Ingredients
- Raw Rice /Rice flour (lightly roasted) : 2 cups
- Ripe Small Bananas (Ceru pazham/Palayankodan) : 3 nos
- Jaggery / Molasses : 1 cup /250 grms (more or less as to taste)
- Black Sesame Seeds /Ellu : 1/4 tsp
- Milk : 1/2 cup ( optional )
- Coconut bits /Thenga kothu : 1/2 cup or as needed
- Cardamom : 3-4 pods
- Salt : one pinch
- Coconut Oil or Ghee for frying
- Optional – Pappadam /Kerala Pappad : 2
- Water : 1/4 cup
Method
Soak the raw rice in water for about 3-4 hours, if your using rice flour then lightly roast the flour and keep it aside.
In the meanwhile, melt jaggery with 1/4 cup of hot water and make a thick syrup out of it, Strain to take out any impurities and cool the syrup.
Soak the pappadam in water for 10 to 15 mins (Note : This steps is purely optional, traditionally it is not done, by doing this process unniyappam with turns soft and taste more tastier and this is secret tip, I learned from my ammuamma/grandmom.)
Drain the water from the rice and grind the rice to a smooth paste/ batter using the jaggery solution. (Note : If the batter is too thick then add enough water as and when required) (Or) If your using rice flour, mix the rice flour with jaggery solution and proceed with the below-mentioned method.
Chop the banana into 3 or 4 pieces, and add them along with the seeds from the cardamom pods; drain the water from the soaked pappadam and add the soaked pappadam to the batter and grind everything together to a smooth nice batter.
Fry the coconut bits/thenga kothu in 2 tsp of ghee till it become light brown in colour and now add sesame, fry.
Now add the fried coconut bits and sesame seeds to the batter and mix well.
Keep this batter for 1-2 hour in a tight container. In the meantime if the batter has thicken up or is too tight, add milk to make it again to a thick batter consistency.
Place the appa kaaral (cast iron mould pan) /Unniyappam pan on the stove and pour equal amounts of ghee and coconut oil (about a tbsp of each) into each rounds . Each rounds should be half full.(Note : The level of the oil in the pan will rise with the addition of the batter; consider this when you pour oil into the pan)
When hot simmer the flame and pour half ladlefuls of batter into each rounds.
Now increase the fire to medium and allow the appams to cook, pour oil in the rounds whenever needed.
Once cooked, the sides will detach from the pan and will start to rotate in the oil, if not with the help of a fork turn the unniyappam to cook on the other side to a golden color. Once the Unniyappam are browned both on the bottoms and tops, remove them from the pan using a metal skewer or with a pair of forks/ tongs.
Allow them to drain well on paper towels and repeat the same process to make the rest of the appams.
Cool them to room temperature. Serve and Enjoy!