I think I've told you enough about my love for bakery, right? My brother was the one who took the most advantage of this weakness of mine. During our childhood days, whenever we had a fight, he used to make up with some bakery food. It was like give me a pastry or puffs, and and I'm the kindest person ever, who forgives you instantly even without blinking an eye!
Even now, when I'm at home in Kerala, I make sure that I visit a bakery, at least once in two days. Walking from one end of the bakery to the other, all the while drooling at the displayed delicacies, I never fail to get an adrenaline rush! My decision making skills are put to a test every time I visit a bakery, because I can never make up mind about what to buy. Unniyappam is one of the things that I always love to buy.
I always thought it's too complicated and tedious to make Unniyappam at home. I was wrong! Last time when we were at Jose's place in Kerala, I was taking pictures and noting down recipes of dishes that mummy made specially for us. You remember the meen curry and parippu vada recipes, right? Seeing my enthusiasm, mummy asked me whether I wanted to make something specially for this blog. So one evening we ended up making Unniyappam and that's when I realised it's no rocket science! I like Unniyappams to be crispy, spongy and moist and that's exactly how it turned out. What surprised me was that it tasted even better the next day!
Btw, if you havent tasted unniyappam yet, please do try it once. Trust me, you will regret not having it earlier!
Here are the step by step pictures…
Add 1 cup water to jaggery and melt it. Strain the jaggery and let it cool completely. Grind the bananas first, add 2 tbsp of melted jaggery to the ground banana and grind again till you get a smooth paste.
Mix together rice flour, wheat flour,ground banana and melted jaggery. Add water little by little till you get the consistency of idli batter…
Add fried coconut bites and sesame seeds and baking soda to the batter and mix well. Keep aside the batter for 30-45 mins. Heat oil in appachatti (pan), when the oil is really hot, reduce the flame to low-medium…
Drop tablespoons of batter to the chatti. Keep turning the unniyappams in between, till you get a golden-dark brown colour on both sides…
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice flour (I used palappam podi)
- 1 cup Wheat Flour
- 250 – 300 gms Jaggery
- 2-3 Ripe banana (I used poovan pazham, refer notes for substitute)
- 1/2 cup Coconut bits (thengakothu)
- 1.5 tbsp Black sesame seeds
- 1/2 – 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- Oil (for deep frying, I used coconut oil)
Instructions
- Add 1 cup water to jaggery and melt it. Strain the jaggery and let it cool completely.
- Fry the black sesame seeds and coconut bits in ghee till it turns golden brown.
- Grind the bananas first, add 2 tbsp of melted jaggery to the ground banana and grind again till you get a smooth paste.
- Mix together rice flour, wheat flour,ground banana and melted jaggery. Add water little by little till you get the consistency of idli batter. You may need around 1-1.5 cups of water. Add fried coconut bits and sesame seeds and baking soda to the batter. MIx well.
- Keep aside the batter for 30-45 mins. If the batter turns too thick after resting, add extra water to loosen it and stir well. Heat oil in appachatti (pan), when the oil is really hot, reduce the flame to low-medium. Drop tablespoons of batter to the chatti. Keep turning the unniyappams in between, till you get a golden-dark brown colour on both sides. Drain excess oil on tissue paper.
Hi Maria..my first attempt at unniyappams and it came out supersoft
thanks ..will try other recipes as well
Thank you Neeta :) Am happy it came out well for you! Hope you will like other recipes too.
Can i use instant idiappam podi?
Hi Farzana
I haven’t tried it yet with instant podi. However many be you can try a small batch, like half qty and see.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria,
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I tried this last weekend and it turned out quite well, so this time I think I became quite over confident and decided to make more unniyappams (as my hubby and my 7 year old son loves it) and think I messed up somewhere. The unniyappams turned out quite hard. I still have heaps of batter left in the fridge. I was wondering if you have any suggestions that could help me add something onto the already prepared batter that could make the unniyappams quite moist.
Thank you for your assistance with this in advance.
Between, I love all your recipes. Thank you.
