Unni Appam
Unni (“small”) appam (“rice cakes”) in Malayalam, or Nei appam, is a classic sweet made mainly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It’s a flour-based sweet fritter with banana fried in oil. It is very similar to the Dutch aebleskiver.
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 medium bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup powdered jaggery
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds toasted
- 2 tablespoons shredded fresh coconut or frozen, thawed to room temperature
- 1 banana puréed
- 1/2 cup vegetable or corn oil
- Melted ghee for drizzling
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and jaggery to a simmer. When the jaggery melts, turn off the heat. Strain the jaggery water through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl to remove any impurities.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, rice flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, baking soda, cardamom, sesame seeds, and coconut.
- Whisk in the puréed banana.
- While whisking, slowly pour in the jaggery water, until it forms a smooth, pourable, lump-free batter. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
- Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.
- Place an appe or paniyaram pan over medium-high heat until hot.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 teaspoon of oil to each mold. Fill each mold three-quarters full with batter. Cook for 1 to 11⁄2 minutes. Using a knife or fork, carefully flip the appams. Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute more. Remove them from the pan and place on the paper towel–lined plate. Repeat with the remaining appams.
- Drizzle the finished appams with melted ghee, about 1⁄4 teaspoon each, and serve hot.
Notes
Along with ground cardamom, you can also add 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger for enhanced flavor.