recipe.
Thanks a lot for the appreciation Megala!
Happy to see you back....
This is such a nice share Nisha...looks absolutely delightful....
Thank you so much Jyo! Glad to hear you like it!
Welcome back!❤️
These look yummylicious!😊
Thank you Richa .Glad you loved it and yes great to be back!
It's nice to have a break. Glad you're back Nisha. 🙂
yes exactly right Lorelle, Thank you so much!
Absolutely delicious unniappams ! Welcome Back Dear!
Thank you Smitha, definitely glad to be back 🙂
our neighbour