Hi,
Good to know that it came out well the first time. When you made it the second time did you double the measurements proportionately? If not, it can affect the texture. I cant think of any other reason why it didnt come out well. Otherwise we can say that it was a bad day in kitchen, it happens to me too :)
Cheers
Maria
Hai Maria..wow uhave a big just like me..from Bahrain..loves simple cooking..how did u start this food blog g..did u have to pay..sorry I am taking a topic away from the recipe..I came here for an idea of simple uniappam..I want to try it in baked way..so will take ur tips…p
Z reply on how did u start and how do make it an earning way..am in Canada nw.
Expect to hear from u..
Anju
Hi Anju,
You can read about the details of blog here: https://mariasmenu.wpcomstaging.com/resource. Hope it helps..
Cheers
Maria
Appreciate ur effort!! U r the one who makes non-cookers like me cook :))
Hi Soumya,
Thank you so much for your encouraging words :) Really happy to know that you find the recipes helpful.
Cheers
Maria
Hai,
Thanks a lot for sharing and explaining the recipe very clearly without any confusion. Every time I was very much worried that how to prepare this Unni Appam , as my daughter like this very much.
Thanking you
Diana
Hyderabad
Hi Diana,
You are welcome :) Good to know that you find the recipe helpful. Hope your daughter enjoyed Unniyappam.
Cheers
Maria
instead of palayamkodan pazham which banana can use?
Hi Soumya,
I think you can try it with chiquita banana.
Hi Dhanya,
Thanks a lot for your comment :) I’m so happy to hear that this recipe came out well for you..
I should say that’s such a wonderful gift from your husband :)
Thank you for this recipe. I am married to a Malayalee and since last year I have been trying to make recipes my husband grew up with for Onam …. this was my attempt this year and he thanked me for learning how to make one of his favorite dishes :)
Hi Lily,
You are welcome :) I’m really happy to know that you were able to make your husband’s fav dish from here.
Thanks a lot for leaving a comment here.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria
Thanks for the recipe.. I am going to make it tomorrow for my hubby. Will share you the experience…Your blog is awesome..keep going..
Hi,
You are welcome :) I do hope you got to make this for your hubby and he liked it too..
Cheers
Maria
which brand palappam podi is gd 4 making appams
ur blog is awesome…i hav a doubt,am in midle east ..so all brand products r nt available here..once i used pathiripodiand its nt gud..so which brand palappam podi is gud for making appam?
thanks& regards..
Hi Maya,
I use Nirapara brand Appam/Idiyappam podi for making appams. There are two types of appam podi from this brand, one is instant, which I dont use.
Hope your appam comes out well next time, all the best :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi maria,
I have recently come accross your blog.Its awesome.I like your presentation and the beautiful photographs.Thankss..suthipta :)
Hi maria,
I never thought making unniappam was this easy.I will try your recipe as soon as i get an unniappam chatti.your blog is awesome…
thanks..suthipta
Thanks Suthipta for your comment :) Yes, even I was surprised to know that it’s easy to make unniyappam!
I do hope you get a unniyappa chatti soon to try this out..
Cheers
Maria
Hi maria…I tried unniappam for the first time. .and it came out so well..your choice of ingredients and style & method of cooking is very unique and simple..any recipe we try from your site is a success…which gives me lot of motivation. …thank you for ur great site… thanks..Divya..
Hi Divya,
Thanks a bunch for your kind words, it motivates me to keep blogging :)
Great to know that you like this site.
Best wishes,
Maria
I’m going to try making them this Onam :) thank you so much for the recipe. Absolutely wonderful blog this is.
Hi Rohini,
Happy Onam!
Thanks a lot for your comment :) I do hope you got to make this and liked it too..
Cheers
Maria
hii maria…tried out dis recipie….it was really gud…this was my first try tooo…thank uu soo much…one more suggestion..i think its betta not to add wheat flour that much..it gives a little different taste…jus the rice flour and little more concunut bits would make it more tastier….thankk youu soo muchh.. :)
Hi Rinsa,
Thank you so much :) The pic looks great! I’m happy that you got it right in the first attempt itself.
