UNNIYAPPAM / GULIYAPPA
Unniyappam is a small round snacks made from rice, jaggery , banana, roasted coconut pieces, roasted sesame seeds, ghee and cardamom powder fried in coconut oil. In Malayalam ‘unni’ means small and ‘appam’ means rice cake. It is made using a special pan call Appachatti.
INGREDIENTS
- RAW RICE – 2 CUPS
- JAGGARY – 1 CUP
- SMALL RIPE BANANAS – 2 NO'S
- BLACK SESAMA SEEDS – 2 TABLESPOON
- COCONUT PIECES – 4 TABLESPOON
- CARDOMOM POWDER – 1 TEASPOON
- SALT – TO TASTE
- COCONUT OIL –FOR FRYING
- WATER -1/4 CUP
HOW TO MAKE UNNIYAPPAM
1. Rinse 2 cups of raw rice thoroughly. Soak the rice in enough water for at least 3 to 4 hours, or preferablely overnight. Always use short grain rice for best result .
2. Prepare jaggery syrup – Add jaggary into a sauce pan along with ¼ th cup of water. Boil to make a syrup. Adjust the quantity of jaggary based on your sugar palate.
3. Transfer the soaked rice into a mixer jar, drain all the water before transferring. Add the jaggary syrup and grind into a coarse paste, like texture of idly rava.
4. Grind 2 ripe banana in a blender and make a smooth paste , add it to the batter and mix well. Add a pinch of salt to the batter.
5. In a separate pan, heat ghee , add chopped coconut pieces and roast till it turns golden. Add black sesame seeds and roast for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and cool it completely.
6. Add the cooled roasted coconut and sesame mixture into the batter and combine well.
7. Cover the batter and keep in warm place for 3-4 hours.
8. Heat appachatti on medium flame. Add coconut oil, once the oil is hot pour the batter into each mould. Fill only ¾ th of each mould using a laddle or a spoon.
9. Once the appams are cooked on one side , they detach from the pan and will start to rotate in oil. Turn them around and cook on both the sides.
10.Remove and transfer into kitchen towels. Store in airtight containers.
NOTES
* It is better to use raw rice for soft unniyappams. It can be prepared using rice flour too , but the texture will be denser . There is a noticeable difference in texture as well as taste while using raw rice.
*If the batter is too thick then add enough water as required.
*To avoid batter sticking to the pan allow the oil to heat properly.
*Keep heat uniform throughout the process on medium heat .. If you increase the heat, appams may not cook through properly.
*If you prefer fluffier appam add baking soda.
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