If you add more rice flour, it will be more crispier. We prefer the soft texture, hence the atta :)
Cheers
Maria
hai Maria,
searched for aval vilayichathu.culdnt find it…..plz add aval vilayichathu
:)
Hi Liya,
Aval vilayichathu is there in my drafts, will post it sometime soon.
Cheers
Maria
hai maria,
i use to try many of ur recipes which ended well..but unnippam which i made became 2 hard………can u suggest some ways to make it softer?
alka
Hi Alka,
Thanks for trying this recipe. I’m sorry to hear that it didnt come out perfect!
I’m guessing the problem happened because of the batter being too thick. After the resting time of batter, it becomes thicker in consistency. You need to add more water to loosen it.
Also when you fry it, make sure you dont brown it too much.
Hope this helps..
Cheers
Maria
Hi Liya,
Aval vilayichathu is there in my drafts, will post it sometime soon.
Cheers
Maria
y do we add baking soda n let it rest???
i always thgt that adding baking soda was a step to b done just before we fry the appams……
Hi Nisha,
I think its done so that the appams will be soft.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Nisha,
I think its done so that the appams will be soft.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria
I assumed n understood that its added for softness
But from my experience adding soda n letting batter rest leads to 2 things….
1) the batter gets thicker when we take it up for frying
2) appams soak too much of oil when frying
adding only banana’s dint help me
i did have to add soda in the end n loads of milk to reduce the batter thickness..approx of 2.5 cups!!!!!
but the appams turned out great…thanks for sharing the receipe!!!!
Hi Maria
I assumed n understood that its added for softness
But from my experience adding soda n letting batter rest leads to 2 things….
1) the batter gets thicker when we take it up for frying
2) appams soak too much of oil when frying
adding only banana’s dint help me
i did have to add soda in the end n loads of milk to reduce the batter thickness..approx of 2.5 cups!!!!!
but the appams turned out great…thanks for sharing the receipe!!!!
Hi Nisha,
If the batter turns so thick, add extra water to loosen it. It should work…
Nice to know that you liked it :)
Cheers
Maria
Hi…Been 2 yrs since my query…now i make Unniappams following this recipe every time for Vishu….Turn out awesome!!!!
I re-read it a few days b4 Vishu..note the ingredients n quantities on a paper n follow it to the “T”……I am soooooo Thankfull to U……for sharing this recipe and making my family celebrations complete!!!!!
Hi Nisha,
If you’ve already got my reply, please ignore this. There was some technical glitch and because of that some of my reply comments got deleted.
Thank you so much for trying out the Unniyappam recipe from here, I’m really happy to know that it came out well :) Hope you had a good Vishu.
Cheers
Maria
y do we add baking soda n let it rest???
i always thgt that adding baking soda was a step to b done just before we fry the appams……
Dear Maria…
Do you know the recipe without bananas… If we add bananad it doesnt stay long..
Love
Arunima
Hi Arunima,
I havent tried it without bananas. You can keep this one in the fridge for 1 week. Just bring it to room temp or microwave for a few seconds before eating.
Cheers
Maria
Hi Arunima,
I havent tried it without bananas. You can keep this one in the fridge for 1 week. Just bring it to room temp or microwave for a few seconds before eating.
Cheers
Maria
Dear Maria…
Do you know the recipe without bananas… If we add bananad it doesnt stay long..
Love
Arunima
can we make without using banana and with using rice(pachari)
Hi Shajina,
I think you are referring to neyappam. I have tried only this version of unniyappam, so I’m not sure whether it works with your suggestion.
Cheers
Maria
I tried out this recipe yesterday. It came out well and my husband and kids really enjoyed the delicious unniyappam!
Thank you very much Archana for your comment :)
Maria.. is it Ethakka (Banana) or Pazham ( like njalipoovan, palayam kodan – Plantain) – may be a stupid doubt – i think it should be pazham
Hi Priya, I’ve mentioned in the recipe itself, that I used njali poovan to make Unniyappam. But you can use chikita type banana also to make this. Hope this helps..
Cheers
Maria
Hi chechi, i made the unniappam, without adding the wheat flour.It was tasty,but inside part was not tight,like when we cut it will ‘podinjupokum’..can u tell me what went wrong?
Hi Anju,
Sorry to hear about it dear :( I’m not sure why it happened like that… but I’m guess the following reasons..
the batter may not be mixed thoroughly or if it’s over fried…
Hope it comes out better next time, all the best!
Cheers
Maria
Hi Maria, tried UNNIAPPAM & it was too good. Initially when I prepared it was very crispy and the next day it had become nice and soft. Does it usually become the same! Image atchd. Thanks & Rgds
Hi Mohini,
Thanks dear! Yeah it happens, as it rests, it becomes softer… Sorry, I didnt get the image for this also.. Please email me the same.
Cheers
Maria
Maria,also i have to share this small unnyappam story with u.my husband’s birthday is on aug21st.i asked him on 20th what he would like to have on his birthday and he told me,if u want to make it really special ,then pls make my most fav snack that is unniyappam.but i had no confidence to make it as i hadnt made before and decided not to make a fool out of myself.but on 21st morning,when i chkd my mail,dhey kidakkunnu mariakutty’s email with unniyappam recipe.i wanted to somehow just give u a hug.anyways,i made it 21st itself and my husband was so happy and he said its superb.so probably i was the first one to try it out within minutes after u posted this recipe.
Hi dear, thank you so much for sharing this here. I’m really really happy that it came out well and you could make something special for your husband on his b’day! My belated b’day wishes to him..
Thanks again for trying out the recipes from here..
Cheers
Maria
Thank u so much Maria,i made this and everyone loved it.all credits goes to u..
sho! kothivannatu vayya! Looks so delicious Maria. I too want to get an unniappam chatti soon!
Thanks Rose! Btw, I made this last weekend without uniyappa chatti and it came out ok. athyavshyam kothi theerkkan you can make it without chatti also ;)
that looks mouth watering :) YUMMM..
xx
http://sreebindu.blogspot.in/
I am drooling looking at these pictures Maria. I dont have an appachatti but I will definitely buy this on my next Kerala visit. Thanks a lot for the recipe :)
Hi Mincy,
Thanks dear :) Btw, you can make this without unniyappachatti also, just that the shape wont come out well.
Cheers
Maria
Mom makes this for us once in a while. Loveee this snack. So yummy :)
Thanks Irene :) I also love this one..
Cheers
Maria
Thank you so much.. I always wanted this recipe and the ones I was had were quite complicated and so I did not try it. I am so happy you have given this as clearly as you have, which you do with every recipe. Unniappam is my favourite..
Thanks a lot Sulekha :) Great to know that you like the recipes posted here. Please do try it when time permits…
Cheers
Maria
yumm yumm
Thanks Liza :)
Drrooooooll!!! Sllllurrrp! Oh god.. Maria! That looks soooo yummm!!! I don’t get Jaggery here :( :( Everytime I bring it from home I save it for as looong as possible… but now I don’t have any left :( :(
Thanks dear :( Is there any chance that you get jaggery in Indian store because of Onam season? I really hope so…
hhmm, may be you can try it with brown sugar n see just to satisfy the craving :)
Wish you a happy onam in advance dear!
Cheers
Maria
Dear Maria,
Thanks for the post. I have a doubt, should the rice flour be roasted or should we be using the unroasted one? Is that what the palappam podi means? And what about the wheat flour. Should it be roasted?
With regards,
Susan
Dear Susan,
You are welcome dear :) hhmmm I’m not very sure about the roasted part. I think since the palappam podi is always roasted, amy be you can use roasted rice flour. However I didnt roast the wheat flour, just added it like that.
Hope you get to try this soon and like it too..
Cheers
Maria
Dear Maria,
Thankyou for clarifying my doubt. I always had this doubt with all the Palaharams of Kerala i.e should the rice flour be roasted? In fact, once I spoilt the Kozhukattas using unroasted rice flour as you know it was very sticky!
Will try it out and let you know how it came out.
And thanks for the pains you take to write out these traditional recipes of Kerala so that we all can enjoy. Appreciate that.
Susan
You are welcome dear Susan! I think for kozhukkatta/idiyappam/appam/pathiri… you need roasted rice flour.
Hope you get to try these soon and like them too :)
Cheers
Maria